Air Con Woes

someguy · Post by **someguy** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 5:11 pm

Hi All.

Well with SA's full week of high 30's whether I am having the air con on alot in the L Series.

The aircon is great, the whole cabin is cold after around 1 minute of the A/C running....but it completely screws with the engine.

I turn the A/C on and I hear a thump/clunk and the idle revs drop from around 900RPM to 650-700 and I pretty much have to go half throttle & ride the clutch to take off from a red light (which occasionally results in me stalling because i'm used to it being so easy :P) then once I am actually moving its a hell of a struggle to get up to 60km/h

The A/C was regassed by highgate late 05/early 06 and has hardly been used since then. so im not sure if it would need another one so soon with such little use.

Anyone know what could be causing this?

I was thinking it was just the EA engine being gutless but after riding in a mates Vortex with an MPFI EA with no issues at all I am thinking its just mine.

Thanks.

GOD · Post by **GOD** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 5:31 pm

If the air con is cooling the cab, it doesn't need regassing.

Engine revs dropping when the compressor is engaged suggests either the compressor is half seized (doesn't seem likely given the system is working well), or the idle-up on the carb isn't doing its thing.

Can't tell you any more specifics than that, except maybe bin it and go EJ

.

Dane.

someguy · Post by **someguy** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 5:32 pm

GOD wrote:
Can't tell you any more specifics than that, except maybe bin it and go EJ .

Dane.

Haha I would if I had a spare few thousand $$ :P

Nah at the moment the engine itself is running very smoothly and I follow that old rule if it ain't broke don't fix it (whenever I try doing something with cars to improve them I usually end up making something else worse)

I will do the EJ swap once something goes wrong with the engine.

maybe a second hand compressor from the wreckers might do the trick?

GOD · Post by **GOD** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 5:51 pm

someguy wrote:Haha I would if I had a spare few thousand $$ :P

Nah at the moment the engine itself is running very smoothly and I follow that old rule if it ain't broke don't fix it (whenever I try doing something with cars to improve them I usually end up making something else worse)

I will do the EJ swap once something goes wrong with the engine.

maybe a second hand compressor from the wreckers might do the trick?

Something went wrong with that engine in about 1882 when it was designed.

Look into the carbie issue first. Remember a new compressor will cost you the price of the part plus a regas afterwards. Your problem could be as simple as a wire that's fallen off the carbie.

I'm not real sure how to test if a compressor is on the way out. Listen for funny noises, or maybe take the belt off, switch AC on to lock the clutch and see if you can spin the compressor by hand. An air con shop might have some more ideas.

Dane.

someguy · Post by **someguy** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 6:39 pm

GOD wrote:Something went wrong with that engine in about 1882 when it was designed.

Look into the carbie issue first. Remember a new compressor will cost you the price of the part plus a regas afterwards. Your problem could be as simple as a wire that's fallen off the carbie.

I'm not real sure how to test if a compressor is on the way out. Listen for funny noises, or maybe take the belt off, switch AC on to lock the clutch and see if you can spin the compressor by hand. An air con shop might have some more ideas.

Dane.

yeah thanks.

its booked in to get a CV joint replaced next week so I will get them to take a look and get their opinion (they have A/C specialists there)

BTW Dane you must have had some bad experiences with ur EA engine to have such a grudge against it. I have had mine for 3 years now, its done 355,000km and has never missed a beat (apart from the compressor but thats not really needed for the engine to function) (just finished a 4000km road trip)

Its a little on the slow side but I mainly drive in the city so its not a huge issue to me.
I admit its not the best engine in the world, but in 3 years all I have ever had to do is get it serviced.

GOD · Post by **GOD** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 7:19 pm

haha, nah, I actually haven't kept an EA82 for long enough to have bad experiences. But the ones I have dealt with have all been leaky, gutless, grumpy and inefficient. They also have a few irksome design faults.

Dane.

rob83ke70 · Post by **rob83ke70** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 7:29 pm

Mine was rather old and tired at 350,000km and I'm sure it was getting down on compression. I had the same problem when the AC was turned on, never got to the bottom of it, sold the car... I *thought* that the receiver dryer might be clogged as it still had original r12 in the ac system and had *never* been opened!

