Micro-Tube Parallel Flow Condenser

[Dissent]

Now that the heat has finally arrived in South Carolina I can report that I too have poor AC performance when stopped or low speed. I checked my system once I got to my garage and charge is good but my liquid line was 130-140 degree range. Checking airflow through the condenser I noticed little airflow generated by the fan clutch. I do have an unmodified stock fan clutch that cools the engine adequately however does not move enough air through the condenser. In my opinion, though modifying the fan clutch will help with AC performance, the appropriate step is to ad an electric push fan to run continuously when the AC is turned on or can be cycled based on pressure or temperature of the liquid line. Pressure-actuated would be better IMO but the easiest I believe would be to install a thermoswitch on the bottom third of the condenser coil clamped to one of the U tubes. I'm interested in seeing how others have wired theirs.

You know what's interesting about the electric fan is that I tried running it all the time when the engine is on and the A.C. is on and it doesn't help as much as the clutch fan tuning did. It's a 100 series fan mounted down low and before the clutch mod, it did help a bit but only if it was on all the time. If it cycled with the A.C. it would let the vent temps rise about 5* and never catch up.

 

[Tapage]

I have mod fan clutch and factory AC pusher fan kicking in with the compressor and another 12" spal that it's switch controlled.

 

[Dissent]

I have mod fan clutch and factory AC pusher fan kicking in with the compressor and another 12" spal that it's switch controlled.

Which of these has the most impact and what are your vent temps like?

 

[Tapage]

Which of these has the most impact and what are your vent temps like?

fan clutch mod no doubt ..

 

[Dissent]

Does anyone have or know about the dual A/C JDM model condenser? In the complete rework of the A/C, I'm seriously considering adding a rear evaporator and plumbing rear lines but I need to increase the condenser capacity. I'm not sure what the rule of thumb is for adding an evaporator and determining condenser size increases but I figure the OEM JDM model with rear A/C is as good a place as any to start. I will start another thread on this.

 

[Tapage]

I do have a factory rear AC and center console " fridge "

 

[Dissent]

I do have a factory rear AC and center console " fridge "

Great! Would you answer a few questions for me? I assume the condenser is thicker or wider.

• What is the year, make and model of your truck so I can lookup the condenser part number?
  
• Are you satisfied with the performance of the OEM system, especially with the clutch mod and fans?
  
• Is the rear AC as effective as the front?
  
• What year, make and model is your truck?
  
• Is the system R-12 or R-134 based?
  
• What are the condenser dimensions (height x width x thickness)?

 

[Tapage]

Great! Would you answer a few questions for me? I assume the condenser is thicker or wider.

Not according to me and I've own another 80 with no fridge and no rear AC .. condenser just looks the same.

• What is the year, make and model of your truck so I can lookup the condenser part number?

1995 HDJ80 from Arakawa .. frame will help I guess ..

• Are you satisfied with the performance of the OEM system, especially with the clutch mod and fans?

barely, keeping in mind down here it's hot and humid as hell all year long .. I see average vent temps of 60 when idling on heavy traffic jams or rolling at low speed ...

when on HW 50 - 55°F

the rear AC as effective as the front?

very if not more .. blower it's very powerfull and it deliver ice cold from vents .. as I said maybe even more than the front.

• Is the system R-12 or R-134 based?

was R-12 now running R-134

 

[Dissent]

Not according to me and I've own another 80 with no fridge and no rear AC .. condenser just looks the same.

1995 HDJ80 from Arakawa .. frame will help I guess ..

View attachment 1495600

barely, keeping in mind down here it's hot and humid as hell all year long .. I see average vent temps of 60 when idling on heavy traffic jams or rolling at low speed ...

when on HW 50 - 55°F



very if not more .. blower it's very powerfull and it deliver ice cold from vents .. as I said maybe even more than the front.

was R-12 now running R-134

View attachment 1495603

Excellent, thank you! I know right off the bat that you're going to have to replace your condenser with a parallel flow condenser to get that R-134 working better. The R-12 condenser is not efficient enough to get low vent temps.

 

[Tapage]

Friend here who makes his income from AC stuff have an 80 ( no dual AC, no fridge ) and he can make it 40°F on vents with a 15 size compressor .. ! ice cold right from vents ..

 

[Dissent]

Friend here who makes his income from AC stuff have an 80 ( no dual AC, no fridge ) and he can make it 40°F on vents with a 15 size compressor .. ! ice cold right from vents ..

Very nice! I'm curious, what's his take on your system and vent temps up front?

 

[Tapage]

Very nice! I'm curious, what's his take on your system and vent temps up front?

