I grew up with a '74 Gremlin as my mom's grocery getter. She insisted we only turn the "desert only" setting on after we left the city limits. We lived right outside Phoenix.
@seanhoward80256 ай бұрын
Did she buy it at Randall AMC/Jeep in Mesa, AZ? Randall was the Yenko and Baldwin/Motion of AMC dealers back in the late 60’s and 70’s. Home of the Gremlin 401-XR…a 304 V8 Gremlin X…transplanted with a high performance 401!!!
@PlumbNutz6 ай бұрын
😄
@jkmarshall35536 ай бұрын
LOL! In that case she used it as a "Rural Only" a/c set-up.
@will7its6 ай бұрын
Got to love them.....☺
@marko78436 ай бұрын
I could just imagine my mother doing the same thing with the signal-search radio in the Lincoln or Cadillac, only pushing the Town button in the city and the Country button in unincorporated areas... 😁
@chuckbrown6176 ай бұрын
No joke... On my '74 Javelin, snow would blow out of the dash vents on humid days with the A/C in "Desert Only" mode.
@jkmarshall35536 ай бұрын
I could use such a setting right now in FLA!
@johnchildress67176 ай бұрын
I wish I had kept My 73 amx Javelin.Was a very dependable car and got noticed by a lot of people.
@pinpointautodiagnosticsene96556 ай бұрын
My 85 eagle r12 refrigerant did that
@LFTRnow6 ай бұрын
Any car in AZ NEEDS the "snow flurries" feature.
@samiam55576 ай бұрын
I had a '86 Dodge Diplomat ''copcar" that snowed on max A/C too.
@ObamaoZedong6 ай бұрын
TLDR: Desert Only mode makes the compressor run full time, which caused the system to freeze in humid environments.
@gleuszler6 ай бұрын
For the 1978 model year, the Hornet (renamed the Concord), Gremlin, and AMX (based on the Concord) received a revised A/C control panel. The upper lever switched the system between five heating/cooling modes: MAX A/C, A/C, HEAT, HI/LO and DEF. The lower lever controlled the temperature from COOL to WARM. To the left of COOL (through a detent) was COLD, basically a new name for DESERT ONLY. The owner's manual cautioned against using COLD for extended periods, especially in humid climates, to prevent evaporator freezing, just like DESERT ONLY.
@marmite89596 ай бұрын
Thanks
@AlexR_446 ай бұрын
Thank You good sir!
@charlesaltemose27916 ай бұрын
Correct; AMCs early systems did not have a clutch on the AC compressor as well, hence the "Kelvinator" effect...
@VincentW26 ай бұрын
thank you
@danielulz16406 ай бұрын
I loved the Desert Only setting on my 65 Ambassador, 68 Rebel and 70 Ambassador. I had these cars in the steamy South, Baton Rouge. When I would get into my hot car, I would put the A/C on Desert Only and the fan on high. When snow started blowing out of the center outlets, I would reduce the temperature and the fan speed. That Weather Eye would cool a hot car down quickly!
@albear9725 ай бұрын
"When snow started blowing out of the center outlets, I would reduce the temperature and the fan speed." 😂😂
@danielulz16405 ай бұрын
Yes, I should have said increase the temperature or click off of Desert Only. @@albear972
@somejackball6 ай бұрын
surprised the Heater part doesn't have a North Pole Only setting 😅
@RareClassicCars6 ай бұрын
Ha!
@MarkB.-mo3lz6 ай бұрын
Or the Arctic Only setting 🥶
@zillsburyy16 ай бұрын
Florida only
@czechmate69166 ай бұрын
How about south Texas setting 🥵
@mr.blackhawk1426 ай бұрын
jackball, SATAN Claws would be their only customer so not worth mass-producing that heater... :P
@roberth78946 ай бұрын
I remember that "desert only" setting scaring my mom and she never used it until one day in metro Detroit it was so hot us kids pleaded for her to turn it on- and things cooled off nicely and the world didn't end ha ha!
@discerningmind5 ай бұрын
If your mom was like my mom, the reason she was afraid to use Desert Only is because she thought it might damage the car not being in a desert.
@Foxonian6 ай бұрын
The "Weather Eye" HVAC system was originally developed by Nash back in the late 40's for its cars. AMC inherited it after absorbing Nash and kept using the system for decades.
@Pisti8466 ай бұрын
AMC didn't absorb Nash, Nash-Kelvinator changed its name to American Motors prior to consolidating Hudson.
@Dac546 ай бұрын
Yes, I remember seeing the words Weather Eye on my grandparent's 1962 Rambler Station Wagon. As I recall, the car did not have air conditioning. Also, no seat belts, no power steering, or power brakes. The windshield wipers were vacuum-operated. Finally, the same key unlocked the doors, the tailgate, the locking glove compartment, and also served as the ignition key.
@dickbiggerstaff57296 ай бұрын
Nash started A/C in cars 1954.
@chrisstoddard11446 ай бұрын
@@Dac54 In '62, the Rambler (my folks owned a Classic sedan) was considered a "compact" and power steering and brakes would have seemed silly, as it would have been for a Valiant or Chevy II. Different times.
@tyttuut6 ай бұрын
@@Callsign_Sturm these god damn millennials and their "technical advancement," back in my day everything was worse and we liked it!
@Cragified6 ай бұрын
Honestly wish we had a company like AMC today. Though it's impossible for them to survive in the current CAFE and safety requirements. A company that used everyone's supply chains to put together reliable, inexpensive vehicles.
@hamiltonhoover7926 ай бұрын
I always liked the nickname "all makes combined"
@mevans49535 ай бұрын
Today’s safety and CAFE requirements only makes cars more expensive whiling lining the pockets of battery car manufacturers. We need to go back to a time where we just had better drivers and cheaper prices and more easily fixed cars
@bentighe48115 ай бұрын
It was government regulation that (in part) was responsible for killing AMC. They spent an enormous amount of money designing a new platform to comply with stringent federal safety regulations. The big three didn't bother designing new cars; instead they complained and lobbied the government to cancel the new regulations, which it eventually did. AMC was stuck with an ahead-of-its-time crazymobile (the Pacer) that only a few people wanted.
@mevans49535 ай бұрын
@@bentighe4811 All safety in well made cars can be compensated for by a competent owner. Can’t say that about current day mIllEniAlS who all drive automatic. Would be great if we had that filter. Less drivers on the road.
