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Date:         Tue, 4 Jun 2002 19:50:30 -0700
Reply-To:     Keith Hughes <keithahughes@QWEST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Keith Hughes <keithahughes@QWEST.NET>
Subject:      A/C Advice Needed -- Kind of Long
Comments: To: Ray Reinhard <rayreinhard@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Hey Ray,

> In August '99, we moved to the Santa Cruz area and, in September 2001, had > a TiiCo engine installed. Unfortunately, the A/C hoses were not quite long > enough to reach to the compressor in its new position, so I had to make > another trip to Sacramento (and spend another $500+) to get this fixed in > November 2001. At the end of the day, the A/C still wasn't working > properly, so the technician said to bring it back and not use it in the > meantime.

The A/C is just not that complicated. I'd be wondering about now why they had so much difficulty.

> On leaving the A/C shop, > I immediately noticed a very strong front-end vibration when I tried to use > the A/C but it was too late to do anything more as I had to get back to > Santa Cruz.

Yeah, that high speed fan *really* shakes things up.

> I was just north of Stockton when > the dash warning lights came on. I stopped the van, opened the engine > compartment, and found smoke pouring out of the A/C compressor.

I assume here that the alternator light was on because the compressor seized and the belt broke (taking the alternator belt with it). If I'm wrong, what light(s) was on?

> The repair shop admits that they wired the engine cooling fan to start in > the "high" position whenever the A/C was switched on. (They defend this as > "good practice" in an area that gets as hot as Sacramento.)

Uhmm...I'd say hogwash to that. I don't need that in Phoenix so you sure don't in Sacramento. Bottom line, if you idle for long enough, the engine will heat up (the A/C condenser is in front of the radiator after all), and the fan switch 2nd stage will engage the high speed fan circuit.

I would doubt that the fan is appropriately fused to handle the inrush current when starting on High speed, when the motor is hot (and probably old as well), making this a doubly dumb idea IMHO.

> amperage draw last Friday and that the fan normally draws 24 amps -- but > when it is first turned on it "spikes" at 60 amps.

Yep.

> The manager is proposing to repair things "at cost" and thinks that I > should also replace the fan.

I'd say he should repair under warranty, and straighten out the wiring as well. With 60 amps inrush current, no one should expect a standard ATE 30 fuse to hold up. An this type of measurement/evaluation is the *least* you'd expect of someone re-engineering the fan circuit. You'd need a slo-blow fuse at the least, and they're rare as chicken lips (in the ATE format) IME.

> (I checked w/ Camelback VW and a replacement > fan runs $550+.)

Bus Depot has the fan motors for $150 if you need one. You shouldn't need to replace the blade unless it's cracked or broken.

> I think that the repair shop should replace my > compressor and anything else that burned out at no charge; wire the fan to > come on "low" (and then go to "high" if needed); and forget about a new fan.

I agree. Return the wiring to stock (as much as that gets with a TiiCo), replace the compressor *and the receiver/dryer*, evac and recharge. Anytime you lunch a compressor, its critical that the dryer is replaced. That's where all the little pieces of your current compressor are lurking, ready to eat the new kid on the block, as it were.

Keith Hughes '86 Tiico Westy "Marvin"


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