a/c question

[JPR]

I need to get my truck cooler on 100F days.

Several years ago I did the 134 refrigerant change while replacing the compressor. I replaced the orifice tube and the dryer. I used a robinair dial-a-charge to refill the system after pulling a vacuum for 45 minutes.

The truck already had the heater bypass valve and the windows tinted. Today I had the rears doors and rear slider tint replaced with limo tint. It is still hot and takes an hour on the highway to get to a decent temperature inside (mid 70's).

So what next? Someone mentioned a secret to getting a 134 conversion to actually cool.

 

[typ4]

There is a variable orifice tube available also a condensor with a higher effiency rating for 134, that is what I have on my 91 and it cools awesome and the heater isnt bypassed

 

[towcat]

as far as the parts russ is talking about, they can be refrenced to '97 E350 vans.
i haven't done that route yet, I'm going to do a rework on the IC and the AC condenser if I go that route. I'm trying putting pusher fans in first to get more airflow through the condenser. Mime works ok when moving but dies when I am sitting still in traffic

 

[JPR]

thanks,
RockAuto shows the standard A/C condenser for 1997 E-350 for $105.79 and the Motorcraft Part # YJ470 {#6C2Z19712AA} for $172.79. Wonder how much better the Motorcraft unit is?

They have the AC Delco #1550122 automatic adjusting orifice tube for severe climates (105*+) for $55.99.

 

[towcat]

thanks for the ACD number on the tube!
the only thing I don't like about the condenser is the fact the fins count is almost double and that really cuts down on the airflow to the IC and the radiator.

 

[RLDSL]

The Factory Air/ Four Seasons / Truemark part Number on the VOV is 38904
Advance has the things( they don't usually have them on the shelf, usually get them in next day )

A pusher fan on the condenser does wonders. Insulating the evaporator box helps a bunch as well.

I have access to an upgrade parallel flow condenser from my custom ac supplier in Florida. I got one I'm about to put in. quite a bit bigger and many more tubes. Requires making a hose ( or having one made ) and moving lower brackets from the old condenser onto it. Not a direct bolt up, but looks like it's going to be a real improvement.

I needed a whopper of a condenser, I'm fixing to rig a rear air setup for the kids

 

[icanfixall]

So... I'm wondering how this 134 condenser would work on my R12 system??? I do have plenty of cooling in the crewcabbut gees... Ifen I could make something better??? But now thinking it thru maybe it would create a cooling issue for my aluminum radiator and the Hypermax intercooler I've yet to install. Thats going on after the Gear Vendors next week. Then the finall item........ Moose Injectors Then I'm gonna see the REDLINE ON THE TACH...

 

[BigRigTech]

How much refrigerant did you put in? My a/c was ok last summer but it leaks out over the winter (probably compressor shaft seal). I re-charged it this spring with the stock charge (2lbs-12oz I think it was)...Anyhow, I came to find out a week or two later that our Robinair machine was overcharging each truck by 1/4 of a pound....My A/C has been awesome this summer, much cooler then last year....Might be related to the extra charge. The pump on our 02 Windstar just week ***'s up this week...I had a wack of Ford compressors here so I used one from a 94 5L Mustang, damn does it work good now.......It bolted right in, all I had to do was lengthen the clutch power wire harness 6 inches.

 

[RLDSL]

How much refrigerant did you put in? My a/c was ok last summer but it leaks out over the winter (probably compressor shaft seal). I re-charged it this spring with the stock charge (2lbs-12oz I think it was)...Anyhow, I came to find out a week or two later that our Robinair machine was overcharging each truck by 1/4 of a pound....My A/C has been awesome this summer, much cooler then last year....Might be related to the extra charge. The pump on our 02 Windstar just week ***'s up this week...I had a wack of Ford compressors here so I used one from a 94 5L Mustang, damn does it work good now.......It bolted right in, all I had to do was lengthen the clutch power wire harness 6 inches.

Probably not the compressor shaft seal, but if you used the r134a PAG or Ester oil on the orings when putting the system together, I can gaurentee that the orings are leaking. Turns out that stuff dries the things out and makes them leak. I can put a sniffer on a couple of year old system and tell in a heartbeat if it was put together with Pag or Ester on the orings as it will be leaking at all joints. you have to use either r12 mineral oil on the orings or what really works nice is some stuff called Nylog made just for that purpose.

