AC condenser

Red Sleeper

Red Sleeper

Active member
I can't seem to find an AC condenser for my 91.5 innercooled truck. I've exhausted every parts supply store and warehouse around Houston, called in a couple favors, nothing.
Anyone know where I can find one? Preferably a new one.

My compressor ate itself after 12+ years of service. I flushed the current condenser with AC flush and alcohol (2-3 gallons) before debris finally quit coming out. Though I think some passages are still plugged. The relief valve on the new compressor discharged most of my freon yesterday as the high side likely was too high. I noticed it was high when adding freon, but it was 102* in the shade when balancing the system.

Nick
 
There is a local company to me called PAKair or something like that, they got me a condenser like that for one of my first gems. (Guessing they all come from the same China company?). It worked but it didn’t work as well as the original, head pressures were off, it just couldn’t flow as well as the factory one. Don’t get me wrong it kept the truck nice and cool I just didn’t like how much it was taxing the compressor and lines with the higher pressures.

I’d have the radiator shop so their best to try and get yours blown out.

Note I do live in the AZ oven, 116 is an easy day for me in the summer.
 
smokinVE said:
There is a local company to me called PAKair or something like that, they got me a condenser like that for one of my first gems. (Guessing they all come from the same China company?). It worked but it didn’t work as well as the original, head pressures were off, it just couldn’t flow as well as the factory one. Don’t get me wrong it kept the truck nice and cool I just didn’t like how much it was taxing the compressor and lines with the higher pressures.

I’d have the radiator shop so their best to try and get yours blown out.

Note I do live in the AZ oven, 116 is an easy day for me in the summer.
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I'd take that 116 with no humidity all day over 100 down here in the swamp.
 
Haha these forecasts lately down here have been like “92° tomorrow but it will feel like 147“

I’ll be in Florida Saturday cruising the beach. Gonna be a welcome breeze ha
 
My original condenser was/is toast. Fins are falling out everywhere. The high side pressure has always been elevated on this truck, for my liking at least. Once I vacuum down the system and charge it up, I’ll share my pressures and temps.

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Could you just fit up a condenser from say an early 90's chevy to it?

Being there front radiator supports, and size are pretty similar.
 
The line connection is unique on a 1st gen. The high and low side lines meet at a flange, the flange bolts to the condenser mating flange. Without making all new lines and getting testicle deep in the repair, I’ll try this aftermarket condenser.
 
Whoa whoa whoa! It was raining and 110° yesterday! Y’all can say AZ is a dry heat all you want but yeah not during “monsoon” season.

And damn that condenser is hammered dog dookie!
 
I finally vacuumed and charged my system yesterday. The tag under the hood says 41oz of R12 freon for a standard truck. The system has been converted to R134, but weight is weight. And I have always had good luck charging a system according to freon weight.

After 2+ hours of vacuuming (-14psi on low side) I shot two 12oz cans of R134 in the system, pressures were still low, bubbled flowing through sight glass on dryer, so I proceeded with more. After the 3rd (12oz) can, pressures were up to a more normal level, maybe slightly high. But I was still 5oz low on freon according to the tag. I added 5oz from the 4th can, increased the idle to around 1800rpm and watched the gauges.

The high side was quickly jumping above 350psi, (scratch head). I had an old squirrel cage fan blowing right on the condenser, new fan clutch on the truck that will suck your shirt into the grill, so air flow was not an issue. In cab vent temp was also above 60°. Physics says too much freon. So, I removed some freon, and some more, and even more. Both sides were dropping pressure, sub cooling was cooling down, in-cab temp is coming down, so I kept on removing freon until I noticed the low side line into the TXV started to frost and bubbled appeared in the sight glass. I then added 2-3oz of freon back to the system and left it alone. Bubbled cleared up in sight glass, no freezing on the low side line. All this being done with engine RPM still around 1800.


My low side ended up around 26psi, sub cooling right at 30°. High side between 145-150psi, temp around 110°. In cab temp was right at 50°. I was very happy with the result, though confused on the freon weight. I’m estimating there’s about 30oz of freon in the system and the tag under the hood states 41oz.

After driving the truck in-town all afternoon, the cooling system still needs improving. Mainly I need to address the blower motor wiring modification Jim Lane wrote about many moons ago (15 years). Also find a set of dual electric fans to mount in front of the condenser for added air flow when in traffic. I’ll likely wire them for power on when the AC clutch is engaged. For now, it will work and get me through the hot summer months and into winter. Heater core needs replacing this winter, so I will be revisiting the freon situation again next spring.

Always learning.
 
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You can see it looks like a deer was bedded down under the truck. The mechanical fan blowing the grass that much! It roars!!
 
Just FYI, what I find says 44oz of r12.

I may have missed it, but did you replace the expansion valve and the receiver dryer?
 
80% is the “rule of thumb” when making the change to 134. I still use 12 in
My first gems. Only had one that had already be converted and I wanna say I ended up at 1.8#

Best of luck on adding a fan behind the grill, that’s a tight space.

Why is your system only pulling down to 14 under a vacuum? Pump is bad or it’s got a ton of moisture in it?

How much oil is in the system? That can really mess your pressures up too.

Any chance the radiator and or IC is full of trash causing poor flow threw the condenser?
 
smokinVE said:
80% is the “rule of thumb” when making the change to 134. I still use 12 in
My first gems. Only had one that had already be converted and I wanna say I ended up at 1.8#

Best of luck on adding a fan behind the grill, that’s a tight space.

Why is your system only pulling down to 14 under a vacuum? Pump is bad or it’s got a ton of moisture in it?

How much oil is in the system? That can really mess your pressures up too.

Any chance the radiator and or IC is full of trash causing poor flow threw the condenser?
Click to expand...


-14.8psi is a perfect 28” of vacuum, correct? I used my digital gauges to pull initial vacuum and make sure this old vacuum pump still pulls down hard, then switched to analog gauges and vacuumed for the 2hrs. My digital gauges are really nice, but I’m not 100% comfortable with them for adding freon. My brain still likes to see a sweeping needle instead of a fluctuating digit on a screen.

The system has 7oz of oil. The new compressor arrived with 6.75oz, I found where 4 seasons states 7.25oz, so I split the difference at 7oz in the system.

Expansion valve and dryer replaced. The replacement TXV is adjustable, my original Chrysler TXV is not adjustable.

Radiator is 4-5 months old. Inner cooler was blown out when condenser was removed. I think two independent 8” or 10” fans might fit. My cousin added fans to the front of his 06 common rail and states it was worth the time and effort.
 
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