Blown away
AC woes - again
Bertie’s really trying my patience this week. First time I actually need the rebuilt air conditioning, I pull into an underground carpark accompanied by an explosion so loud I was convinced Vlad was making a move on the Canaries (the weather’s much better than Moscow… or Kyiv).
After the initial shock, I spotted oil mist emanating from under the bonnet. Again. Feck. All that cleaning, expense, and effort – and he’s blown another AC hose. Somehow I’m always relieved it’s “only” the AC, but I was not happy. The only upside? The Mrs. didn’t witness it. She’s already (rightly) dubious about his place in the fleet.
I’m hoping the hose burst was down to previous chafing by the bonnet spring – something I should have relocated earlier. Looks like I’ll need this one custom-made, as no original hoses are available. Ranmore had to fabricate a new low-pressure hose when fitting the latest compressor, so that’s probably for the best given the age of the originals.
On the bright side, the newly installed pressure switch checks out: it goes open circuit with no (or low) pressure (< ~20 psi, as now). Hopefully the high-pressure side (where this burst occurred) doesn’t need its own switch – the original POA valve certainly never regulated high-side pressure.
For fellow Shadow and Bentley T owners, the above experience won’t be a surprise (new). The factory AC systems on these cars (using that big twin-belt Harrison A6 compressor and the old POA suction throttling valve) are notorious for age-related gremlins after 40-50 years. Original rubber hoses perish, crack, or chafe - especially the high-pressure one - and sudden bursts like Bertie’s are a rite of passage. Leaks often starve the compressor or damage components, and with R12 long gone, most of us end up converting to R134a with modern barrier hoses for better durability. No originals available? That’s par for the course. If you’re lucky enough to still have a working system, check those hoses regularly for wear!
Happy New Year…
Yes, this really was the first I had heard of this.
The Mrs.
I really can relate to this never ending string of problems. Lately, after spending almost half the value of the car having it fixed (windows not going down or up, fuel pump on its last legs, carburators widly desynchronized, spark plugs, timing off, 2 dead spheres etc...), I was foolish enough to believe my own Shadow II had become 100% trouble free. Yeah right. Two weeks ago I took it on a 80 mile drive to visit a friend. It poured all the way, I mean like the first day of the deluge. I was kind of glad there was no leak, the wipers worked fine and the car behaved wonderfully. Lo and behold, after spending the day there, I was about to leave (fortunately it was not raining anymore), after having started the car, switching it to "D", the car refused to budge. Same with "R" and "I" and "L". I turned the engine off. Started it again. Switched to "D"... nothing went back to "P" ... and the car move forward ! Switched to "D", nothing. Tried "R" ... the car started to move but not in reverse. By that time I was starting to sweat profusely (in the midst of winter that is). Tried again and again. Finally, "R" put the car in reverse. I backed it up out of my friend's garage. Then swithed on "D" ... nothing. Tried "I" ... yesss! It worked. I made a quick prayer, switched on "D" and it started to move forward again. I drove the 80 mile with a knot in my stomach. I arrived safely. I tried the next day and then a few days later, to no avail. It still behaves randomly. Not as badly as before, not in a wicked way, just in a gently random way. Sigh. Water probably got in somewhere and messed something up. I do not know. Back to square one. Best way to start 2026 ?!