TA22 Air Con Installation

[sillycar chick]

Earlier today I pulled all the air con system out of a 75 TA22 sitting at my dad's place (much to his disgust!)

About to go out and start putting bits and pieces into mine. A few things that concern me are:

- Dad said when he got the car the air con unit would turn on and off with the indicators, so thinks there may be some relay problems there. It was blowing air but not cold, so hopefully it was only lack of gas....

- Had a quick look in my 22 and the wiring plugs for the air con dont seem to be there, but I would have thought most 22 wiring harnesses are the same? Unless the 72 TA22 never had air con at all, hence why no plugs? Going to have a better look soon.....

- Also, whats the story with using the old TA22 compressor with the new air con gasses they have these days?

Any tips would be appreciated, i'll figure more out soon as I install it, hopefully I can get the whole lot to work!

[Stock_22]

It was blowing air but not cold, so hopefully it was only lack of gas....

Lack of gas is why its not blowing cold air. Molecules need to be compressed etc (lots of science stuff) to produce a liquid that transforms into a gas as it leaves the evaporator etc to give you cold air.

- Had a quick look in my 22 and the wiring plugs for the air con dont seem to be there, but I would have thought most 22 wiring harnesses are the same? Unless the 72 TA22 never had air con at all, hence why no plugs? Going to have a better look soon.....

Could be that the car was ordered from the factory without aircon, thus no plugs for it??

Also, check that everything is clean and not blocked up at all, its been sitting for years and they can easily build up dirt/dust etc.

Hope some of that made sense...

[LeeRoy]

Dad said when he got the car the air con unit would turn on and off with the indicators, so thinks there may be some relay problems there. It was blowing air but not cold, so hopefully it was only lack of gas....

If it was alot hotter than the outside air then chances are its not the gas - although that could be out also.

Being old, heater taps can begin to leak although theyre in the off position and allow coolant through the heater core creating hot air when you turn the air con on. You can check this by trying the air con when the car is cold and hasnt been sitting in the sun all day so it would be fine if you tested it after leaving the car in the garage as long as the engine is cold also.

Now if it is cold straight away then the gas is fine. If it gets hotter as the car gets hotter it is the heater tap. You can also feel the core inlet pipe for heat to help diagnose.

- Had a quick look in my 22 and the wiring plugs for the air con dont seem to be there, but I would have thought most 22 wiring harnesses are the same? Unless the 72 TA22 never had air con at all, hence why no plugs? Going to have a better look soon.....

Even if its not equipped with the wiring it would not be a complex task to put it in there. You probably wouldnt need any extra fuses either as it probably already runs off the heater/blower circuit.

- Also, whats the story with using the old TA22 compressor with the new air con gasses they have these days?

I believe they only change the o rings as the new gas ate the old o rings but im not 100% so best to get a second opinion. Perhaps ring an air con regassing mob and pretend your thinking of taking the car to them.

Hope that helps

[thechuckster]

you also have to update the TX valve in the internal chiller unit as part of upgrading the gas.

factor is:
rebuilt compressor
new fittings to suit compressor
new collector/dryer
new TX valve
random O-rings

i'd suggest you do any wiring yourself - get a temp control kit from Jaycar - and remember that it's regulating the cold air from the chiller, not cabin air which is a mix of chiller air and some of that same air sent thru the heater core.

fwi: i have an AC system from an RA40 that was rebuilt to suit new gas a few years back - free if you cancollect from kenmore. Only thing not out of the car is the internal chiller and it's RA40 specific.

[sillycar chick]

Well 2 things I have learnt so far:

- 2T air con compressor bracket doesnt quite fit, because of 2TG timing cover.... easy fix with a grinder if youre willing to part with a mounting lug

- 2T air con compressor pipe hits on 2TG timing chain tensioner.... if I can get a fitting thats opposite hand will fix this problem, then run the house around the back of the engine instead of the front - also would be much neater - so anyone know where to find one? Forgot to get a pic....