@Nelo3905 ай бұрын
@@mevans4953 You can compensate the amount of crashes by increasing driver competency sure, but crashes kill indiscriminately. Less drivers would be nice, sure, but unfortunately due to America's terrible public transportation and zoning setups, private transportation is a requirement to get to a job, stores, and back home. Increasing requirements would push many people into poverty due to limiting job selections, especially in less populated areas. This is all ignoring your strange comments regarding automatic vs manual transmissions (learning a manual tractor took me 15 minutes at the age of 8). Fewer manuals exist after the government destroyed most older cars through the Cash for Clunkers program, and it's not like most younger people have spare cash for a project car, so they never learn it because they don't have to. Imagine if I complained that you didn't know how to suck eggs! You don't need to because you can just buy some easter eggs at the store now, and it's less work- not knowing that skill isn't reflective of your character at all. I'd also like to dismantle your claim of 'all safety can be compensated for by a competent owner'. To what point does this extend? For a comparison of skilled drivers still needing safety, I urge you to look at nascar roll cages, safety harnesses, fireproof suits, crash barriers, and helmets. There is a point where safety can become excessive, sure. And a skilled driver is less likely to get into a crash, also true. But are you arguing against including crumple zones into cars, Having collapsible steering columns so they do not impale you in a crash, backup cameras, fancy automatic braking stuff if you're going 40 mph seconds away from a barrier, auto tire pressure warning systems, traction control, anti-lock brakes and the like? Do you genuinely think that is the greatest contributor to cost in a vehicle, and that enough consumers would willingly give up these features now that they have become accustomed to them for car manufacturers to make a new lineup? Believe me, I am unhappy with government regulations around vehicles, especially the around vehicles like the KEI truck. But many of the modern safety features costs were in R&D, now you can manufacture a LIDAR array and a car computer for less than 500$ for heaps of additional safety. I do not understand your argument.
@jacobmyer55086 ай бұрын
Giving the consumer the controls to do exactly what they wanted without installing limiting features. What a time to be an automotive engineer
@Butter615s5 ай бұрын
We were an AMC family for as long as I can remember. My parents came back from Germany and had a Rambler station wagon. Driving from Knoxville, TN- to Big Spring, TX- and my mom became deathly sick. They stopped at Western auto and had a bolt on dashboard air conditioner installed. That’s how we discovered my mom was allergic to road dust. 🤯 Later, as I was about to be born, they had an Ambassador SST. My Mom was in her 9th month of pregnancy with me. They hydroplaned, hit a guard rail, and fortunately- that car was a tank. What followed, was a string of Ambassadors, Matadors, and Pacers. My Mom’s final car was a 1979 AMC Pacer wagon that was in our family over 25 years. AMC was that love it or hate it- and we loved them.
@EricResnick6 ай бұрын
We had three Hornets with A/C and had no problem living with them. I read the owner's manual, which explained why the Desert Only setting was there and why it should not be used where there was humidity. We live in NE Ohio where there is humidity, so we just didn't twist the knob all the way to the right. That said, it was a conversation piece for any curious passenger unfamiliar with the set up. I am still AMC all the way, and wish I could still daily drive something as enjoyable as an AMC six.
@DanEBoyd6 ай бұрын
Jeep XJ...
@isaakwelch34516 ай бұрын
@@DanEBoyd are rough riding, uncomfortable, and noisy. I had one for several years and found the 4.0L was the only aspect of it I actually liked
@ericchandler906 ай бұрын
Jeep YJ!
@chryslerelectronicleanburn16766 ай бұрын
I wish I could daily drive an American Motors car now too. And I don't want a Jeep in its place not the new ones
@discerningmind5 ай бұрын
I agree with you. I liked the cars we use to have. Now everything is boring, uncomfortable, and ugly.
@MichaelCalhoun-e6c5 ай бұрын
I was driving a 1973 "Levi's Edition" AMC Gremlin in the summer of 1980. Here in Texas, that was the summer of the "Great Heat Wave", where we had temps in excess of 100 degrees for weeks. I wasn't happy with the Gremlin, as the frame around the door latch posts were constantly cracking, despite welding the body panels around them on an almost weekly basis. During that summer, however, I was grateful for that "Desert Only" setting, and was happy to have it.
@61rampy656 ай бұрын
I always thought that the 'Desert Only' setting was just the same as 'Recirc', as most manufacturers didn't/don't want you driving around without some outside air getting in the car. Adam, your explanation makes perfect sense.
@pcno28326 ай бұрын
I remember having to jerry-rig my Dodge Lancer so it would recirculate without the temperature slide on the extreme cold position. I got tired of having to chose between freezing and getting doused with cool-but-clammy outside air.
@RareClassicCars6 ай бұрын
Yes. Different from recirc. No recirc on these cars
@mr.blackhawk1426 ай бұрын
DESSERT Only wudda bin a HUGE seller I betcha???!!!
@traumajock6 ай бұрын
My thought as well. My grandmother's Gremlin had the desert only setting. It did not have power steering or power brakes.
@grandam6 ай бұрын
@pcno2832 Lol I had a 1988 Dodge Lancer!!!
@hutchcraftcp6 ай бұрын
We had a number of AMC cars from the 1950s until the end of their run in 87. The AC never failed but like many people I found it amusing and sort of a party trick to get snow blowing out of the vents. I would do it for a minute or two and then switch it back lower after everyone had their laugh.
@mark_osborne6 ай бұрын
AMC did things on the cheap , my good friend Wally Booth told me how AMC provided roughly $100,000 to start the racing program back in the day which they used to build a flow bench and various other component parts of an engine room, including how they designed a windage tray and gained 70+ hp getting the oil off the crank. Low budget racing, yet they were very successful. Yes, I jumper'd the clutch cycling solenoid on my 82 Seville (solenoid was bad) and it instantly filled the evaporator core with ice. I LOVe the simplicity of these early actuators - it forced you to use your brain !
@thegoldendog79916 ай бұрын
@VladimirPutin-cz5zy Booth, not Cleaver haha
@mr.blackhawk1426 ай бұрын
WHO needs a brain, when we can just turn on the FLUX CAPACITOR!?! :P
@KC9UDX6 ай бұрын
AMC wasn't cheap to be cheap. AMC was cheap because it was cash-strapped.
@carlsaganlives60866 ай бұрын
@@KC9UDX Also, Jack Benny was a shareholder as well as spokesman (person!) going back to the Nash/Rambler days, and had a lot of pull.
@dr.detroit15146 ай бұрын
Booth & Arons shop was a few towns over from me. I had the machine work on various engines done there over the years ago when I was into motorsports.
@reubkam10436 ай бұрын
Those old fashioned cables are worlds better than expensive troublesome actuator motors.
@kevinpatrick87886 ай бұрын
Yes they were simple yet effective . Most modern Ac systems have too many blenddoors and actuators that require hours of labour to even access in the dash . Cha ching !
