RR Classic - worth considering Aircon as a retrofit?

evening all,

I was looking under the bonnet of my RR (200tdi) this morning, and i dont know whether it was the heat, but i started wondering whether it is feasible to retrofit air con to my truck. Theres an obvious place for that air con pump to go and i guess i would need a double pulley on the engine somewhere to drive it? Apart from that I am at a loss as to what other parts i would need.

I know bugger all about aircon but i am guessing there must be an aircon radiator behind the dash and maybe some temperature sensors and the controls must be different?

What im asking basically is, does anyone know where I can find a schematic or similar ont' internet so I get an idea of whether its worth doing.

Or even better, has anyone actually done it?

Dave

Reply to
Dave R
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Found this link about 2 minutes after writing the above post.

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Looks complicated. mightbe simpler just to buy an old wrecked 3.9 with aircon and swap the bits over!

Anyone actually done this?

Dave

Reply to
Dave R

On or around 29 Apr 2007 14:21:26 -0700, Dave R enlightened us thusly:

technically, there's no objection. it's a lot of work and you might compromise the engine cooling, if for example you do a lot of heavy towing; the aircon rad is in front of the main rad and impedes the airflow, alos when it's working it puts heat into the airflow - probably less critical on a TDi than on the 3.9 though.

Reply to
Austin Shackles

Austin Shackles uttered summat worrerz funny about:

No problems with heat / cooling here 3.9 on a Disco towing our van fully loaded to the sarth of france and back x2 and across the Pyrenees in to Spain

I've often toyed with the concept of an aftermarket addition on my last RRC but to be honest it's simpler to just swap the car. :-) One pipe for instance on the Disco runs under the battery and failed on our Disco - £80 from Landrover and no one else does one. I'm not alone either as a trawl of tinternet showed they are a weakspot. Nowhere local could make anything like up as a cheaper replacement and I have contact in some rather seedy places. The pipes around 18 inches long. If you do consider it you really need a full kit and backup secondhand known good spares.. summats bound to bust.

Lee

Reply to
Lee_D

The local 'Pirtec(k?)' is the place to go for hoses, they can use the old ends if they are oddball sizes.

Pirtec are franchises, which means that they are only as good as the people behind the counter, some branches are very good indeed, while some are complete crap. The Warrington branch did a cracking job repairing a steering hose on my old 7.5ton Cargo, saved me a wedge compared to IVECO, and they weren't interested in Gordon Brown! (IYSWIM)

Julian.

Reply to
Julian

Julian uttered summat worrerz funny about:

Tried the one In Hanley just off Leek Road, they said simply - forget it, even went as far as to say he wished he had a quid for every person who had been in that month asking the same. L & H Brakes and Hoses who have never previously failed also said forget it... Landranger said forget it.... LPG Guru / Installer said forget it, local plumber said forget it and finally the guy who recharged the system said there was no way around it.... Landrover even coughed when they saw there own price and said f*** me! The Salesman at Stradstone even got called over to play guess the price but quickly identified that the green oval on the package was a collectable item to behold.

I didn't spend £80 lightly! In fact who ever it was who said I'm so tight that I could create diamonds from lumps of coal clenched between my buttocks was not far off the mark. Trust me :-)

Lee D

Reply to
Lee_D

:-) But where do you get the hot air from?

Martin

Reply to
Oily

Find a better aircon tech. I've made a fair few replacement aircon pipes over the years - all it takes is time, patience and the right gear.

Reply to
EMB

Whats so special about this particular pipe?!

The mobile a/c guy we use on the farm has re-made more than one or two hoses in rubber, crimped ends (either were ally or rubber OEM) which are not available over the counter just like that. He hasnt been stumped ever as I can recall. He is more specialised in plant / heavy machinery a/c as well as cars etc..

There are drivers, and screw-drivers...

Tim..

Reply to
Tim..

Tim.. uttered summat worrerz funny about:

It's Ally nowt special.

Indeed! I seem to have found a bunch of tools during my experience.

Lee D

Reply to
Lee_D

There may be a market then, my research showed quite a few posters on various forums who had all found the same problem as me.

If they were lucky they got a second hand one.

Given the cost of the recharge at £50 including pressure test etc I didn't fancy risking a second hand one.

I'm over it now.. quite cool infact.

Lee D

Reply to
Lee_D

'Farm Parts' in Market Drayton (not that far from you) was another goody when it came to hose making, they had all sorts of pipes and fittings and a swaging machine. Now, they've turned themselves into a horsey and doggy outlet with wine and Barbour jackets FS. The counter assistants there now would prolly think a BSP fitting was something to do with an I- pod accessory . The last time I went there I was so disappointed and made a mental note never to return.

Julian

Reply to
Julian

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