[DeTomaso] A/C test results

Wed May 15 20:55:15 EDT 2013

 I'm envious.  My critical gauge gave off intermittant audible alerts :).

Tom
#5186

-----Original Message-----
From: John Taphorn <jtaphorn at kingwoodcable.com>
To: Tom Shinrock <tmshinro at aol.com>
Cc: detomaso <detomaso at poca.com>
Sent: Wed, May 15, 2013 7:09 pm
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] A/C test results

Tom

I ran my AC from Houston to Phoenix and back w/o issue.  I forgot my 
gauge to monitor the temp performance more closely.  I have the rear 
mounted condenser from Quella with a stock fan and  motor.  I drove 
without the tub in place and noticed no difference in performance at 
highway speeds.  The general feeling is that the performance would be 
worse w/o the tub as pressure in the area would be higher.  I am not 
refuting that point; only stating that I didn't have unacceptable 
performance w/o the tub.  Most of the time the AC was set minimum and 
cycled often.

The critical gauge, my wife, was comfortable.

Also, I was running AutoFrost and not R-12.

JT
On 5/15/2013 6:44 AM, Tom Shinrock wrote:
>   Tub in, heater shut off valves off.
>
> Tom
> #5186
>
>   
>
>   
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: MDBell <davidabell at att.net>
> To: 'Tom Shinrock' <tmshinro at aol.com>; detomaso <detomaso at poca.com>
> Sent: Tue, May 14, 2013 9:45 pm
> Subject: RE: [DeTomaso] A/C test results
>
>
> Just curious, was the rear tub in the car when you did your AC testing?
>
> Dave Bell
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: detomaso-bounces at poca.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at poca.com] On Behalf
> Of Tom Shinrock
> Sent: Tuesday, May 14, 2013 9:18 PM
> To: detomaso at poca.com
> Subject: [DeTomaso] A/C test results
>
>
> Here are the results of my A/C test after I had switched back to my stock
> condenser fan.  As you recall my A/C basically didn't work during my drive
> to Phoenix where we were cruising any where from 75 to 95, but it did go
> from 90 deg to 60 deg air in the casino parking lot when it was close to 90
> deg (with the aftermarket fan).
>
> Last night we set a record low temperature of 34 degrees.  Today we are
> pushing hard to beat the record high of 96....crazy!  I tested my car at 3pm
> when the temp was 93.   Backing out of the garage, the temp probe in the
> left vent read 80 degrees.  I turned on the A/C and after less than 2
> minutes was seeing 36 degrees on the probe.  After about a mile I turned
> onto the highway.   At 55mph the air temp went up to 40-42 deg.  After about
> 30 minutes it was at 50 deg.  I increased my speed to about 65 and saw the
> air temp go up to 55 deg.  At the 45 minute mark I turned onto the
> interstate and raised my speed to 70 - 75 mph.  The air temp went up to 60 -
> 62 degrees and basically stayed there for the 15 minute drive back to my
> house.  I could hear the relay clicking on and off, so I assume that I was
> bouncing against the high pressure cut off switch.  I backed my speed down
> to 65 and saw a small drop in air temp, maybe 58 deg.  I got off the
> interstate and in the mile drive to m
>   y house at 35 mph saw the air temp go down to 55 deg.   I let the car idle
> for about 10 minutes when I got home and saw the air temp drop to 45
> degrees.
>
> What this tells me is that my A/C works well if the fan can pull enough air
> through the condenser.  The fan performance goes down at high temps and as
> the speed goes up because the air gets turbulent at the rear of the car.
> This aligns with what I've heard others say about the A/C going south after
> 75 mph.  I was told by an A/C shop when I converted my Porsche 944T to 134
> that an A/C system is operating as good as it can if it can put out air that
> is 40 deg cooler than ambient temperature.  So getting 62 degree air on a 93
> degree day made me feel kind of good.  Unfortunately with only 2 vents (with
> the left one misaligned by about 30% from the opening in the heater box) and
> only 2 fan speeds there isn't much air movement so 60 degree air is just
> marginally comfortable.
>
> About an hour later I drove the car to a car show that was a 90 minute drive
> down the interstate at 5pm where the ambient temperature was still 93 deg.
> The air temp started out at 50 deg and within 15 minutes was at 60 deg at 70
> mph.  Within another 20 minutes the air temp rose to 80.  Not long after
> that the A/C quit working.  Bummer.   The sun was beating right through the
> windshield and the temp probe showed 110 deg air coming out of the vent.
> Suffered for another 15 minutes waiting to see if anything would happen and
> then pulled the plug and opened the windows.  I noticed at some point, for a
> very short time, the A/C came on and dropped the vent air to 85 deg but it
> didn't last long.
>
> The ambient temperature had come down to 85 and the setting sun went behind
> some clouds on the trip home (so no sun beating through the windshield).
> Turned the A/C on when I left and saw 42 to 48 deg air all the way home at
> 70+ mph.  So it looks like I've got an A/C that works fairly well as long as
> the temperature doesn't get into the 90s.
>
> So, I'm curious to know if this performance is similar to other's A/C at
> similar temperatures.
>
> I assume I could get more cooling if I went to one of those parallel flow
> condensers with the two fans sucking in air.  I'll see how the A/C works
> this summer to determine if I want to make the change.
>
> Tom
> #5186
>
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