C2 Air Conditioning valve questions

[John R.]

Should this valve be replaced or restored? Do they go bad? Is this the part called the expansion valve? Is it dated? I see A3 7 on the bottom.

[Larry M.]

Re: C2 Air Conditioning valve questions

Should this valve be replaced or restored? Do they go bad? Is this the part called the expansion valve? Is it dated? I see A3 7 on the bottom.

John:

That looks like an original GM/Corvette expansion valve. Not certain if they are (all) dated, but the A37 may be a date code for January 1967. Many of the C2 model air conditioning parts are dated, such as compressor and POA valve and hoses......so it makes sense that expansion valves are also.

Expansion valves can go bad with time. You can test it by putting the bulb in ice water and seeing if an air flow through the valve is reduced or the valve closes. Then repeat with the bulb at 80 F or above and see if the valve opens and the restriction is less. They can be rebuilt by a few companies, if this is needed.

There should be a small screen on the inlet of the valve to catch any debris. Check to be sure it is still therre and is clean. These small screens can also be bought from NAPA (and others) for a few $. Let me know if you need a part number.

Larry

[John R.]

Re: C2 Air Conditioning valve questions

Larry, thanks for the info. Which side is the inlet?

[Mike G.]

Re: C2 Air Conditioning valve questions

Larry, thanks for the info. Which side is the inlet?

John: the inlet is the 90* port. Once you get it cleaned up, you'll see an arrow in the casting indicating direction of flow. Do a search on "expansion valve" and you'll find an excellent recent thread on testing these TXVs. There's a good chance it's still good. My '65 TXV is still on the car and working. Do check the screen per Larry's post.

[Wayne M.]

Re: C2 Air Conditioning valve questions

Here's what's on my early '65 (Aug/Sept '64 body components). Looks like a 16, then A, then 8, then 4. You can see the arrow on one of the branches.

I've owned the car since 1980, and nothing's been touched in that area, so it's definitely not a 1984 date.

[Tom L.]

Re: C2 Air Conditioning valve questions

One other note on the valve. Unlike plumbing ball valves, refrigeratiojn valves do not use corrosion resist parts like coppper, brass or stainless steel. They use steel parts where they are appropriate for each application to save $$. The reason is that, in theory, air (an oxidant) and moisture are never present. If the system has been open to the atmosphere for a length of time the steel pats may have rust, evde if ceaned they may not perform properly.