Date: Tue, 4 Jun 2002 22:22:43 -0700
Reply-To: Todd Last <Rubatoguy@MINDSPRING.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Todd Last <Rubatoguy@MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject: Re: A/C Advice Needed -- Kind of Long
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
I'd have to dig out my shop manual to verify the specifics, but on my
'88 Westy with factory air,
it is wired in such a way that two things happen whenever the A/C is
turned on.
1.) The radiator fan switches on to high speed
2.) The idle gets bumped up a higher speed.
So, I'm not understanding what the A/C shop did since this is how the
factory wiring is..
Anyway, since you had such a vibration with the fan, I'm inclined to
think that there is something wrong with the fan,
The fact that the 30A fuse blew also makes me suspect there is a problem
in your fan.
IMHO the fan on high speed should be noisy, but if it is generating any
appreciable vibration,
I'd be inclined to think something is out of balance or the bearings are
going bad.
Also, I'm curious as to how the compressor failure is in any way related
to the failure of the engine fan.
I thought compressor failures are usually related to a lack of
lubrication caused by leaks in the system,
or incorrectly mixing incompatible freons which use different oils
(e.g. 12A and 134).
I'm no HVAC expert - but I just can't see where not having the radiator
fan work would cause the compressor to fail.
It sounds like there are a number of issues here, but at least the shop
is willing to try to make things right.
I would definitely take a closer look at the fan, though.
Todd
'88 Westy
I
Ray Reinhard wrote:
> Ever since we bought our van in 1990, we have had problems keeping the
> A/C
> running well. From 1990 to 1999, we took the van to a leading
> independent
> A/C repair shop in Sacramento, spending a total of over $2,400 over this
> period. Components repaired and/or replaced included the drier,
> condenser,
> and compressor (the latter was replaced in July 1999).
>
> 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.
>
> Not needing A/C during the winter, we returned in March and spent another
> $250 to have the A/C wired up to the engine fan. 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. At least the A/C seemed to be cooling properly. (Subsequent
> inquiries to this list suggested that the A/C tech had wired the fan to
> come on in the "high" position immediately --a fact I later confirmed.)
>
> I didn't have much occasion to use the A/C in the next couple of
> months --
> just turning it on from time to time to see if the vibration was as
> bad as
> I had remembered it (it was!). Then, one day I turned it on and the
> vibration stopped! There still seemed to be cold air coming out of
> the A/C
> vents, so I thought (ha, ha) maybe the fan problem had fixed itself.
>
> In May, we were driving on a warm day and it was clear that the A/C
> was NOT
> cooling properly. Air was blowing out of the vents in the rear of the
> van,
> but it was not cold. So, last Friday, I returned to Sacramento to once
> again try to get things fixed. On the way, I had the A/C fan switched on
> to at least get some air circulation. 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.
>
> 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.) We also now
> know that, when the vibration stopped, it was because a 30 amp fuse
> protecting the fan had blown. The A/C tech says that he tested the
> amperage draw last Friday and that the fan normally draws 24 amps -- but
> when it is first turned on it "spikes" at 60 amps. I don't know for
> sure,
> but I suspect that this is related to having the fan come on
> immediately on
> "high," as this fuse never blew before during our 12 years of owning
> the van.
>
> The manager is proposing to repair things "at cost" and thinks that I
> should also replace the fan. (I checked w/ Camelback VW and a
> replacement
> fan runs $550+.) 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.
>
> Your thoughts, comments, suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.
>
> Ray Reinhard
> '86 Tiico Westy Camper GL
>
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