Also the car I pulled it out of had a sticker from an air con mob, said the air con was due for a service 11/02, so it wasnt too long ago that it was working obviously, and the refrigerant was R130. Anyone know if they still use R130?

Might try make some more progress during the week at night.

[sillycar chick]

fwi: i have an AC system from an RA40 that was rebuilt to suit new gas a few years back - free if you cancollect from kenmore. Only thing not out of the car is the internal chiller and it's RA40 specific.

Hey Charles, PM me your number, Gerrard and I might drop by one night this week and grab it if thats cool! Would be worth a shot to see if I can use that compressor

[Mos]

you also have to update the TX valve in the internal chiller unit as part of upgrading the gas.

Could you expand on that a bit please? I've never heard of having to update the TX valve while upgrading gas, but admittedly the oldest car I've had converted was a 1984 AE86.
Mos.

[texasflysuperstar]

i was told that all you really need to update is the o rings , filter and gas. and hopefully theres no leaks in the sys.

[Dale]

Can't say I've heard of them upgrading the TX valve myself either, have heard of them sometimes changing the pressure sensors though

Normal procedure for new gas is:
New receiver dryer
New r134a style service valves
New O rings all round
New compressor oil
Gas!

Find a good shop who will pressurise the system with nitrogen first to test the system before getting it gassed, this should cost around $30 and will tell you if there's any leaks in the system

Also note that when you're fitting the system to your car there is a special lubricant you are supposed to use on the O rings

Sounds like it's already been converted to the new gas, should make getting it gassed much cheaper as they don't need to do the "conversion", but you will need a new receiver dryer since the system has been opened

As far as wiring goes all you really need is a switch to provide 12v to the compressor clutch, but I would recommend getting the jaycar kit to ensure the compressor is cycled

[thechuckster]

my understanding of the gas upgrade was that the TX valve is different. mine was '81. i dont know what the differences in the gasses are.

[Dale]

Hmm probably something to do with the age then, the newer gas runs at higher pressures so it makes sense the TX valve could need changing

[thechuckster]

i've heard many people say that you can use the existing TX valves - but if it's got a much higher pressure behind it then you'd have issues with the valve icing up. You could control that to an extent by changing the electronics to cycle the compressor more frequently.

I got a temp sensor/kit that was fairly accurate (e.g. 2-3 degrees) and made sure the sensor was right up against the outlet side of the chiller core - but on a long drive to sunshine coast on a warm day we got plenty of condensation draining out of the chiller (suggesting that ice was frequently forming and melting).

[Mos]

on a long drive to sunshine coast on a warm day we got plenty of condensation draining out of the chiller (suggesting that ice was frequently forming and melting).

I'm certain that's not the mechanism. Ice does not have to form for water to condense out of vapour.
The (reasonably hot and humid) air hits the cold condensor, reduces in temperature (not necessarily below freezing), reducing it's saturation vapour pressure - ie reducing how much water the air can hold as a vapour, releasing the water which then dribbles out the drain.
Water exiting the evaporator drain is a perfectly normal thing to happen, and not in any way a sign that the system is malfunctioning.

Mos.

[thechuckster]

i know that A/Cs drains liquid in normal behaviour and that msot of the liquid is condensate from cold air, but from memory, it did seem like a lot more liquid than usual - and would have been on recirculate rather than (hot) fresh air as it reduces the load on the system.

anyway, the hardware is there for the taking.

[sillycar chick]

This the Jaycar kit I need? Its the only one I could find online....

Car Air Conditioner Controller Kit - This kit stops the air conditioner in your car from taking engine power when accelerating such as when you're overtaking or going up a hill. It automatically switches the air conditioner's compressor off when the engine is at a high throttle setting and will allow the compressor to run with low throttle even when the cabin temperature setting has been reached. It also automatically switches the compressor off at idle. When the throttle position is normal the compressor will operate normally. The kit features an override switch, an LED function indicator and is supplied with PCB with overlay and all electronic components.
> Recommended box UB3 HB-6013.