@marko78436 ай бұрын
Hallelujah brother! Right now I'm facing a complete dash carrier removal to replace the driver's blend-air door motor that is stuck on full hot (NATURALLY it didn't happen in the fall...) A two-man job that I just pray doesn't leave me with a whole bunch of new squeaks and rattles. Also, the Buick factory service manual sucks... 😢
@petercollingwood5226 ай бұрын
@@marko7843 What Buick? Which year?
@johndonovan70186 ай бұрын
nah cables suck. stretch, rust, get stuck. you boomers just like to glorify obsolete things
@Darwinpasta6 ай бұрын
@@johndonovan7018 Non-boomer here. Cables may not be trouble-free, but they're a damn sight simpler (and cheaper if they do go wrong) than the computer modules and servos and sensors that have replaced them.
@Johnnycdrums6 ай бұрын
Nice to take a much deserved break, from the horrors of this cruel cold world. And to click on to something normal and relaxing for a change.
@loumontcalm35006 ай бұрын
Nothing "wacky" it was to prevent freezing up the evaporator in humid areas. I never had a problem leaving it on Desert Only. Remember that Nash pioneered efficient "weather eye" heater designs that everyone adopted.
@TaylorZ26 ай бұрын
I agree, I believe AMC was the first to integrate A/C into the dash too (or one of the first). I had a 62 AMC American with factory A/C and it was a great air conditioner! The "all weather eye" was for cars with factory A/C, and "weather eye" just signified cars with heater/defroster but no A/C.
@nthgth6 ай бұрын
It's wacky to me, having never used an A/C system where freezing was a concern for the user. Or rather, one where there's anything for the user to consider besides "it's pretty hot, let's cool down using the air conditioner."
@davem37896 ай бұрын
When I was
@komradkolonel6 ай бұрын
I had an uncle who owned an AMC Ambassador and he thought it was a great car. I do know that Chryslers were somewhat bad about the A/C freezing up especially if it was very hot and humid. All of a sudden it would start spitting ice out of the vents at you. That's no joke because I've really seen that happen.
@czechmate69166 ай бұрын
You are correct. My parents had a 1967 Plymouth Fury that would do that only when you would go on a long trip. But man I swear you could hang meat in that car. It had the best air conditioner it never gave any problems and neither did the car.
@stoneylonesome40626 ай бұрын
@@czechmate6916MoPar V2 pumps and the GM CCOT (Cycling-Clutch/Orifice-Tube) were arguably the best A/C systems in terms of actual cooling ability and reliability, regardless of efficiency.
@mr.blackhawk1426 ай бұрын
@@czechmate6916 VERY descriptive! I'm 38 years...VEGAN! I've RISEN above the DEATH culture y'all support!
@mr.blackhawk1426 ай бұрын
I grew up in RAINcouver, BC so A/C was not a huge priority there. By the time I moved to the Okanagan DESERT, I was riding a mountain bike! C'est le vie...
@jamescarrington55216 ай бұрын
YES!! I had a 1974 Plymouth Fury "Gran Sedan," GREAT car, it was very reliable, and the A/C was ICE COLD, which I LOVED, because I'm ALWAYS too damned HOT, year 'round....but the A/C in THAT car used to cause frost to form on the vents! I've never owned another car since that used to get THAT COLD....but I welcomed that!
@CraigArndt6 ай бұрын
Loved this throwback. My dad had a Hornet with a desert only dial. I was always curious as a young kid what that did. I can’t recall if my Dad knew what it was, but just would say it’s only to use when in the desert…. It took 44 years but now I know. Thanks!
@Sheisthedevilyouknowwho-ft9we6 ай бұрын
I pictured your dad telling you not to touch it. We had a 1976 Pontiac that dad said had a "limiter switch" or fuse. If you had A/C on, and you turned it off, you better not turn it back on within a few minutes or it blew a fuse and you had no A/C until you replaced the fuse, at least that what seemed to happen.
@jonfklein6 ай бұрын
I think it was a thoughtful addition to the control fascia to have the label "Desert Only". It indicates to the user that that setting should only be used in the desert, which should make them go to the owners manual to find out why. Hopefully the owners manual explains that using the setting in a humid environment could lead to the evaporator icing over.
@mpetersen66 ай бұрын
People actually reading the owners manual. Shocking.
@Pisti8466 ай бұрын
My 1966 Rambler Classic had the best A/C, in Desert Only setting was great. Combined with Westher Eye it was the best climate-control system I had in any car, it was so versatile because you could send heated or cooled air through any vent you wanted. And I could control the outlet temp.
@jetsons1016 ай бұрын
AMC did have some great cars. Over the years I had a 68 AMX 390 4-speed, two 69 AMX's both 390 4-speeds, a 70 Reble Machine and a 1969 AMC Hurst SC/Rambler 4-Speed. Never had a Gremlin X yet, still looking..... Thanks to Adem for keeping automotive history alive.
@mr.blackhawk1426 ай бұрын
The AMXs were smart-looking cars! Very sporty! The Javelins must have been a compromise to target young fathers? It was a 4-seater. Speaking of, my older bro had a late 1960s Ambassador, and that was the only car I saw that the front seats folded back to make a bed! HANDY for "Lover's Lane".
@kenttalsma79066 ай бұрын
Ya must be from Wisconsen or is it Wisconson?😊
@johnchildress67176 ай бұрын
You had some cool ridesJetson
@jetsons1016 ай бұрын
@@johnchildress6717 Thanks, I guess I liked the underdog cars.... lol
@carlsaganlives60866 ай бұрын
In the late 70's I bought #1312 of 1500 something '69 S/C with a trashed 390 and primered body, no red, white, and blue with the snorkel hood removed (but thrown in the sale) with a stock Rambler in it's place for $450. I put a 304 from a wrecked Hornet in, no mods necessary. Had the original window sticker and all the trim including a rare 'Rouge' emblem in the glovebox, I think the list was $3200 or $3400.. still had the T-10 and all the other goodies. I never got around to anything resembling a restoration, back then it wasn't worth anything near what just a chassis and body is worth today - astronomical (for an AMC) prices on Bring A Trailer which a 19 yr old shade tree mechanic couldn't seem possible. I ended up selling it for $350(!) a couple years later so I could buy a used Yamaha TT500 flat track bike..oh, well!!
@westernjeep40156 ай бұрын
As an avid American Motors/IHC collector, that "desert only" setting was foreign to me, being from the 70f dew point deep south. Only after my stint in Arizona, did it make sense, given the system design (you can't readily freeze an evaporator when the dew point is 12f!)
@Flies2FLL6 ай бұрын
-On modern Mercedes Benz cars, such as my spouses '23 EQE 350+, you cannot continuously keep the recirculation flap closed. It is on a time delay; After about 5-10 minutes of driving, it will release and admit outside air into the system. The manual states that this is to prevent fogging of the windows and potential freeze-up of the evaporator. This is how modern cars have their "Desert Only" mode, though I doubt that any company today produces a system that can run the AC compressor full time. My airport car, a 2001 Subaru Outback WILL keep the setting; Once you put it on recirc, it stays there and is the same way the next time you start the car up. Great video!
