Back From Texas! BTW..The A/C Sucks!

[69sixpackbee]

Well, I always love going to the lone star state on vacation (Don't mess with Texas) and I thought that this time I would be in comfort with the new A/C system from Old Air...well, think again ..this thing is barely marginal at best. You guys in central TX know how the weather was and this thing would barely keep the cab tolerable. I have a completely insulated and very tight cab. Imagine how the not so nice trucks contemplating this system would fare. Needless to say I am thoroughly disgusted with the performance of this A/C. It is nothing more than a $1,000.00 paperweight. It is operating properly it is just that the surface area of the evaporator core is much smaller than the original one was so that is the biggest downfall. It is not that it does not do its job it is just the demand on the system is much more than it is designed to do. I mean afterall, these guys are in Ft. Worth for crying out loud. You would think that they could design a system that is demanding of their own climate!! Sorry to rant guys, but, I was expecting more from this system. Any of you who are wanting to add air to your truck, do your homework first. Those of you who have an original POA system..KEEP IT ! Convert it to 134 by adding a bigger condenser, better compresser and a POA upgrade but by all means leave it in the truck. I am sorry now that I did not go with the factory system
Which of you folks have an aftermarket system? How does it stack up? Am I the one who is full of s**t!? Maybe it is my system and not yours. Please let me know what you have done to make your A/C work like an "air conditioner" and not a cool fan.
Oh yea, crossing the Arizona desert at 3 in the afternoon...might of well have rolled down the windows I realize that I am picking up alot of radiant heat but the A/C should be able to (if sized correctly) to compensate for the added heat and help dissipate it somewhat. Sorry for the rant but I need some help here..
Thanx!

[SCOTI]

Well, I live in DFW & know first hand what your talking about. It's not just the heat.... don't forget about that lovely humidity.

What I noticed on my factory a/c system in my 74 is that there is constant flow through my heater core which transfers heat to the interior. When I first start the truck the a/c is much cooler than after it warms up.

I'm going to install a heater bypass valve & see if there's any improvement. It sucks when it only cools part-time & it gets warm enough that I wonder if I would be cooler w/the windows down.

Maybe put a call in to OldAir & see if they offer you some sort of solution/compromise? Let us know.

Other than the temps, did you have a good trip?

[Suicide-D]

I am planning on going with an aftermarket a/c ... I'll watch the outcome of this... What i did do in my 92(converted to 134) to keep up with this climate... I bypassed the heater core, and I added a condensor fan with thermostat. It is working alot better now, but I plan on adding another fan on the condensor to help even more.

[69sixpackbee]

Scoti, I would move there in an instant!
I always love the hill country..I can buy 100+ acre ranch with a home on the Frio for what I can get here in California for the price of a condo!
Sad

[tom hand]

I had a factory air and had replaced almost every part on it in the 15 years I owned my truck. I was never very impressed with it...I have had 73 up trucks that would freeze you out of the cab. I replaced it with Vintage Air and have been very happy with it. It blows 42 degree air out the vents and plenty of it.[38degrees with the fan on low] It has to be over a 100 outside before you can keep it on high fan for very long.

[SCOTI]

Yep, if you go far enough out of city limits (@ least Dallas anyway) you can get some decent pricing on land. My GF's family has alot of land in west Tx, Throckmorton/Knox City area.

We do have a big 'ol state don't we? I'm not originally from here but don't plan on leaving.

[trinic]

i have the same set-up as yours. i have a bypass valve on my heater hose, which i turn off around this time. have two fans on the condenser. a/c is not the greatest, but will still keep you cool inside. my greatest problem comes from the cab not being completely sealed up and not having tented windows. when cruising at moderate speeds, i can feel a small breeze of hot air coming from my back seat (cab corner area). i've looked under there, and the corners & rockers are rust free. what do you guys recommend for sealing up the cab correctly? do they sell some type of silicon, tape, etc i can use? i was thinking about using that expansion foam you can use for your home (windows, doors, etc)....this might not be the greatest idea, but thought it might work. do you guys think the foam would be corrosive to the metal? Also thinking about putting some dynamat down. it has the factory insulation (card board material).

[69sixpackbee]

I put expando foam in the cab corners and I have foil-faced Dynamat-type (bought from McMaster-Carr...far cheaper $$wise) in the doors as well as foil bubble insulation in the panels. My windows are tinted w/40% film and the cabover camper keeps the cab in the shade anyway.

[trinic]

i'll tryout the foam/mat to see if this helps me out...thanks for the info....

[Mike Culpepper]

That sucks! I was in Amarillo>Abilene>Llano areas last week and it WAS HOT,..105-109F! DId your system come with an adjustable thermostat, and if so is it at max cold? My Vintage air unit has one and was supposed to be set at the coldest setting from the factory, but wasn't. I'm sure you've checked into that kinda' stuff already, though.
HAve you called Old Air yet , and what do they say or suggest you do?
So far my V.A unit is still blowin' cold here in Houston(sound of me knockin' on wood).
Mike

[Fred T]

Advice that I have gotten is not to convert to R134a. Use a product along the lines of freeze-12. You can get a license on-line, then buy it at a local parts store. Supposed to have the same efficency as r-12, but not near as damaging to the ozone.

