Scott,
Have you had the air conditioning system 'tested'? Is it really
blowing cold air or not? Believe it or not, having the system working
correctly may be adding to your problem - although the ultimate cause is
probably the inability to move volumes of air across the heat exchanger.
My brother is into cooling systems and used an electronic
temperature gauge with a needle-like sensor on mine. (I wish I could
tell you the proper temperature that it should be producing, but I
cannot.) He inserted it into the blower vents with the air running. He
indicated to me that the problem is NOT the air conditioning (the system
was producing very cold temperatures) but the air flow across the heat
exchanger inside the car. It was not only blowing VERY cold, but so much
so that it was freezing itself up. The heat exchanger would coat itself
with frost / ice, then need to 'thaw out' before it would be useful
again. I know Texas is extremely humid (I lived in Houston for a few
years) and suspect that might be part of the problem. You've got to move
as much air over the heat exchanger (or whatever you call the internal
component in the heater box) for the system to work properly. (Yes, I
realize the blower speed fix has been applied, but is it working? Also,
without aligning the heater box components, that nice air flow won't
make it over to the drivers side where it would do the most good.)
If your test shows that the air conditioning isn't blowing cold
air, then it's the system that needs attention. Again, it looks like
you've checked out the system from this angle, but my comment here -
assuming everything else is working properly - is that the condenser may
not be able to shed the heat it has developed. You're in a high heat,
high humidity environment in a poorly ventilated engine compartment.
You're condenser may be struggling to shed the heat. Check to see if
there is any way to move more air / cooler air across the condenser.
I was shown a neat little mod during the BIG 2001 meet. One of
our BI owners (John Rowe?) performed a very simple mod to improve engine
cooling. He 'shimmed out' the lower part of the condenser about an inch
or two to allow better air flow into the radiator. Simple, cheap and
effective. The condenser is now at more of a slant and the two 'heat
exchangers' are further apart.
Another thought for you ... Have you installed louvers on the
car? IMHO, that rear window is a large magnifying glass pointed at dark,
light (and heat) absorbing carpet. I personally don't have louvers, but
on hot days (we had a number of them in Ohio in 2001) I'll place a
reflective 'blanket' of material on the rear deck in an attempt to
reflect some of that heat away.
Michael Mitchell
VIN 1155
www.bricklins.net (http://clubs.hemmings.com/mbo)
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-bricklin@autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-bricklin@autox.team.net] On Behalf Of Isensee@aol.com
Sent: Saturday, December 29, 2001 7:53 PM
To: Bricklin@autox.team.net
Subject: Need better AC
One of my winter projects is to improve the air conditioning on my
Bricklin
for next summer. I live in Texas where we regularly get to 100 degrees
and I
haven't been able to get my Bricklin to maintain a comfortable interior
temperature.
Here is what I have done so far:
- Install the fix to increase the blower speed.
- Add an electric fan in front of the radiator to supplement the engine
driven fan and increase air flow at low speed.
- Have the AC system checked out for leaks and full freon charge.
- Seal all openings in the firewall.
- Put insulation under carpet in the passenger compartment.
- Put exhaust wrap on the exhaust pipes to decrease the heat they
radiate
into the passenger compartment and engine compartment.
- Made several enhancements to the cooling system to help it run cooler
on
hot days.
I am aware of the fix to align the heater box, but haven't done that
because
I am reluctant to tear the dash apart.
Can anyone suggest anything else I can do?
Would it help to put insulation on the AC hoses in the engine
compartment?
Scott Isensee
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