@pcno28326 ай бұрын
My last 2 cars, a Honda and a Hyundai, have had recirculate buttons that can be made to work in any mode, even with the defroster vents, but you have to set it each time you start the car. That makes a huge difference on very cold mornings, cutting the time it takes to scrap the ice off the windshield in half. But you have to remember to set it back before driving very far or the humidity will build up and fog up the windshield.
@Flies2FLL6 ай бұрын
@@pcno2832 I agree. My Porsche has to be set each time, but the Subaru? Set it and forget it! The MB is annoying. 👍
@ghostwrench22926 ай бұрын
Many modern cars have compressors that run continuously - they’re called variable displacement compressors and they don’t have clutches. Recirc doors that revert to fresh air inlet automatically are far from a new thing. My 2007 Volvo does that as well. In fact, some cars scan the incoming air from the outside ducts and detect when too many contaminates are present and then automatically close the fresh air door so the cabin air is cleaner.
@Flies2FLL6 ай бұрын
@@ghostwrench2292 Interesting. Which cars exactly have these variable displacement compressors without clutches? I think that if you tell a car you want the recirc door closed, it should stay that way the way my '01 Subaru Outback does. What's funny about that car is that if you use the cruise control, it goes away when you shut the car down. You have to turn it on first, then set the speed. My Porsche is just the opposite- Bump the little arm on the left side of the column with your left middle finger and it engages at the speed that you are at. Once it is on, it is always armed. I always leave it this way. You know, you'd think there would be some standardization in the industry on all this....
@jimmyaber59206 ай бұрын
@Flies2FLL vw, audi, bmw, and any of their other brands. VDC supports HF1234yf refrigerant better and it also means you get good lower idle speed cooling as the compressor full displacement is greater. Many of the light hybrids have 48V electric compressors no longer belt connected to crankshaft. The electric compressors on EV, hybrid, or light hybrid are variable speed to have variable displacement and least power consumption.
@kensakamoto2586 ай бұрын
I was in an auto AC course at the local college in 1971. That desert setting had us confused for a while when the first AMC came in.
@paulj29486 ай бұрын
In 1984 I had a 1974 Hornet hatchback with sporty trim, wheels, in bright yellow. It had desert only and i never knew why. I figured out it was coolest but never had a freeze over in NJ summers.
@geralderdek2826 ай бұрын
My '59 Ambassador still has the decal on the firewall heater box saying equipped with American motors weather eye heating and ventilating system. It has factory ac. One of the best systems of its day as AMC had refrigeration experience through its kelvinator devision.
@zlinedavid6 ай бұрын
Similar to GM and Frigidaire. I’ve always wanted a GM-era Frigidaire fridge for my garage, just simply because it has “Manufactured by General Motors” on it.
@geralderdek2826 ай бұрын
@@zlinedavid I saved the metal tag from my old kelvinator fridge. It says Kelvinator no frost. Product of American Motors Corp.😊
@tonycorrado23686 ай бұрын
Someone had mentioned Weather Eye as being from the late 1940s, but it was actually introduced. Also, if you've ever seen the dash on a 1954 Nash with air conditioning, it is very cool with... all vents coming through the dash. That is because Nash pioneered the installation of all air conditioning components under the hood, so all air came through the dash. Nash was the first car to do so. Especially Cadillac and Lincoln held onto the evaporator in the trunk combined with the drafty roof vents directly on the head and necks of the four outboard seating positions until the late 50s. Whether Eye was considered the gold standard of automobile HVAC systems.
@discerningmind5 ай бұрын
Thanks Adam. I enjoyed your having gone over the "Desert Only" setting in the Ambassador video. And seeing "Desert Only" again here, those words have the same affect on me, being that of an ice cream headache, a.k.a., brain-freeze.
@OLDS986 ай бұрын
Thank you Adam. AMC always worked on a budget and it is sad too. They did not have an option. They made use of what they had and did so much on a budget. You have to think about the potential if they had proper funding what types of cars they would have invested in as well. Jeep thrives and lives today in 2024.
@Dukers23006 ай бұрын
Jeep is pathetic now though 😂🎉
@butchs.42396 ай бұрын
@@Dukers2300 Yep, worse thing that ever happened to Jeep was getting bought by Chrysler/Fiat. I watched a video here last night about the 10 least reliable vehicles currently being sold and Jeep had 4 models on the list.
@Dukers23006 ай бұрын
@@butchs.4239 If you want to get a Barbie Jeep for mall crawling and showing “status” they’re good for that I suppose. About as useless as a cyber truck. I’m good with my late 90s TJ and XJ’s.
@isaakwelch34516 ай бұрын
@@Dukers2300as far as im concerned, Jeep died with the 4.0L.
@Dukers23006 ай бұрын
@@isaakwelch3451 yuuuuup!
@325xitgrocgetter6 ай бұрын
The Weather Eye! I remember the Desert Only setting on our 1971 Hornet. Chrome twist knob that would rotate clockwise for "colder" with the final setting of Desert Only. I also remember the slider bars being somewhat tough to move.
@jeffgolden2534 ай бұрын
For my work in the late 1960s I had to once a week drive a station wagon full of computer tapes from New York City to Cherry Hill, New Jersey (about 100 miles). I liked renting AMC Ambassadors because, at that time, they were the only car with factory-standard air conditioning. But, on a hot summer day, even that desert setting could not cool it off enough. Surprising because AMC was experienced with refrigeration. They also made Kelvinator refrigerators.
@Paramount5316 ай бұрын
I'm guessing that the AMC system had the sight glass in the AC line that you could look at to determine the state of charge. If you saw bubbles, you needed more R-12. I miss both of them, the sight glass and the R-12.
@ninjatech1236 ай бұрын
Some new cars still have that sight glass. My buddy's mid 2000's Toyota Highlander still has one.
@isaakwelch34516 ай бұрын
Good thing there are alternatives that don't permanently damage the environment!
@lukeonuke6 ай бұрын
Youd be amazed that relay new cars finaly cool as well as old ones did with R-12. I personaly thought that eh its just a shittier gas, but better some worse air conditioning than a sterile planet. only systems designed for r-12 work that shugishly.
@JAMESWUERTELE6 ай бұрын
I have 2 4Runners, one is good ole R-134A, the other is the 1234-yf. We take the older one with 134A in the hottest summer days, it works a lot better. (2020,2021 for context)
@mikekochanek90686 ай бұрын
R-12 was far superior to the crap that the EPA lets us use now.