[mocwon]

This, along with the replies is good information. I live in Austin, right in the heart of the African Hill Country (110 this past Friday). I guess I will do some more homework before I buy. I was going to go with the Old Air system. My logic was the same yours, these guys are in Ft. Worth and know what Texas heat and humidity is all about. Thanks for the information.

[busterwivell]

I just put in the Vintage Air in my truck recently. When I put it in, it didn't seem to cool real well. I reread the book, and it advised that if it didn't cool well, you could have the heater hoses reversed. I switched them and the unit would put frost on the vents at 100 degrees plus. I have turned the unit down a little to avoid that, but after running for a few minutes yesterday with 110 degrees and high (for us) humidity, I had the fan on low and moved the temp control a little. Man, that sustem works well!

[Mike Culpepper]

I agree with busterwivell. Mine doesn't put frost on the vents but I find after 3-4 minutes on high I'm lowering the fan to med. or low. And I'm not a cold natured person(my freezing wife can attest to that).

mocwon, I PMed you with a link to V.A. dealers in TX. If you've already checked out VA, disregard.
Mike

[SCOTI]

I was going to suggest to anyone interested, Vintage Air is also quite familiar w/Texas heat since they're H.Q. is located in SanAntonio w/dealers throughout the state.

I'll be using their Gen II spacesaver on my 67.

[70 CST 4X4]

I am happy to see all the positive replys about VA systems. I bought a sure fit system from them a couple of weeks ago. Will be putting it in along with everything else listed in sig below, in the next few weeks. I have my work cut out for me.

Like mike said check with Old Air and see, might be something simple and cold air awaits .

[69sixpackbee]

I am calling them in the morning! If DFW was closer to San Antone I would have driven up there!
I had to drive 1300 miles just to get where i was going. I was tired of driving

[SCOTI]

I did mention how big this state was didn't I?

It sucks when you drive all day to get somewhere & have to stop @ a hotel to rest.... but your still in Tx!!!!!!! The good part about roadtrips east or west is once you get past the statelines.... your almost there (or @ least you go through other states @ a much quicker pace).

[Blue4x4]

FYI......I don't have AC in my truck, but it's cooler here in Reno , NV. But I can tell you all from my 23 years experance in HVAC, that R-12 has 6000 btu more cooling capicaty as 134a. Lots of people who convert to the newer refergerants aren't as happy as the old R-12. But who really wants to pay the big $$$$?????If your ols system is working fine...just leave it alone. I have heard that vintage air makes a GREAT system. Keep kool.

[Billy G]

Thought it was just me....that the 134a doesnt cool as well as R-12. With the heat and humidity we've had the last couple weeks...even the air in my 2001 Silverado seemed to have to work OT to keep up.
Nowhere else but TEXAS!!!

Billy G

[00droptopSS]

My Vintage Air system is as good as it gets. It cools the cab down even in extreme temps. I wouldn't do factory air again after having Vintage Air. It is one of the best products on my truck.

[SCOTI]

I'm very impressed w/the factory a/c system on my GF's 02 T/A. After 5mins on max a/c & high fan speed your turning the fan down to low 'cause it's getting chilly.

[bigvinnie]

another vote for vintage air, I installed a sure-fit system 5 years ago and have not had a problem with it, turn the thermostat to max cool and put the fan on medium and it's like a meat locker in no time... this is in the dry heat of southern calif...

Was told by the guy who charged the system that tinting the windows would also make a big improvement in the system's efficiency...

[Jemost 72]

You for sure need to call Old Air tech guys and let them walk u thru a system check. Sumthin aint right! I usually run mine on the low fan speed, and run it on medium when it's real hot out..

You should have an adjustable thermostat knob on the right side of the air box. I keep the heater hose cut off valve shut during the summer.

[Frank_Zeller]

69 1/2 Six Pack Bee,

I got the old air system............does fine in 100 plus temp after some mods. I too was ready to drive to fort worth and have a talk with them. Still a little pist about the whole thing

The problem is that the evaporator freezes over after extended highway driving and you slowly loose cooling capacity.

Things I've done

modify the air intake...removed the grill to allow better flow and reduce ice up

I installed a electronic temp cycle switch. cycle the evap at 35 F to reduce freeze up.

put hard foam around the front condenser to make sure all the air goes though it.

I also dont have the heater core hooked up in the summer.

I also need to put a pusher fan, because I think at highway speeds even with the AC on the fan clutch disengages. This causes a high had pressure and reduce cooling.

Lets us know what old air tells you.


If your driving back though Austin I would be happy to take a look at your system