I'm in the " extract " info process .. and he only have a couple of " coaster " ( Toyota coaster bus ) condenser fans in front ..

 

[Dissent]

I'm getting consistent 48-55* vent temps on the freeway and about 60-65* on surface streets. The n ice thing is with that clutch mod, it's always working. I don't get the cycle off/on humid cycles any more.

Can't wait to replace the old parts!

 

[Dissent]

I finally finished my Alternator upgrade, still haven't made any progress on this AC yet. I'm about ready to order the new condenser as I have the exact same temps from last year. I also have the expansion valve, evaporator, dryer and o-ring kit parts collected.

I still can't confirm for a fact that the replacement Denso 477-0554 unit is a true Parallel Flow Micro-Channel unit. I tried to contact Denso but their support page craps out when I sort through the after-market options page.

Has anyone used this unit and noticed a major improvement?

Has anyone opened up the end of their OEM condenser and verified if it shows the serpentine lines or the paralell flow tanks?

 

[Dissent]

I'm still running a 'cool' 70 degrees around town and a solid 50-55 degrees on the freeway. I leave work and head home on my 15 mile trek and the last 3 miles are comfortable.

My boy is now an an HVAC apprentice and we need to replace his accumulator so I've ordered a whole bunch of refrigeration gear and a new drier and Denso 477-0554 condenser. I'll finally learn whether the c-channeled/boxed end condenser in my truck now is parallel flow or not! I suspect the drier is saturated so I'll replace these and see what happens. I am still planning on a rear evaporator and learned that I need a 2nd drier and safety valve for the rear unit. Good to know. That project will be winter/spring most likely. I'm sure by the time I finish all the rear A/C work, the kids won't ride with me anymore...

 

[Dissent]

Fun fact: A Receiver Drier is totally different than an Accumulator! Both parts essentially perform the same function from different sections of their respective systems. They are not interchangeable.

Accumulators

• Considerably larger than a Receiver Drier
• It's cold to the touch
  
• Equipped with Desiccant crystals in a small pouch to remove moisture and debris from the system
• Holds excess oil charge (add 3-4 oz when replacing)
  
• Present in Fixed Orifice Tube systems (Ford, Dodge, GM, etc.)
  
• Prevents liquid refrigerant from being returned to the compressor. The liquid refrigerant may not all flash off into a gas so it goes to the accumulator to finish boiling into a gas
• Placed on the low pressure side (suction, gas vapor line) at the evaporator outlet
  
• Usually snuggled in rubber insulation material

Receiver Dryers

• Considerably smaller than an Accumulator
• It's hot to the touch
• Equipped with Desiccant crystals in a small pouch to remove moisture and debris from the system
• Holds excess oil charge (add 3-4 oz when replacing)
  
• Present in Thermostatic Expansion Valve (TXV) systems (all 80 series trucks)
  
• Ensures a steady stream of liquid refrigerant to the expansion valve. It's possible for some refrigerant to leave the condenser as a gas, so it enters the R/D to finish condensing.
  
• Placed on the high pressure side (liguid line), between the condenser outlet and the expansion valve inlet
  
• The R/D also acts a bit like a shock absorber (or better, a capacitor) as changes are made to the TXV opening
• Equipped with a Sight Glass to observe the refrigerant flow in the liquid line
• Just hangs in the air

 

[Dindu Nuffin]

I'm in the same boat as you, and nearly the same temps despite a recent AC system service and inspection.

 

[Dissent]

I'm in the same boat as you, and nearly the same temps despite a recent AC system service and inspection.

Interesting...did you replace the drier or condenser?

 

[Dindu Nuffin]

I have not, but I did put the highest cfm 10" pusher fan I could find on it and that changed nothing. As mentioned in the other thread, I'll give my condenser a good look this afternoon, and after reading through this, I'm also going to drop my blower fan to check for any crap that's in there. Like you, I suspect the condenser. And as a further parallel, I'd like to add rear ac as well. Small world, yeah? I'm not willing to accept 60° vent temp when my other cars freeze me out in the same conditions.

There are quite a few aftermarket condensers that are very close to OEM size, should we get to that point.

 

[Dissent]

Check out Vintage Air Monster SuperCool. it's the largest that will fit from what I've been able to determine. Custim lines will be needed though. No biggie for me. I was going to go that route now but I must know about this condenser I first for posterity! They have a cold only trunk setup that looks appealing P/N 685000-VUY. Trickiest part will be running the aluminum lines. Tee's will be easy assuming standard A/C #6 & #8 lines and connections.