@alloam6 ай бұрын
Great explanation. When I saw the title, not knowing this was 'a thing', I instantly remembered a relatively recent 2019 journey around Italy in 43C (109degF) temperatures. When we drove along the coast (very humid) for a whole day our Citroen's evaporator froze up and we had no AC until letting the car sit for an hour to defrost!
@gleuszler6 ай бұрын
For the 1978 model year, the Hornet (renamed the Concord), Gremlin, and AMX (based on the Concord) received a revised A/C control panel. The upper lever switched the system between five heating/cooling modes: MAX A/C, A/C, HEAT, HI/LO and DEF. The lower lever controlled the temperature from COOL to WARM. To the left of COOL (through a detent) was COLD, basically a new name for DESERT ONLY. The owner's manual cautioned against using COLD for extended periods, especially in humid climates, to prevent evaporator freezing, just like DESERT ONLY.
@matthewclark16746 ай бұрын
My first car was a 1970 2 door Ambassador. At the time I had no idea what the desert only mode did. Loved the car though.
@danielulz16406 ай бұрын
I had a 70 Ambassador two door too, a DPL! Rare beasts, but great and beautiful cars.
@GunsmithSid6 ай бұрын
I hadn’t seen the Desert setting before, but I did have an old Toyota and Jeep than the A/C was likely dealer installed because the A/C and heat did not blend and you could ice up the system if used on full cold for too long. Seemed normal as we understood what was happening.
@WilliePeck6 ай бұрын
Interesting feature but all they had to do was put in a low pressure switch that would prevent the evap from getting below freezing and rename the setting to "max" or something like that. The controls would tell the compressor to run constantly but the LPS would prevent freezeups.
@edwinhesse116 ай бұрын
It might be a good time to have a video about Chrysler air temp. There are videos that you have made about Chrysler auto temp II. But the overall Chrysler corporation involvement in air conditioning. And being the pioneers of the hotel individual room air conditioning system.
@thebestisyettocome41146 ай бұрын
Had a 1973 AMC Hornet. 1978 AMC Concord, 1981 AMC Eagle 4x4 two doors. All were fantastic cars.
@Slider686 ай бұрын
I always quite liked my '72 4-door Matador. It didn't have A/C though. I'll always remember how the 304 V8 had plenty of torque and could instantly light up the tires from a stop. At high speeds the power was poor compared to my 1970 Chrysler Newport Convertible, with its 440 Magnum (375 hp) though. My next car was a '78 Volare Wagon, with the gutless, but reliable 225-2bbl slant six (Super Six). I sold the Matador in 1983.
@maxr44486 ай бұрын
I like the Javelin the Hornet, AMX, and Rebel. Great cars. Had a friend years ago in the '70's who parents bought the Twins of theirs a 2 year old Gremlin with the six. Those couldn't tear it up. That was a tough little car. We had a gravel high school student parking lot. It had TWO light poles in it about 300 feet apart. We would do figure eights between them. The smaller cars did better. The bigger Badder cars would drift out. The twins were really good with their Gremmie, as they called it. Thanx Adam for this.
@texan1766 ай бұрын
Although people mock it as primitive and low tech, it was simple and easy to repair. R12 was available everywhere and I can still remember it cost under $5 a can in the 80s. Modern cars have the HVAC system on the CAN BUS system so it is talking to the other systems in the car to disrupt other vehicle systems when a problem is detected. HVAC system components are also priced a little insanely now.
@irysh96 ай бұрын
That $5 is equivalent to roughly $20 today. You can get a bottle of refrigerant today for $15. I'd let you do the math, but you've already shown you can't. So, for the record, the actual cost of automotive refrigerant has gone down in the past 40 years...
@texan1766 ай бұрын
@@irysh9 Under $5 is not the same as $5. I will let you take a semester of remedial reading and get back to me next fall.
@mattwolf76986 ай бұрын
@@irysh9134A is cheap but 1234YF (which it seems like most cars made after 2020 use) is pricey.
@AngelaTheSephira6 ай бұрын
It does not disrupt the rest of the car if the HVAC messes up.
@jeffkahre15305 ай бұрын
I had a 1974 AMC Javelin in 1977 in southwest Indiana. It’s a very humid river valley area. When I would use “Desert only” setting on the AC, white frost would blow out of the vents and condensation would cover the outside of the windshield and windows. You’d have to turn on the windshield wipers.
@rebel44665 ай бұрын
It's actually "dessert only" for when you have ice cream in the car
@blobscott6 ай бұрын
Early 1980s Volvo 240s had a similar compressor cycle control for the AC. It appeared as a random small knob - separate from the rest of the climate controls - with a pointer line and a position indicator consisting of a ring painted on the dash starting blue and shifting to red for the last area of the knob revolution. It was totally confusing, and most consumers thought it was some sort of additional heat control - turning it to the red when the AC was blowing too cold. Of course, the red was the same as the "desert setting," locking the compressor on. My family had a 1984 Volvo with this control and being a nerdy kid I read about its operation in the manual - but how to set this knob was a mystery to every other Volvo owner I ever encountered. Unrelated, my dad wanted an ammeter in the car to show the charge/discharge rate of the battery. The dealership said they had this as an option, but when we picked the car up it had what they called an "amb" meter - i.e. An ambient temperature gauge. To make matters worse, it was in celsius .. an unforgivable blunder for a U.S. market vehicle. My dad hated that car and was quite happy when it died an untimely death.
@IowaBudgetRCBashers6 ай бұрын
Rebel, matador, ambassador were all the same platform, the javelin was its own, and the gremlin, hornet, concord, spirit, and eagle were all the same platform, and the pacer was it’s own platform.
@Imnotyourdoormat6 ай бұрын
*Chryslers **_"Air-Temp"_** A/C of the 1960s was perma-set on **_"DESERT-ONLY"_** from the factory. On low Arizona MoPar owners reported frostbite conditions while Sportsman Magazines all across the country showed Deer being cured out hanging in the back of Plymouth's. hahaha LOL Good Video KUTGW*
@dansmusic57495 ай бұрын
I tested the “Desert Only” setting on my 1970 Ambassador SST 2 door hardtop. I found that, with a little effort, there is another setting past “Desert Only”. It is “Permanently On” setting right after you turn the knob past Desert Only. That thing blew tiny ice chips out the dash vents on trip I took in that car right before I sold it. lol BTW the guy I sold it to drove it many thousands of trouble free miles past the 100,000 it had on it when I sold it to him. It was the same color as Adam's ’71. It was well made for a “cheap” car, very well made.
@paultruesdale76806 ай бұрын
When you have crap air conditioning, it sounds like a dream. I had a 69 Impala wagon, year's ago and it had one hell of a AC unit. The paint was cracking but it had a stonking 327, two speed transmission with pos- traction. Miss those simpler times. Really enjoyed the video. New subscriber.
