Air Conditioning Tech Thread.

[mick08]

You have a good starting point; I used to have a JZZ80 1JZ Soarer, and they have a farly large interior for a two door car, and as such have a compressor capable of cooling large heatloads fairly quickly.

Mick08 I checked your profile and you had your vehicle listed as a dual cab rn85 ute, which a little guess-timation, I assume your cabin is smaller, and you should have enough capacity from your compressor.

A Volvo truck condensor? Hmmnn may be a little on the large side, but should be fine, just be carefull not to overcharge the system, as you may end up with liquid refrigerant entering your compressor = fucked compressor. Keen see the dimensions of this beast, and the size of the connections... Im guessing your gonna have a 1/2 inch inlet and an 3/8 outlet...

At the end of the day if you can do it for cheap to have a trial, do it, test it, then look to protect the coil once testing is complete. I reckon some crim safe screen or similar would be the way to go.

Looking forward to your response.

Hey Ryno the size of that Volvo truck condenser is;680x345x20 its the parallel type, do you think this is to big for the job?, if you think its borderline too big i can always keep my eye out for another one they do come up from time to time,sometimes brand new with just a few bent fins-they reject them at the factory and we end up with them at work, thanx Mick

[CrUZida]

Its common for the evap air inlet to be covered in leaves/crap.

If you system isn't gassed yet, I'd recommend pulling it out and cleaning it.

If its gassed already, then get the vacuum cleaner out and suck, suck away

[matty12]

Matty 12, interesting you say that the comp in the como's never turns off; is this true for when the system is turned off or malfunctioning? Might explain why those things have such bad fuel econermy.

Kind Regards,

Ryan

I should elaborate, they still have a clutch, so they do disengage when the a/c is off, VT-VZ commodores. They still also have a thermister to shut the system of if they get to cold/fault.( ive been told -5/-10 degress).VZ use a slighty different comp wich starts in destroke model compored with vt-vy which starts in full stroke. Better for wear etc.

VE use a electronic control valve which works in the same manner but i think they dont have a clutch and have a safety system that brakes on the front if the comp seizes so the pulley can still turn. I havent seen/worked on one of these so im going of my bad memory on the subject.

[Z2TT]

Rhyno your talking about the picture I posted where the high side line near the firewall has insulation, I'm not talking about that.......... the actual outlet hose from the compressor has insulation, and it is nowhere near my low side line.

I'm wondering if anybody knows any 4 valve manifold guages that have all 1/4" fittings/hoses. The problem is my vacuum pump has a 1/4" fitting and i'm looking to buy a 4 valve manifold guage set which has separate fittings to allow the vac pump and cylinder be connected at the same time. The problem is the vac hose is a 3/8" on all of them I've seen, that wont fit upto my 1/4" port on my vac pump. Any solution to this other than buying a whole new vacuum pump?

[triptek]

I just had my 2jza70 aircon regassed yesterday. Running jzz30 clutch fan with factory a70 shroud. I have the small factory fan thats bolted to the shroud running when the AC turns on. I'll be hooking it up to the high pressure switch over the next few weeks. Was driving it around yesterday arvo in 36 degrees with no problems. 5.5 degrees out of the vents. Not as cold as my cressida but cold anoth.

[JZA70R_92]

who in perth does cheap regas most ive rang up want 500+ to repalce pipes and shit without even testing lol bastards

[CrUZida]

http://www.toymods.org.au/forums/showthread.php?t=63404

Regas's are around the $130 mark, bit more if it needs converting from R12 to R134A.
A new dryer is about $60 (incl installation).

Not sure what you mean by filter (I presume you mean dryer).

Places generally won't vary by more than $10 or $20

Where they can vary though, is if the system leaks within a week or so.
Some places will charge you the full regas price, others only half price.

[CrUZida]

What do you mean by 'replace pipes' ?

[Z2TT]

JZA70R_92 PM Sent.

[Z2TT]

In my experience I have found most A/C places will screw you around big time, some of them don't even know what they are doing so it's hard to find a good place so I fixed my own A/C.

[matty12]

who in perth does cheap regas most ive rang up want 500+ to repalce pipes and shit without even testing lol bastards

I do mate, if you up north joondalup ways send me a pm and i will see what i can do for you.


Z2TT, do you do a/c stuff at home do you?? What gas are you using??

[triptek]

Regas on my supra was $110 at precise automotive in wangara. He charged me $20 about six months ago to pressure test the system. Found out the compressor seal was leaking. I changed the compressor, then got him to gas it up.

[maccac__1590]

im wondering if anybody knows any 4 valve manifold guages that have all 1/4" fittings/hoses. The problem is my vacuum pump has a 1/4" fitting and i'm looking to buy a 4 valve manifold guage set which has separate fittings to allow the vac pump and cylinder be connected at the same time. The problem is the vac hose is a 3/8" on all of them I've seen, that wont fit upto my 1/4" port on my vac pump. Any solution to this other than buying a whole new vacuum pump?

buy and or silver solder up a copula old fittings to make an adapter?

[Rhyno]

Hey Dnegative,

What is the ambient temperture (roughly) where you are, and does it get any colder than it is now? If it doesnt, you should be right. Condensation, even a little ice at the compressor suction port is ok, as this is how the compressor is kept from over heating. However large amounts of thick ice are not a good sign, as it is indicating you are getting close to your compressor pumping liquid refrigerant = failure. You could have a combination of small problems, but if you are getting ice you are close to getting awesome ac... how is your evap? clean, or jammed with leaves? Might have to try Cruzida's trick.

Mick 08, thats a bigin! What are the size of the pipes on the inlet and outlet in inches? 1/4 or 3/8 or larger? Just thinking about pressure drops across the system, should still work.

Matty12 thanks for clearing that up

Z2TT - Good to hear you do your own AC work! It always ends up being rewarding, and can be quite a good money spinner, which is always a good thing. In regards to the manifold you are after Actrol and Heatcraft should have one on the shelf, but you will find they will all be 3/8, to minimse pressure losses and speed up evacuation. You have two choices: Use a 3/8 to 1/4 adaptor, and just use a 1/4 line like normal, OR you can go and buy a new vac pump. Up to you, for auto jobs with a small interal volume, I would just get the adaptor. A vacometer is a good thing to get if you don't like pressure testing BTW...

In regards to your discharge insulation, I must be confused looking at the photo. Anyways you can remove the insulation but it will make bugger all difference apart from heating up the area around it a little more and taking a small load off your condensor... It wouldnt be there so you can get to some adjustment screw/bolt/thingy without burning yourself with the AC on? Just a thought, it may have had a purpose at some stage. But if you want to rip it off its your call at the end of the day

SUL

[Z2TT]

I just ended up getting inline taps for all my hoses, that way I can retain the vac inside the gauge set when switching hoses from vacuum pump to cylinder.