I haven't got to pulling out the blower unit yet, but I don't think they had a cabin filter. The black grime is unlike I have ever seen before, it's 5mm thick in places and waxy. It smells like "crayons" is the best I can describe it. It looks like a mix of carbon and oil/diesel, but I have no idea how that much got in there. You can also see the green dye has come out of the failed TX valve, so that explains why your regass didn't work Dudeman :) Most aircon guys will tell you no amount of degreasing will clean the core and I tend to agree, I have tried to clean the same core (they are also used in the Toyota Paseo) and never got the smells out of it. I'm just going to toss it out and put a fresh one in. The rest of the box cleaned up well with degreaser then soapy water. I plan to rip the entire interior out and clean everything.
 
Edit: this is also why I never drive in the city or highway traffic with the outside air switched on...

Sounds like others have shared my experience, so a common thing to clean after many years.
Mine was filthy bad. Soapy warm water. Got told not to use chemicals cause they can smell after.
Off to super cheap tonight to see the Tx expansion valve they got in...

Should be a Denso 447500-9052. I don't know if any others would be suitable.

mr2y
The black grime is unlike I have ever seen before, it's 5mm thick in places and waxy. It smells like "crayons" is the best I can describe it. It looks like a mix of carbon and oil/diesel, but I have no idea how that much got in there. You can also see the green dye has come out of the failed TX valve, so that explains why your regass didn't work Dudeman :) Most aircon guys will tell you no amount of degreasing will clean the core and I tend to agree, I have tried to clean the same core (they are also used in the Toyota Paseo) and never got the smells out of it. I'm just going to toss it out and put a fresh one in. 

mr2y
Did your evaporator look like this?
 
http://imgur.com/tDg2mlQ
 

 
 
Oh wow. That probably had something to do with it. It wasn't just a regas (x2) it was a system overhaul and brand new compressor put in. A system overhaul would include cleaning or suggesting such a component be replaced. Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW, did not clean that component or suggest to me it needed replacing. 
 
Funny, Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW, charged me $1200~1300 for the work to be done. I guess Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW did not do a competent job and my aircon did not work as it should have. 
 
Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW, guaranteed his work he said, and he suggested I purchase a brand new air con compressor from him so my system would work like new. It only lasted a few weeks and then didn't work at all. I contacted Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW about this, he initially didn't want anything to do with a repair, then nominated some small part as failing as the reason for the leak. That was Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW, suggested that the bright green air con dye near the air con compressor was coolant. My mechanic was the one who pointed the leak out to me, and it was not coolant, it was air con dye.
 
Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW, reluctantly took my car back, along with the small hard to find part which I supplied. Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW, then regassed the air con, and it again lasted a week or two before failing again.
 
If anyone needed any more work done on a vehicles air conditioning system, I would offer the opinion that I was not satisfied with the work carried out by Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW, or his follow up of the problems after he carried out the work. I would not return to Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW for any work on any of my vehicles. 
 
 
 
 

 
 
Oh wow. That probably had something to do with it. It wasn't just a regas (x2) it was a system overhaul and brand new compressor put in. A system overhaul would include cleaning or suggesting such a component be replaced. Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW, did not clean that component or suggest to me it needed replacing. 
 
Funny, Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW, charged me $1200~1300 for the work to be done. I guess Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW did not do a competent job and my aircon did not work as it should have. 
 
Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW, guaranteed his work he said, and he suggested I purchase a brand new air con compressor from him so my system would work like new. It only lasted a few weeks and then didn't work at all. I contacted Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW about this, he initially didn't want anything to do with a repair, then nominated some small part as failing as the reason for the leak. That was Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW, suggested that the bright green air con dye near the air con compressor was coolant. My mechanic was the one who pointed the leak out to me, and it was not coolant, it was air con dye.
 
Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW, reluctantly took my car back, along with the small hard to find part which I supplied. Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW, then regassed the air con, and it again lasted a week or two before failing again.
 
If anyone needed any more work done on a vehicles air conditioning system, I would offer the opinion that I was not satisfied with the work carried out by Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW, or his follow up of the problems after he carried out the work. I would not return to Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW for any work on any of my vehicles. 
 
 
 

Sounds like you had a really bad time with Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW.

In old cars, air con mechanics usually always insist on replacing the evaporator at a cost of $2000, that's why I always do it myself. For an old system that has has major work done (like replacing parts) they should do an evacuation of the oil and also do a pressure test. Just refilling it and seeing if it works is probably not the best way to do it, but I'm not an expert or licensed so I still leave it in the hands of someone else to do the final part of the work. Sounds like you had a real bad experience dudeman. 

Just to clarify dudeman, was that "Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW?".....I luv it!!

So sick of so called professionals / tradies doing crappy dodgy jobs & rapping everyone, enough is enough!

mr2y
In old cars, air con mechanics usually always insist on replacing the evaporator at a cost of $2000, that's why I always do it myself. For an old system that has has major work done (like replacing parts) they should do an evacuation of the oil and also do a pressure test. Just refilling it and seeing if it works is probably not the best way to do it, but I'm not an expert or licensed so I still leave it in the hands of someone else to do the final part of the work. Sounds like you had a real bad experience dudeman. 

My car had already been changed to the new gas when I purchased her, but it doesn't work.  Haven't really worried about it.  My mechanic started doing A/C stuff a few months ago, so I asked him to check it when I had a service done.  He gassed it, worked out that it was the compressor, took the gas back out & didn't charge me anything.  He's a good guy.  Stewy from Charlestown steering.
 
I can live without A/C for a bit longer. 

What happens when you have a faulty Tx Valve? Do you lose the gas in the system. This could be the missing link to my A/C never holding a charge. I've already replaced everything else.

Carmikey
Just to clarify dudeman, was that "Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW?".....I luv it!!

So sick of so called professionals / tradies doing crappy dodgy jobs & rapping everyone, enough is enough!

Well, Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW, was local to me and I thought it would be good to support a local business. I was going to use a 2nd hand air con compressor, but Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW insisted that a brand new model was the way to go, because if the old unit failed I would have wasted the labour and regas costs involved. So I thought yeah ok, I intended to keep the car long term and wanted it perfect. 
 
I started to smell a rat when I showed him the green dye that had leaked out, this was pointed out to me by my mechanic. Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW, swore blind it was coolant, but I don't know why coolant would leak from an aircon compressor. 
 
Anyway, enough of the thread hijack, and if anyone was confused, I was totally unsatisfied and felt like I wasted $12~1300 by having work done by Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW. For from being slanderous or defamatory, this was my personal experience in dealing with Steve from Macarthur Automotive Air Conditioning in Bargo, NSW, and I would not try to stop others spending their hard earned money and trying him out with anything else than a simple regas and share their experience.