Robert.

thatsgoodsquishy · Post by **thatsgoodsquishy** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 7:31 pm

I always found the aircon sucked the life out of my L. Worked stupidly well, at times it would freeze the core and clouds of fog would come out of the vents and fall down the front of the dash, was cool as. But yeah it sucked the power majorly, sounds normal to me

Gannon · Post by **Gannon** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 7:40 pm

There is a solenoid on the top of the strut tower that supplies vacuum to an articulator at the back of the carby that pulls the throttle on a little bit. Mine used to act up because the hoses were perishing and breaking away from the port on the solenoid and articulator

Busdriver · Post by **Busdriver** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 8:23 pm

Both mine and my dads L's have the same problem, our A/C works fine but we both reckon its like someone pulled the handbrake on. Modern compressors and gas make a huge difference on newer cars, maybe try a different type of compressor if you can make one fit. Like to hear how this goes.

someguy · Post by **someguy** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 8:29 pm

Busdriver wrote:Both mine and my dads L's have the same problem, our A/C works fine but we both reckon its like someone pulled the handbrake on. Modern compressors and gas make a huge difference on newer cars, maybe try a different type of compressor if you can make one fit. Like to hear how this goes.

Thats not a bad idea.

Wonder how hard it would be to use an EJ compressor

shuffbag · Post by **shuffbag** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 9:06 pm

its a ea, gutless to start with... add a/c to it and its worse.

dare you to throw some 14's on it and then turn the a/c on

Post by **Captain Obvious** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 5:47 am

agree with all those above, even my EJ20 struggles with the a/c on around town, on the hiway it loves it!!

rob83ke70 · Post by **rob83ke70** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 6:20 am

for the record my idle up worked perfectly...

Robert.

Bert · Post by **Bert** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 3:35 pm

a/c doesn't do the fuel consumption a lot of good either, makes a good engine brake tho

someguy · Post by **someguy** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 4:06 pm

Bert wrote:a/c doesn't do the fuel consumption a lot of good either, makes a good engine brake tho

Yeah, most old cars are like that.

Turn the A/C on and your consumption goes up around 2-3L/100km

GTlegs · Post by **GTlegs** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 9:49 pm

You know, I found my performance to be OK. Its an auto, and it does feel like it looses some power, but it still accellerates and goes fine.

Suby Wan Kenobi · Post by **Suby Wan Kenobi** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 8:21 pm

Agrred with the fact that the AC adds a couple of L/100 to the tally but seriously would'nt you rather travel in comfort that sweat it out?

As for Ac stumbling when on i vote another on the Vac pipes to the solonoid.

tony · Post by **tony** » Sun Nov 15, 2009 4:07 am

the new air compressors are tiny, the one on my Kia sportage is the same size as the one on my 1 litre Suzuki Swift, the Subaru one is much bigger, but saying that I notice the drag of the subi compressor and switch the air off sometimes if I need a bit more power, but generally once the speed picks up you don't really notice it.
but my subi ea 82 has always been a bit of a pig of a motor, pings like a bastard and runs hot, at least until it cooked the heads and got a new (old) motor. by the way, any one got a ea82 motor cheap for parts?

Joel · Post by **Joel** » Sun Nov 15, 2009 11:07 am

its the mounting points that are different as well as the size
the newer compressors are slightly more efficient but will stock knock around an older engine especially a carbed 1.8 with that many KMs

i had a 97 festiva and the aircon cutting in with it was like kicking it sqaure in the balls

take it from an ex fridgy what its doing sounds perfectly normal but like others have said the idle up probably isnt working

on the top of the drier check the site glass
it should stop bubbliing within about 10secs of the clutch pulling in
if not then its short

also the #1 reason cars lose the gas is people dont run the a/c thorough winter
you need to run a/c for a couple of mins atleast once a fortnight to keep the shaft seal lubricated
modern cars now run the compressor whenever the cars in reverse to do this