 

[BigRigTech]

I never touched any orings outside of the ones in the R134A conversion fitting kit....I leaked tested it to 30"HG - it held for 1/2 hr so I charged it. It's impossible to totally evacuate the system of the old stuff but when you can buy the 134A for $.26 cents per oz who cares......I'll just keep charging it every spring if need be.

 

[towcat]

The Factory Air/ Four Seasons / Truemark part Number on the VOV is 38904
Advance has the things( they don't usually have them on the shelf, usually get them in next day )

A pusher fan on the condenser does wonders. Insulating the evaporator box helps a bunch as well.

I have access to an upgrade parallel flow condenser from my custom ac supplier in Florida. I got one I'm about to put in. quite a bit bigger and many more tubes. Requires making a hose ( or having one made ) and moving lower brackets from the old condenser onto it. Not a direct bolt up, but looks like it's going to be a real improvement.

I needed a whopper of a condenser, I'm fixing to rig a rear air setup for the kids

linky for the custom job please
if I am going through the grief of moving the IC, I only want to do it once
i agree, one evap unit in a CC is not enough.

 

[towcat]

So... I'm wondering how this 134 condenser would work on my R12 system??? I do have plenty of cooling in the crewcabbut gees... Ifen I could make something better??? But now thinking it thru maybe it would create a cooling issue for my aluminum radiator and the Hypermax intercooler I've yet to install. Thats going on after the Gear Vendors next week. Then the finall item........ Moose Injectors Then I'm gonna see the REDLINE ON THE TACH...

note.....
this whole post (especially the last statement) is saved for future flogging.

 

[RLDSL]

I never touched any orings outside of the ones in the R134A conversion fitting kit....I leaked tested it to 30"HG - it held for 1/2 hr so I charged it. It's impossible to totally evacuate the system of the old stuff but when you can buy the 134A for $.26 cents per oz who cares......I'll just keep charging it every spring if need be.

Chances are the leaks in that one are in the fittings themselves. Run into that all the time on those conversion fittings. Particularly ornery since they'll show up tight with the gauges attached, but with juice at that price

 

[RLDSL]

So... I'm wondering how this 134 condenser would work on my R12 system??? I do have plenty of cooling in the crewcabbut gees... Ifen I could make something better??? But now thinking it thru maybe it would create a cooling issue for my aluminum radiator and the Hypermax intercooler I've yet to install. Thats going on after the Gear Vendors next week. Then the finall item........ Moose Injectors Then I'm gonna see the REDLINE ON THE TACH...

A parallel flow condenser is not a r134a condenser per se, it is simply a more efficient condenser. There would certainly be nothing wrong with using a more efficient condenser on your r12 system, let's put this in perspective, I'm putting it on my r12 system that will just happen to be running r134a in it.

I have plenty of cold in the front seat, but the kids suffer in the back and an ac system gets seriously taxed with the humidity around here so I'm putting that big sucker up front , then cutting in a box under the rear seat for a second evaporator unit and ducting in a rear air for the kids , so when I get done with this project they ought to have snotsicles back there

 

[RLDSL]

linky for the custom job please
if I am going through the grief of moving the IC, I only want to do it once
i agree, one evap unit in a CC is not enough.

Call the guy at www.nostalgicairparts.com and tell him that you need the upgrade paralell flow condenser for your ford pickup, and , mention the guy in Arkansas if his memory slipped, He's supposed to have made a notation of the thing in case anyone calls. I test fit the thing loose while I had the core support out before installing the engine, but I was on a time squeeze and didn't have time to make some hoses up, so I put the old one back in for a while.

He can sell you a correct end fitting for the exit hose on that thing and you could take that and the hose you have to a hose shop and have new rubber put on the new end and the old end for the other side

If you're feeling adventuresome he's got some real nice ducted evaporator units , I'm looking at this one for a rear air plus heat, also rigging the extra defrost since it's impossible in this humidity to keep windows defrosted with the factory setup