@lifequest74536 ай бұрын
I had an 83 AMC EAGLE SX4. Nice fun car. Still miss it. It had a basic HVAC control system. Not complicated, easy to use. AMC did incorporate a vacuum control on the hot water for the heater, which eventually failed. Again, a cable on a valve would have been so much easier. I can only assume this was some creation from one of the other manufacturers and AMC glomed onto it. I have found, at least in GM cars, the most rampant HVAC failure in the systems has been the vacuum doors. In the case of newer cars the vacuum is either gone or assisted with plastic gears which crack and fall a part and are terrible to get at to replace. The best system is the old non vacuum doors operated by levers. My GM motorhome was built with the dreaded vacuum motor door system in the HVAC. When I bought said RV, NONE of the ventilation doors were working. So no fresh air, no heat and no AC. Good system. After spending more time then I care to think about attempting to try to get them to work even a little bit, I forced them open and placed a block to keep them open. Now the system works and has ventilation all the time. Why they have to make systems complicated and in the long run, more costly to the consumer is a joke. Another item that is another sham on the consumer is electric windows. You pretty much cannot buy a car without electric windows. Sure, they are nice when they work........ But they will shut down. The manual cranks have always been dependable. AMC used a cable system from the motor to the window crank gears. That cable had a limited life and would eventually have the plastic inside ball up and seize the cable that turns, freezing the system. That cable replacement was pretty expensive and when DaimlerChrysler bought AMC, those prices doubled.
@Gary-t9v6 ай бұрын
Im with u on the power windows, hate them too, and in past I avoided buying a car if it had them, but as u point out its now unavoidable. Bring back the crank please.
@tothemaxx19916 ай бұрын
I agree with you except on the power windows. Both my trucks are crank window, one is a 2000 and the other a 2008 and holy crap if I want to roll down the passenger window I have to take off my seat belt and lean all the way over. God forbid I need to do it while driving or with a load of tools in the passenger seat. Also, I've had cranks break off or strip gears. Never in my life had a power window go bad, but I've helped a buddy replace the guts of one and it isn't too bad.
@lifequest74536 ай бұрын
@@tothemaxx1991 -- you are the lucky one. I have had electric window problems on a chevy Caprice classic, a Cadillac Eldorado and a VW Cabrio which got so bad you had to play with the buttons to get it to move. The Motor has Relays built into it and its the contacts that go bad. IT IS UNBELIEVEABLY HARD to find and replace that motor/relay set. The motor itself is traditionally VW expensive. You can keep the electric windows, I want cranks.
@CrazyBear655 ай бұрын
My first car was a 74 VW Rabbit. My dad drove it, my mom drove it, and then when I was old enough to drive, I drove it. The interior was almost identical to a Beetle. The A/C was dealer-installed, so it had separate controls from the heater. Therefore, you could run both together, heat at the feet and cooled air in your face. Seemed more comfortable to me, cause I could adjust it how I wanted it. Plus, it had _wing windows,_ so you could hold your cigarette in such a way so the smoke got sucked out the wing window. Not sure when (or why) they stopped making those. The last vehicle I had that still had them was my 92 F150. My buddy had a 72 AMC Hornet, which was basically a Gremlin with a trunk.
@ketoninja6 ай бұрын
I remember these in the pull-a-part junkyards when I looked at the AMCs. I also seem to remember a dimmer control that had "gone" as the lowest setting. Good times.
@kellingc6 ай бұрын
I hadn't seen anything like that. I would have thought that was a marketing thing and assumed that it was the equivalent of the MAX setting. That was some neat information. Thanks for posting.
@chonga64426 ай бұрын
I was always curious, but afraid of the "desert only" setting on my parent's 1967 Ambassador DPL. We lived in Wisconsin, so it was probably left alone!
@scdevon6 ай бұрын
"Desert Only" on any hot summer day anywhere until the evaporator started icing up, then switch it to normal mode. You had to have the common sense to switch it back to normal when (literally) chunks of frost started blowing out of the dash vents. LOL
@confuseatronica6 ай бұрын
I got a 1990 honda civic 3dr new and when I picked the trim I wanted, the dealer made it up by adding the features to a base model car- which just meant adding a factory A/C. When I picked it up, the salesman guy said AND THE AC IS IN AND WORKS GOOD, started the car and turned it up full blast, and the car filled with opaque white fog... It never fogged that hard again, but it was the strongest AC I ever used. If you were accelerating hard enough up a hill, you could hit the ac button and the tires would chirp from the little bit of extra torque that wasn't going to the ac compressor anymore, and it would blow a bit of fog on very humid days, which would also fog up the instrument cluster.
@FranktheDachshund5 ай бұрын
My 1989 Civic I had to turn ac off if I was merging onto a freeway. Just didn't have the needed pep with it in.
@rpm2dayg6485 ай бұрын
Fun stuff! My uncle's 1967 Caprice used to pass freezing fog though the AC vents. I think the vents were also motorized to move back and forth.
@kennethsouthard60426 ай бұрын
I wonder if some semi-literate people thought it had something to do with dessert only
@HighSierra15006 ай бұрын
Homer: "Mmmm.. Dessert!!"
@philojudaeusofalexandria95566 ай бұрын
You had to finish your broccoli and brussels sprouts before being allowed to use the coldest A/C setting.
@mr.blackhawk1426 ай бұрын
Semi-literates were OK, but the FATTIES had trouble with that DESSERT setting! L0L Their AMCs never passed a Baskin Robbins!
@scottgfx6 ай бұрын
My A/C had a Tapioca Only setting…
@grandam6 ай бұрын
@@HighSierra1500 Homer: "DOOH!!!"
@platinumuschannel6 ай бұрын
When I bought my 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee, the first thing dad looked for was whether it was equipped with "Rambler's Weather Eye".
@ervdre6 ай бұрын
Best car reviewer on Utube. Thank-you.
@Drmcclung6 ай бұрын
I'd like to say I dig what AMC was going for in terms of using kinda the same design language for the hood and grille as they did the Wagoneer (the step-up/step-down element)
@thenexthobby6 ай бұрын
Don’t remember that setting on the ‘73 Gremlin we had, but I guess it was there. Cheapest car with A/C my parents could find. I remember the Yorx compressor. I also remember the carb being replaced, trying to get it to run, the rivets on the (torn) Levi’s seats that burned in summer, and the rope needed in later years needed to gain enough pulling speed to slam the door shut from sagging hinges and busted latch post. A true lemon.
