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The auto elecy down he road is just going to run some cleaner, then the R134A gas in the L series. I have installed the complete system from a donor, replaced all the o-rings and installed a re-conditioned compressor and new dryer. To clean, new oil and re-gas is going to be approx $234

I think that "new oil" is the catch there, if the oil is not replaced with a lighter weight type then you cannot run the new refrigerant. From what I understand anyway.

when the different oils mix together they will turn into clag, compressors don't like clag

El_Freddo wrote:It was successfully gassed today...I'll be keen to see how much the AC compressor sucks out of the little EA81.

Hi Bennie,

Did you ever get to check this out, and if so what kind of difference was there?

Thanks in advance.

Not yet. I'll be near it tomorrow briefly. Next week should see a drive I'll be back after oz day so you'll have to keep hanging I'm sorry.

Cheers

Bennie

El_Freddo wrote:Not yet. I'll be near it tomorrow briefly. Next week should see a drive I'll be back after oz day so you'll have to keep hanging I'm sorry.

Cheers

Bennie

If you had A/C specified for wagon/sedan, the volume in Brumby is smaller than Wagon/Sedan, theoretically the volume in Brumby, it would be colder than in wagon/sedan - that is a good positive thing having A/C in Brumby!
Cheers
AP

Yeah AP - the AC is pretty awesome! I can't wait to get mine sorted in Ruby Scoo... Just need to work out the wiring and get some hoses made up to fit the EJ compressor to the EA system = $$$ I don't have at the moment.

As for how the brumby runs - cooler with the AC on due to the thermo fans being operated when the AC pump is on. The motor does work harder and around town you don't really notice it. I'd say that if you were cruising up a hill you'd notice the extra load.

With the AC on there's about 3 volts drop in the system, its an issue if the alternator is just below the point where it starts to do its stuff. I've adjusted the idle up to make the alternator charge - AC on = 12.6 volts, AC off = 13.7 volts; AC on, engine off = about 9 volts... I have to install a relay in the system to cut the power to the AC when the ignition is off as we're experiencing a flat battery IF the blower fan OR the AC switch are left on. A relay would sort it out as I'm not sure where the power is sourced from for the AC system - currently I've got it wired (fused protected) to the positive terminal of the battery...

We don't know the difference in fuel economy yet, but it's nice to cruise around with a cool cabin! Just have to sort that little problem...

Cheers

Bennie

Also, about 490 grams of refridgerant was used, 7mm of die added to detect leaks with.

Cheers

Bennie

El_Freddo wrote:With the AC on there's about 3 volts drop in the system, its an issue if the alternator is just below the point where it starts to do its stuff.

That scares me, I have a bit of an idle voltage drop as it is. I've had times where I've started the car and the battery light has stayed on until I stomp on the accelerator. You do have the fast idle when the a/c comes on, right?

phantomD wrote:That scares me, I have a bit of an idle voltage drop as it is. I've had times where I've started the car and the battery light has stayed on until I stomp on the accelerator. You do have the fast idle when the a/c comes on, right?

Yeah got the fast idle and I've got it sitting above "non AC" idle. I'm wondering if there's something wrong with the alternator - even though we've just swapped in a known good one. The thing I'm concerned with is the use of the AC at night while using the high beam lights. The voltage metre on the dash bounces with the indicator while the AC's on, this is what's got me wondering.

We'll see how it goes anyway. I'll keep you updated.

Cheers

Bennie

Update:

Sunnie the Brumby has been going well since finding an ignition issue, turned out to be this little module in the dizzy:





5 minutes to replace it from a unit I had stashed away and boom - he fired up without issue or effort! Stoked. He'd sat since Easter when I couldn't get him to go even with a spark plug check, new coil, battery charge - I knew something was up when I did the coil swap for a new item and he fired up first go only then to idle very smoothly for 3 minutes then die without being able to resurrect him.

That sorted he was then displaying a noise from the front left - new brake pads needed. So he'd got new pads up front and a new set of shoes to go in the rear when I find the time.

I've also found out that his windscreen rubber needs replacing as there's evidence of water on the floor after rain, this issue presented after we got him back from his body works but then it stopped, it's only just started again. I'm looking into changing the rubber to seal it up - dunno whether I should do this myself or if I should take it to a shop and have them do it for us...

I must admit that I've really enjoyed cruising around in him with the roof glass out and the windows down He recently made a new friend too:



Gail doesn't know this yet, and I know that she doesn't read these pages so I'll let you in on one of her christmas pressies - Sunnie will be getting a set of driving lights to mount on the bull bar. Should go well and complete that front end.

