Does anyone know where to get the expansion valve for the 82. Black Dragon does not carry it any longer. Any suggestions?

Thanks, Matt

nissan. it was about $80 when i purchased one several years ago.

not a fun fix at all. You have to remove the dash, take out the A/C evaporator and disassemble the enclosure, and the part is located in the box.

You can remove it without taking off the dash, I'm almost 99% sure. But it's harder, and you still need to remove glove box, lower panels, disconnect refrigerant lines, etc. in order to remove the evaporator box, so definitely a lot of work.

It's a great time to clean the evaporator coil & put new weatherstripping on, & check the heater control valve, etc.

On my parts car, the expansion valve is at the firewall on the engine side.

That being said, it's a parts car and I don't use AC. Need one?

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I'm concerned with all the rampant sex and nudity on TV but all I can do is sit at home shaking my fist.

"expansion valve is at the firewall on the engine side."

On a 280zx? You mean like in the engine compartment? Either you have an aftermarket system or you've done some extreme modifications.. Do you have a picture of it? A lot of times cars with an orifice tube will be in the liquid line in the engine compartment right before the evaporator, but expansion valves are generally on the evaporator coil, because the sensing bulb has to be literally taped to the suction line.

Either that or maybe you're mistaking another component for the expansion valve?

Not of it installed, it's out of the car now, on the flex lines that would run to the compressor. But yeah, I do have pics of it. And the core under dash that's almost like new shape.
Pics are too big to post on here, but shoot me an e-mail and I can send you pics of what it looks like now.

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I'm concerned with all the rampant sex and nudity on TV but all I can do is sit at home shaking my fist.

I don't know, I think we have a miscommunication. The expansion valve is definitely not installed on the flexible hoses that attach to the compressor. Maybe I'm just not comprehending what you are saying.

Ok, inside car, under dash, the rad for the a/c. Metal tubing to firewall with threaded end on it that sits at the firewall hole. Through the firewall from the engine bay is the expansion valve and a temp coil. Coil sits under there in around the rad area and the valve threads onto the tubing from that rad core in the car. Then, other side of the valve on the engine bay side has another threaded end. Threads onto a hose that travels along the firewall to the passenger side and along the drivers wheelwell eventually meandering to I think it was the compressor. May have been the black bullet thing with the couple fittings on the ends, don't actually recall. It was never an issue for me to remember as AC goes out the window on my cars.
But I do have the core (evaporator?) the valve, hoses, compressor and the rest in the garage collecting dust. It worked in April before I took it out, and had been given the full once over last year from the p/o before I purchased it by a calgary company that stuck an A.R.A. sticker on there.

Does that help a bit?

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I'm concerned with all the rampant sex and nudity on TV but all I can do is sit at home shaking my fist.

Trippin, pics sent. Check your e-mail.

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I'm concerned with all the rampant sex and nudity on TV but all I can do is sit at home shaking my fist.

here is the picture diagram of the A\C in the 82 car.
[www.angelfire.com]

Just for record it's not the stock setup, some kind of creative modification that eliminates the suction throttling valve and the stock expansion valve, has copper lines brazed to the evaporator, universal exp valve is in the engine compartment - exp. valve looks like the common brass right angle with a remote bulb, internally equalized.

An interesting modification, something I might even consider, although I'd locate the exp valve in the evaporator. I don't particularly like the stock expansion valve (expensive & unusual design, no aftermarket replacement) or the suction throttling valve, (NLA.)

Jeff, my setup looks nothing like the diagram. I sent some pics to Trippin and here's his assessment.

"Interesting! Thanks for the pics. Yeah it looks like somebody cut off the stock expansion valve and suction throttle valve and brazed in some copper line, & used a much more common style of expansion valve. The stock 280zx looks nothing like that, nor is it located outside of the evaporator core. That's an interesting adaption to avoid the NoLongerAvailable suction throttle valves, and the expensive stock expansion valves. I don't know why the person didn't put the exp. valve in the evaporator box, but whatever.
>
> Another possibility is that whoever did it used an evap core from a different year model, or a Maxima, etc., & just made it work.
>
> Again thanks for the pix."

All I can tell from your diagram is that the setup from the parts car was much simpler to work on than the zx stock, all the while keeping sensor wires and such contained in OEM boxes where they are supposed to be, but putting serviceable parts in easy access.
The core tubing itself is solid, not brazed as suggested so the p/o's serviceman knew of a core that would fit the stock box but allow easy and simple work.

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I'm concerned with all the rampant sex and nudity on TV but all I can do is sit at home shaking my fist.

Oops, you're right! That looks to be a non-stock evaporator fitted in there. My mistake! I saw the copper lines where I expected to see the stock aluminum ones, and assumed...and you know what happens when we assume things...

Tony jumps all over you? LOL.
No worries, bud.

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I'm concerned with all the rampant sex and nudity on TV but all I can do is sit at home shaking my fist.

"Extreme mods INDEED ma man!" Norm K.