@daveridgeway26395 ай бұрын
Hi Adam, good video! If I am incorrect, I will eat my words. On the heat-A/C mode panel, YES ! said mode panel and not control panel. ALL of the mode(s) A/C, heat and defrost take the ambient air from outside the car passenger compartment and bring it in. "The desert only" mode, recirculates the ambient passenger compartment air over and over again. With this said, there is LESS chance of evaporator freeze up, because the A/C system is cooling and evaporating the inside air in closed loop. In plane English, A/C mode is normal A/C, but in the mean time desert only mode is what most automobile manufacture(s) call "max A/C". The air-conditionings job is to cool the air, but in the mean time it's primary job it to remove the humidity. Pleas reply. Dave...
@SocialistDistancing5 ай бұрын
I had a 76 jeep J10. It had the separate AC system that was bolted to the bottom of the dash. It was too knobs. Fan speed and level of cooling. The heater and defrost doors were vacuum operated. I worked on a 73 J10 that also had the vacuum doors. Whoever was working on it in the past, had the vacuum lines backwards. The blend door was cable controlled. I remember the air conditioner working as it should, but I rarely used it.
@dale84025 ай бұрын
What better feeling than snow comming out the vents on a very hot summer day.
@lukequigley1216 ай бұрын
Body man for a AMC/JEEP dlr from 76 - 79.. The Pacer doors were HEAVY, 2 person take off w/ moans and groans.. They had a door hinge recall on Pacers and HATED painting and swapping out , did couple hundred..ALSO the trucks were tinny and basic..On the good side, bought a 75 Wagoneer , 4in lift , 350 buick , Mick tom tires and that would crawl over huge boulder's low range idoling , what a beast.. AH Memories..
@Nudnik16 ай бұрын
AMC were cool . I Miss that company.
@scdevon6 ай бұрын
"It's the good cars that sell". Old car business saying. AMC cars didn't sell. I'm from this era. Easy to say they're cool now as antiques, but these things were a mish-mash of parts bin parts from GM, Ford and Chrysler. The quality of them was terrible.
@raywilson94506 ай бұрын
Our '69 AMC station wagon had very similar control. One difference was that the fan control was infinite (rheostat), which I remember thinking was pretty cool. In west Texas, Desert Only was helpful, especially with all that station wagon glass.
@portsboy16 ай бұрын
My buddy had a javelin with weather eye. It worked great and in Minnesota winters that thing threw heat as well
@beenbeatenbybishops58456 ай бұрын
Well explained and entertaining. Sounds like a combination "feature" and warning!
@ScottGrammer6 ай бұрын
My dad was a mechanic, and he was a factory-trained GM A/C tech. He worked over the A/C on our 1976 Caprice Classic, and it would blow snow when turned all the way up too. I wish my current car could do that.
@otm6466 ай бұрын
You don't want that massive temperature differential. The reason those early cars would blow snow is because the air distribution system was under designed. You don't want to feel like your car has a draft, you want the interior temperature to be uniform at the point you set it.
@ScottGrammer6 ай бұрын
@otm646 When I sit down in my car on a summer's day in the south, and it's 135 degrees inside, I want the coldest air I can get blowing in my face.
@311engineering6 ай бұрын
Had the “Desert use only” on my 74 AMX Javelin Pierre Cardin edition . 401 cu. inch with 4 speed. Loved that car.
@bluecollar585 ай бұрын
AMC was a great car company and sorely underrated. The Gremlin was a very reliable , practical and fun car to drive. Their 232 straight six was a workhorse. With a few exceptions , like the AMX and the javelin , the body styles they developed weren’t popular. I wish I held on to my Gremlin to this day.
@coalheatman6 ай бұрын
Thanks very much for explaining it because I've always wondered why they stated desert only, It made me fearful to select it.
@kevinamundsen76466 ай бұрын
Great video. My 1965 AMC Rambler had the aftermarket-like underdash evaporator with easy-to-close outlet louvers to redirect the airflow to the heater outlets. Or you could use the A/C outlets in the winter to dry your hair on the way to work. It was essential to make sure the cable-actuated underhood heater hot-water valve would close completely in the summer. The York-style compressor shown really robbed engine power, the GM cylindrical-case swash-plate compressor may have "floated" the pistons at high RPM, limiting the power-robbing effect without undue strain on the thermal expansion valve. Driving my VW at 100mph for an hour destroyed the expansion valve, a $1,000 repair. When I first saw "DESERT ONLY" I laughed because there wasn't a single desert within 2,000 miles of Chicago. I believe there was a later NTSB law which forced all cars to require the defrost function to be enabled by sliding all the levers to the right, which became universal and no doubt saved some lives. My grandfather drove a Matador and it was the ugliest car I'd ever seen, but it was fast. To my surprise, I'd already subscribed to this channel and no wonder, it is highly informative and no-nonsense. Thanks!
@howardbelskystaff29706 ай бұрын
Call it strange or wacky if you wish, it worked, it was simple, it worked and there was nothing confusing about working it. The most strange heater/A/C I remember was the mid-1960's Pontiac full size in which was very easy to confuse with the exact same looking radio. Easy to confuse especially at night. Out of the cars I have owned/own our 1980 Eagle has the best A/C duct temperatures of all. It has the same control as the 76 Matador indicated.
@BigKandRtv6 ай бұрын
As a car-crazed kid I did not develop an affinity for AMC when these were new. However, that opening photo is beautiful.
@geraldscott43026 ай бұрын
I personally love the old separate cable operated mechanical controls. You either needed heat, or you needed A/C. The amount of heat or cooling you got could be controlled by the fan speed. I have owned several Ford Crown Vics and Mercury Grand Marquis 1992 and up. They are wonderful cars, possibly the most reliable cars ever made. I have put close to 2 million miles on them in 30+ years. But they do have a few well known problems that Ford never fixed. And one of them is the "automatic" climate control system. Because it is "automatic" it can't use cables to control things like normal. It uses an electrically controlled "blend door actuator" which is a small plastic box about the size of an 8-track tape (for those who know what that is) with a small 12V motor and a bunch of plastic gears in it. There is a shaft sticking out of it, with a plastic arm connected to a "blend door" which opens and closes the blend door "automatically", to maintain the temperature you have it set to. In other words, it runs the A/C and heater at the same time, as stupid as that sounds, and mixes hot air and cold air to maintain an exact temperature. To me that sounds like an answer to a problem that does not exist. And it creates a serious weak point in the system. The cheap plastic gears in the blend door actuator inevitably strip out, and when they do, the system usually goes full HOT. Meaning heater only. This is not an easy thing to fix. The entire dash has to be removed to get to that blend door actuator. At a shop it's about a $2000 job. Fortunately there is a way to rig it. I live in AZ, where it is super hot, A/C is a necessity, and you really don't need a heater at all, even in what we laughingly call winter. By removing the passenger side airbag, and fabricating a chisel by grinding down the end of a two foot long piece of rebar, you can reach back in behind the dash and break off that little plastic arm. Then you can jamb that blend door in the full A/C position, which works fine for me. If you live in a super cold place, you can lock the door in the full heat position. But you can't have both at the same time. It takes about 2 hours work taking things apart and putting them back together to switch from hot to cold. This could have all been avoided by doing things the old fashioned way. During 115+ degree AZ summers, you need all the A/C you can get, and more.