Oh, and on another downer - the power steering has developed a leak and there's a torn steering boot and CV boot. There also seems to be a small overheating problem, I'm hoping to swap the water pump over to solve this one as it's an unknown quantity at the moment, and I've got a leak in the oil pump to sort that's been there for sometime, I'm going to do something about it finally!

Other than that all's going pretty well on him - we're running 95ron fuel now to reduce pinging on warm days as he's set at 8 degrees before TDC which is where it should be. Going well so far and fuel economy has been going well.

I'll be updating with photos in the new year I hope!

Cheers

Bennie

On an aero conversions that module is removed and usualy mounted on the firewall with a heatsink attached. The heat inside the dizzy eventualy kills the module.

revmax wrote:On an aero conversions that module is removed and usualy mounted on the firewall with a heatsink attached. The heat inside the dizzy eventualy kills the module.

That's interesting! AFAIK this is the original dizzy - so 340k km is pretty good I reckon! If it "pops" again I might look into re-locating it, can't be too hard!

Cheers

Bennie

El_Freddo wrote:Sunnie will be getting a set of driving lights to mount on the bull bar. Should go well and complete that front end.

Well here's the pics of the new lights

Fuzzy image of the low beams - camera couldn't focus due to where I had it pointed, but you get the idea:



Stock high beams:



Stock high beams plus the new driving lights:



And this is what they look like when lit up like a christmas tree:





I can't wait to see the difference when we're out driving! Just need to fine tune their aim and Gail should be sweet to cruise at night now

Cheers

Bennie

Looks good Bennie

RSR 555 wrote:Looks good Bennie

I've still not got a day time photo of the setup I'll be sure to get one monday

And we've not actually gone for a drive to try out the driving lights. We were half cut when we got those last photos, and by the time we remember we should go for a drive we're over the limit or too knackered for a drive... Plus I don't want to be the first to really use them, they were a pressie for Gail after all!

Also, I've added this wiring:



From this thread discussion. Since the install it's not been hot enough to test it out! But I'll update when it is

Cheers

Bennie

Must feel pretty good Bennie to have done so much work and she looks so good.

revmax wrote:Must feel pretty good Bennie to have done so much work and she looks so good.

Yeah looks good, but got work to do - the tub needs some surface rust sorted before it really takes hold.

I've disconnected the power steering because of a leak that needs the rack pulled.

And a pretty embarrassing moment today when I went for a run to test out the thermo fan trip switch, it was warm enough. After a run with the temp higher than I've ever seen it before I started to suspect a blown head gasket. Even the two thermos at idle didn't do much to cool the engine.

Then I found out that I'd wired in the fan the wrong way, so one was pulling as it should have been and the other was pushing - the one I'd been playing with Hopefully that's all sorted now. If I've got time I'll take him for a spin tomorrow.

I sooo want one it's not funny, but time, finances etc don't allow for it at the moment

Cheers

Bennie

PS - camera's still in the shed... You'll just have to wait

Yay Photos!



And the new-yet-to-be-tried-out-properly driving lights



He went better today with the temp - and I didn't get to use the fan. That's what I get for living out of town when at the folks place! It'll get tested... some day!

Cheers

Bennie

Well we might have a problem... Towing our makeshift camper back from shep last wednesday in the 43+ degree heat he didn't like it. Before we left I found only half of the radiator with liquid in it

The overflow bottle was dry too. I closely monitored the temp on the way home, once it got just over half on the gauge travelling at 100km/h, even at 90 it wouldn't drop.

We pulled over several times to cool off, each time checking the overflow bottle. One time it had some foam over it, another time it was all good then it produced about 8 little bubbles. There wasn't any signs of boiling but these little bubbles make me think that we've got the start of a blown Head Gasket.

Or the other thought is that the new spotties have blocked a pot load of air flow through the radiator, resulting in the raised temp while towing a tralier.

As a precautionary we're going to leave him be for now (parked up) until I've got Ruby Scoo back together then he'll have his turn in the shed for the work. I'm in half a mind to do a full rebuild so it's a fresh engine that'll look after gail for many years to come... Maybe pick Steptoe's brain about a sweet cam grind to go with 26/56 comes to mind (I think..?)

We'll see what happens. It's a bit of a bummer but at 347k km on the original head gaskets AFAWK but if we do it early enough we can do it when we want and with less damage/mess created.

Cheers

Bennie