[DeTomaso] condenser

[Tom Shinrock]

 Since Larry asked how my A/C condenser issue turned out I thought I'd copy the list since so many people responded to my plea for help.


Turned out the condenser I bought from Classic Condenser Specialists had the correct flare fitting.  The big fitting had an o-ring put on behind the flare by mistake by CCS (which they admitted was not right).  


My guy (who has worked on my cars for years and is the only place in town with R-12) took responsibility for the AN fitting causing the flare to deform to create the shoulder at the base of the flare.  I had installed the condenser before I took the car in to be charged but I only hand tightened the hose fittings and the AN fitting because I wanted the shop to tighten them to the proper torque.  My guy never saw the o-ring until he removed the AN fitting from the condenser and said that was most likely the problem.  However he didn't quibble with me and said he would make the car right at no expense to me.


He showed the condenser fitting and the AN connector to a supply house in town that makes custom hoses for many different industrial requirements and they said the o-ring shouldn't have been there.  The supply house also said they use AN fittings all the time for A/C hoses and never had any problems.  They acknowledge the flare angles are different but they said there was enough of a contact area to make a good seal.  


My guy put a soft metal (copper?) conical shaped insert over the flare to help create a sealing surface and tightened the AN fitting to it.  He then rigged the condenser so he could fill it with compressed air up to 150 lbs of pressure and let is sit for 5 days (which were the days I was out of town attending the vintage races at Road America).   When I got back he showed me that the pressure never dropped over that time.  I took my car in the next day for them to install the condenser and charge the system with R-12.    


The heat index the day I had the system charged was 100 to 105.  When I got the car back and went for a short ride I was seeing air temps of 19 degrees at slow speeds and 30 deg at highway speeds.   I then drove the car to Illinois to meet up with some of the Great Lakes members for a picnic (see pictures).  It was a 2.5 hour drive.  The morning drive was so nice I drove with the windows half open, but on the return trip the ambient conditions were 85 deg and oppressive humidity, so I ran the A/C.   At highway speeds I was seeing 19 degree air.  I turned the de-icing switch to just under half way and maintained 38 deg air for the whole trip home.  I only had to run the fan on low to stay very comfortable.  


One of the Illinois boys had just had a front condenser installed and had his A/C converted to 134.  I asked him how cold his air temps were and he said he didn't know but he had to turn down the de-icing switch on the ride to the picnic.  I happened to have my temperature probe in the car because I wanted to monitor how cold my air was during the trip.  We put the probe in one of his vents and he turned the car and A/C on.  After a short while he was seeing 40 deg air, which was during the heat of the day.  One of the other guys thought that 40 deg air on a mid 80 deg day was pretty good.  I told him that my experience was that he would see his temperatures drop more when he was driving the car instead of sitting in the parking lot under fast idle.
  

We took my probe and put it in my vents and with in a very short time, I was seeing 38 deg air.  In fact one of the guys was looking through my open door and said he could feel the cold air from where he was standing.


So to answer Larry's question.  I'm quite happy with the cold air I'm getting from my A/C using R-12 with a Sanyo rotatory compressor and a CCS four row condenser using the stock condenser shroud and stock fan.  This is the same set up that Mike Daily had when I communicated with him last year and he said he was getting very cold air in sultry Georgia.


I think I'm now ready to drive to Houston next year.


Tom
5186 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Larry Finch <fresnofinches at aol.com>
To: tmshinro <tmshinro at aol.com>
Sent: Tue, Jul 29, 2014 10:20 am
Subject: condenser


Hi Tom,

Any update on the right but wrong fitting issue? How did you resolve it in the end?

Have a fellow PCNC owner asking about a condenser upgrade and your experience came to mind.

Larry

-------------- next part --------------
   Since Larry asked how my A/C condenser issue turned out I thought I'd
   copy the list since so many people responded to my plea for help.
   Turned out the condenser I bought from Classic Condenser Specialists
   had the correct flare fitting.  The big fitting had an o-ring put on
   behind the flare by mistake by CCS (which they admitted was not
   right).
   My guy (who has worked on my cars for years and is the only place in
   town with R-12) took responsibility for the AN fitting causing the
   flare to deform to create the shoulder at the base of the flare.  I had
   installed the condenser before I took the car in to be charged but I
   only hand tightened the hose fittings and the AN fitting because I
   wanted the shop to tighten them to the proper torque.  My guy never saw
   the o-ring until he removed the AN fitting from the condenser and said
   that was most likely the problem.  However he didn't quibble with me
   and said he would make the car right at no expense to me.
   He showed the condenser fitting and the AN connector to a supply house
   in town that makes custom hoses for many different industrial
   requirements and they said the o-ring shouldn't have been there.  The
   supply house also said they use AN fittings all the time for A/C hoses
   and never had any problems.  They acknowledge the flare angles are
   different but they said there was enough of a contact area to make a
   good seal.
   My guy put a soft metal (copper?) conical shaped insert over the flare
   to help create a sealing surface and tightened the AN fitting to it.
   He then rigged the condenser so he could fill it with compressed air up
   to 150 lbs of pressure and let is sit for 5 days (which were the days I
   was out of town attending the vintage races at Road America).   When I
   got back he showed me that the pressure never dropped over that time.
   I took my car in the next day for them to install the condenser and
   charge the system with R-12.
   The heat index the day I had the system charged was 100 to 105.  When I
   got the car back and went for a short ride I was seeing air temps of 19
   degrees at slow speeds and 30 deg at highway speeds.   I then drove the
   car to Illinois to meet up with some of the Great Lakes members for a
   picnic (see pictures).  It was a 2.5 hour drive.  The morning drive was
   so nice I drove with the windows half open, but on the return trip the
   ambient conditions were 85 deg and oppressive humidity, so I ran the
   A/C.   At highway speeds I was seeing 19 degree air.  I turned the
   de-icing switch to just under half way and maintained 38 deg air for
   the whole trip home.  I only had to run the fan on low to stay very
   comfortable.
   One of the Illinois boys had just had a front condenser installed and
   had his A/C converted to 134.  I asked him how cold his air temps were
   and he said he didn't know but he had to turn down the de-icing switch
   on the ride to the picnic.  I happened to have my temperature probe in
   the car because I wanted to monitor how cold my air was during the
   trip.  We put the probe in one of his vents and he turned the car and
   A/C on.  After a short while he was seeing 40 deg air, which was during
   the heat of the day.  One of the other guys thought that 40 deg air on
   a mid 80 deg day was pretty good.  I told him that my experience was
   that he would see his temperatures drop more when he was driving the
   car instead of sitting in the parking lot under fast idle.

   We took my probe and put it in my vents and with in a very short time,
   I was seeing 38 deg air.  In fact one of the guys was looking through
   my open door and said he could feel the cold air from where he was
   standing.
   So to answer Larry's question.  I'm quite happy with the cold air I'm
   getting from my A/C using R-12 with a Sanyo rotatory compressor and a
   CCS four row condenser using the stock condenser shroud and stock fan.
   This is the same set up that Mike Daily had when I communicated with
   him last year and he said he was getting very cold air in sultry
   Georgia.
   I think I'm now ready to drive to Houston next year.
   Tom
   5186

   -----Original Message-----
   From: Larry Finch <fresnofinches at aol.com>
   To: tmshinro <tmshinro at aol.com>
   Sent: Tue, Jul 29, 2014 10:20 am
   Subject: condenser
   Hi Tom,
   Any update on the right but wrong fitting issue? How did you resolve it
   in the end?
   Have a fellow PCNC owner asking about a condenser upgrade and your
   experience came to mind.
   Larry
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