@henrynevins6 ай бұрын
Your negative opinion of AMC's heat/AC system is baseless, I am the original owner of a 1972 Javelin AMX and my use of the system has never been awkward or confusing, its very simple to use, selecting what's needed, heat temp or AC temp. You're wanting a single knob for everything is the same as a car with gauges verses idiot lights. The "dessert only" setting takes the AC temp down to 34 degrees, if you'd open the car doors on a humid day on that setting, the dash gauges and interior would frost up, I never needed in the 52 years I've owned the car, but the setting made a fun conversation piece. Also, in 52 years I've never had a single problem with the car ever, its built extremely well, made with the best components, and a tune-up of points and plugs takes 10 min tops. It was my daily driver for 20 years until I decided to save it away, now enjoying it on weekends.
@RareClassicCars6 ай бұрын
My opinion was not negative. I simply said it was different. I own 3 AMCs.
@AreaThirteenThirteen6 ай бұрын
My mom had a 1980 Ford Fairmont wagon that had the desert only feature, we weren't in the desert but lived in a hot and humid environment, and it would blow chunks of frost on that setting.
@chuckwhitson6545 ай бұрын
Excellent salesmanship and marketing. Someone needs to try that trick again
@olik1366 ай бұрын
classic cars with AC are very strange to me- In Germany cars didn''t have AC until the late 90s- and it didn't come as standard until the mid 00s. So for me it is something modern and I am always surprised to see it in vintage cars, when in reality AC in the US was available shortly after the phillips screw was invented..
@baileyharrison10305 ай бұрын
That’s just because of the different climates. I’m guessing it rarely gets so hot in Germany you can’t just open a window to cool down?
@stevemortillaro72016 ай бұрын
One of my burnout friends in high school had a gremlin- primer gray with racing slicks- the weather eye, written in cursive, always made me chuckle… never knew weather or not it would ever work again-- to my knowledge, it never did 😀
@paullacorte25606 ай бұрын
I owed a 1987 AMC Jeep Comanche. The last real jeep pickup. I loved that indestructible truck!
@rrice17056 ай бұрын
Intriguing! I wonder how many people just slammed it into "desert only" without realizing what did, then didn't understand why it quit blowing air after 20 minutes. Maybe they could have called it "dry weather only"?
@samson30004 ай бұрын
In the early 70's, a friend, who had never driven an AMC, rented a car at the airport -- and it turned out to be an American Motors vehicle. He told me that when he engaged the Desert Only mode, he thought the vents were discharging liquid nitrogen!
@stevesantjer30776 ай бұрын
I always loved the AMC Eagle Kammback. What’s not to love about a factory jacked-up Gremlin with AWD! I still see them, along with other AWD Eagle models putting around in Spokane. Got to remind those Outback owners who came first!
@thornmountain81296 ай бұрын
GM had an odd setting as well. My brother's 1972 Chevrolet Malibu had "Defrost" & "Deice" I think in Defrost mode the A/C compressor ran and in Deice it was just using heat and no A/C to thaw out the windshield.
@johneckert13656 ай бұрын
Yea I bet that is the difference 👍
@miketaggart38036 ай бұрын
Our ‘82 Volvo 240 dl had a similar setup. We had the usual sliders. And we had a knob we had to turn to run the AC. There was a blue arc that would get thicker as it went around. Then the last inch or so was orange. And we were told not to operate the AC in the orange area for too long or the evap will freeze. I’m now wondering if our Volvo had two different boxes too? An evap box and a heater core box? But AC air could be directed thru any or all vents.
@alexsamson99426 ай бұрын
The 240 from 1975 up to 1993 has a single box with the heater core and evaporator core both located together inside it.
@miketaggart38036 ай бұрын
@@alexsamson9942 Ah, thank you.
@mikes69615 ай бұрын
Loved that and still a memory. Desert only. I lived on long Island and as a kid was afraid to put the selector on it
@waynejohnson13046 ай бұрын
These were nice riding cars. No matter what else is said about these cars, when AMC said they gave it a "Red Carpet" ride, they were serious. These cars rode just as well as any Cadillac and Lincoln of the day.
@LifeisGood7626 ай бұрын
Thanks for the video. This is neat.
@charleshadle93766 ай бұрын
My Grandfather had a Nash-Rambler dealership (Pre-AMC name change) my Dad owned a lot of Nash and Rambler cars. They actually had a refrigerator/freezer company develop the air-conditioning. According to my Dad the a/c was so cold that the outside of the windows fogged up.
@Johnnycdrums6 ай бұрын
I would love to have the abilty to run air conditioner and heater simultaneously. To me that is the ultimate. Remove engine heat by running the heater, and run the air conditioner by two independent systems and completely independant control stations and just roll roll windows down for the sheer enjoyment.
@michaelmihalis90576 ай бұрын
Adam, I love that Ambassador, but I still love your Catalina the best.Mike the Greek
@jameshaddan85386 ай бұрын
Both my father and step-father always told me to never have the AC setting on MAX (my father was a Ford/Lincoln guy and my stepfather a GM guy) on our vehicles, saying it would freeze up the compressor because it would never stop cycling. I followed that advice for many years…until I had vehicles with automatic climate controls. I’d add that I grew up in New Mexico and then Texas (including university near very humid Houston), and I managed to never have an issue with an AC compressor…not sure if that advice helped that, or if I was just lucky.
@firstielasty11626 ай бұрын
Being 53, I formed many opinions on cars during the "malaise era" for American cars. The "cleverness" of their climate controls always bothered me.. Have one control each for: where the air comes from (fresh or recirc). One for where it goes- dash vents, defrost, floor... One for how fast (fan speed) One button for the a/c compressor. It's perfect. Straightforward, understandable, with total control. No features combined. What good is that? This is how most Japanese cars were from the 70's through 2000's/2010s. I have seen some now that are getting fancy. How dumb..the old way was simple, reliable. Elegant. Desert only? Why not call it what it is and let the user decide. Most of those York compressors I've worked on have been in the back of Learjets. They are driven by a big 24vdc motor. Seemed reliable, maybe a bit undersized for that job. Usually inadequate when sitting waiting for passengers in a hot place, but that's not the compressors fault.
@SquishyZoran6 ай бұрын
That’s neat they were in planes. I’m trying to find a York to convert it into an air compressor but I have no idea what I would do with it.
@deltacx10596 ай бұрын
2:18 I love it because you can just have both set where you want .