Air Conditioning

[pjf]

I am moving to Alexandria, VA (near Washington, D.C.), and want to add air conditioning to my 1989 Suzuki Sidekick. My 2-door convertible has the 1.6-liter engine with 8-valves.

• Which air conditioning kits do you recommend?
• Which auto A/C specialty shops do you recommend?

[aquanaut20]

Probably easier and cheaper to find another buggy.. or,

Drive >30mph with the window down..... Philip

[Scudo]

As aquanaut says. I am usually at 30 Celsius with 80% humidity and the window down works fine for me......that is unless I go into town at midday on a day with zero mph winds and even then the car start complaining too.

[pjf]

AC Compressor, Condenser, Evaporator and More A/C Parts at Wholesale Prices - Discount AC Parts seems to have good prices on air conditioner kits for Sidekicks. Has anyone had any experience with this firm?

[HotTommy]

pjf,
When I visited the site you asked about, I did not see complete kits for a 1989 Tracker that did not already have an AC system. They sold replacement parts for existing systems, but not a complete kit for a car that did not have AC.

I suspect someone does sell a generic kit that could be fitted to your car, but be prepared to pay a lot, especially if you pay a shop to install it for you. .. I installed an aftermarket AC kit in my old Corvette, but I did it while the car was apart for restoration so it wasn't too hard. To put a kit in your car you'll need to install a condenser and fan in front of the radiator, a compressor (with bracket, pulley and belt) on the engine, an evaporator and air ducting inside the cabin, a dryer and hoses to tie everything together, and some sort of control panel to operate it. It is not a small job.

[pjf]

• Are there any OEM A/C units for 1st generation Sidekicks & Trackers that do not use Freon (R-12)?
• Do aftermarket A/C kits for the Sidekick or Tracker use ozone-friendlier refrigerants (R-134a, etc.)?
• What aftermarket A/C kits are available for 1989 Sidekicks?

[ranger88den]

Contact Arizona Air, I think their website is ackits.com. They have a forum, see what they have to say, it may be helpful in addition to this forum.

[pjf]

Originally Posted by ranger88den

Contact Arizona Air, I think their website is ackits.com. They have a forum, see what they have to say, it may be helpful in addition to this forum.

I spoke to Arizona Mobile Air. The complete A/C kit for my Sidekick will cost over $1,000 without installation. This kit does use the R-134a refrigerant. This is not as good as R-1234yf but beggars like me cannot be picky.

While there are installers in Colorado familiar with this kit, Arizona Mobile Air does not know of any installers in the Washington, D.C., area to which I am relocating.

Does anyone know of other suppliers of A/C kits for the Sidekick/Tracker?

Thanks!

[pjf]

Is there a Suzuki part number for an OEM A/C kit for a 1989 Sidekick with the 1.6-liter & 8-valve engine?

I plan to take this part number to Canadian or British Suzuki dealers to see if I can order the A/C kit new.

Thanks!

[pjf]

I'm thinking of ordering the Suzuki OEM on/off switch to replace the on/off switch of an aftermarket air conditioning system.

Can anyone tell me if the Suzuki A/C switch goes into the round knockout under the radio or into the rectangular knockout near the steering wheel?