Can we talk AC????

[RLDSL]

1) whats the pusher fan you speak of??? Some dash mount fan....
2) I live west Oregon in the Willamette valley. I want the ac to help improve the Defrost in the truck... I fog up at times, and have to full blow the heater to keep it at bay. Working AC should really help keep the fogging up to a minimum. Thanks for the link on the variable orifice tube.
jim

A pusher fan is just an electric pusher fan mounted to the front side of the condenser rigged with a relay to come on with the AC triggered by the switched side of the pressostat wire ( the wire going to the compressor clutch in hot climates it makes a huge difference in cooling in traffic, where you are, it would be pretty redundant unless global warming has really kicked you folks hard, the stock setup should be enough. A bunch of years ago I lived not far north just out of Vancouver and I didn't even have AC or need it ( and I like my cold )
For running the defrost the stock setup should be fine. all it does is gets the evaporator coils cold so they attract moisture that way when you run the defrost, it pulls more moisture out of the air before it passes over the heater core ( or after, not sure in this design ) but it gets the air good and dry so you dont have to fry yourself out of the vehicle to get the windows clear. When it's cool out, there isn't a big problem with getting the refrigerant to condense , so you wouldn't want a pusher fan, in fact, you'd be cussing one since it would make it really hard to ever get the engine up to temp.

The inside blower in these things isn't exactly great ( like many fords ) I haven't had a chance to dig through the cross references yet, but I'll bet there's a stouter fan that will fit. I had a Mercury wagon at one time that the factory blower was useless, even a new one, and I went through the boneyard and found one from a lincoln that fit and all the sudden, it was comfy in the back seat. Ford likes to use stouter blowers on the same format in the Lincolns . Thanks for reminding me, I've been meaning to look into that. Last trip across Oklahoma in a storm with high humidity I couldn't keep the windows clear, It was driving me nuts

That said, those dash mount fans like that used to put in big trucks , do wonders for helping with window defrosting

 

[bng]

rldsl thnks 4 info on vot but i see no mention of a liq. line filter/drier that 4 seasons & other parts marketers offer to keep metering device clean. as oem uses a built in the accu AFTER the ot . next job i get with 'black death'' after flush & llf napa will be my supplier 4 ot again thnks butch

 

[RLDSL]

rldsl thnks 4 info on vot but i see no mention of a liq. line filter/drier that 4 seasons & other parts marketers offer to keep metering device clean. as oem uses a built in the accu AFTER the ot . next job i get with 'black death'' after flush & llf napa will be my supplier 4 ot again thnks butch

The filter drier/accumulator built into the system is not meant to catch trash in the system. The aftermarket sells add on filters that you can install in the lines before the orifice valve after a compresor failure AFTER flushing the system, but many of the AC suppliers have quit selling the things because they are a poor replacement for a proper flush job and they when installed on a system that has not been flushed clean enough to be run without one anyway, they clog up and end up causing a compressor failure. Most of the parts stores like Napa etc still sell them but...

, so if your compressor dies, and there's crud in the system, there,s no quick way around it, it';s time to take the whole blamed thing apart and flush the works, you'll need shop air , a flush gun ( don't need a fancy flush gun, one of those $3 Harbor freight siphon guns works great ) , take the condenser out pitch the accumulator, fill all the componants and hoses with flush, let it sit, blow it out with clean , dry shop air, repeat till it all runs clean about the time your hand feels like it's going to fall off from holding the blow gun...you have a good 4 hours left ( this is when having the condenser out to lay it flat saves a lot of headache ). This will take an insane amount of time and you will quickly realize why shops charge $1600+ for this to do it right ( and they generally have some high dollar machines that help the process along ) . then after assembly, you need to leave the vacuum pump on for a good long time to get ALL the moisture out, preferably overnight.

 

[bng]

rldsl i have been in ref biz 4 30+ yrs & always thought that filter AFTER exspantion device was bassakwards re: gm chry ford used xvs & comps that had a lube sump, that was then this is now. enginering has changed in some cases 4 the better others just depends on how u view it. im semi retired & try 2 stay away from auto ac. truck ref & small comm systems "ill look at" however the situation does arise that "aunt matilda spent $$$ 2 fix her car air & it still dont work! so to make life easier "i look at it" another huny du. as far as evacuation goes i use a 7 cfm pump without using micron gauge for 1/2 hr & its suffice 4 a 3-4 lb system after "24 hr see if it holds 150lb nitrogen test". if most work is off the street prior mention has no meaning. thnks 4 reply regards butch

 

[GREASE FIRE]

Well my new truck has a flaw... bad defrost.

you mean the defroster is actually dependent on the a/c system? how is that?
thanks,
Paul

 

[The Warden]

you mean the defroster is actually dependent on the a/c system? how is that?

The a/c compressor is designed to come on whenever the system's set to "Defrost". This is for two reasons. First and foremost, the a/c system dries the air out at the same time it cools the air down...the end result being, when the air goes through the heater core after going through the evaporator, you have hot dry air hitting the windshield. Also, a/c compressors don't like to sit unused for a long time...IIRC this can lead to a flat spot in the shaft seal, making for a leak. It's good for them to cycle a bit from time to time, even if you don't want cold air. So, having the a/c on in Defrost mode ensures that the compressor will get some operation even during the winter months when a/c isn't necessarily needed/desired.

As I believe I implied, the heater core can easily re-heat air that was cooled by going through the a/c evaporator. So, all this really does is dry the air (can be important) and cycle the compressor.

 

[jimraelee]

thanks Warden... .exactly my thoughts

 

[jtate]

while were on the ac topic, my air went out because the compresser froze up. so i know that the system will need to be flushed. on a r12 system i was told you use mineral oil to flush the system, and was told not to use mineral oil on a 134 system flush because the oil wont mix with the freon. my system has 134 what do you use to flush a 134 system out with?

 

[RLDSL]

while were on the ac topic, my air went out because the compresser froze up. so i know that the system will need to be flushed. on a r12 system i was told you use mineral oil to flush the system, and was told not to use mineral oil on a 134 system flush because the oil wont mix with the freon. my system has 134 what do you use to flush a 134 system out with?

Just straight mineral oil will leave a residue in the lines, bad. Go into any decent parts store and ask for a quart of ac flush, it should be labeled as such. It won't leave a residue

 

[oldmisterbill]

I know where I'm going when I need AC work-I can watch the chuck wagon races while its being done.

 

[RLDSL]

I know where I'm going when I need AC work-I can watch the chuck wagon races while its being done.

Yea, but which chuck wagon races? We got the ones in El Paso AR about 20 miles east, then we have the big ones in Clinton Ar about 30 miles north better bring your banker if you want to see the big ones. They've got real proud of the tickets for that event.

 

[jimraelee]

RLDSL I know what cha mean about bringing your banker... as a young'n growing up we would go to the "tractor races" back home... every year a big event for our small town. well big corp got ahold of it when the town got bigger. Now it costs an arm and a leg to get in, and the food prices are that of a superbowl game... Not fun anymore its tooo expensive.

 

[f-two-fiddy]

Is funny how that works. We have Bayfront Blues festival. I went for years. But now it's gotten so large that it's no fun anymore. Fighting the crowds for a place to sit, grossly overpriced concessions, ect.

It was such a fun festival for the first 6-7 years. Sitting outside listening to great blues. While watching the ships come into port.

 

[oldmisterbill]

We went to the Clinton ones 2 years ago.A friend has a perment reservation for his camper.You can pick up and drop it of there. Oh if you come early in the AM DON'T wake me up!!