Researching converting AC compressor for on board air (1 Viewer)

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There are several videos & much information on converting sanden and yourk ac compressors for on board compressed air. Has anybody dug into a Toyota AC compressor ? Is it a wobble design with multiple pistons ?
 
There are several videos & much information on converting sanden and yourk ac compressors for on board compressed air. Has anybody dug into a Toyota AC compressor ? Is it a wobble design with multiple pistons ?


It IS multi-piston (5) and does operate off of a Swash Plate...but is not a particularly suitable design for an air compressor.


DENSO5.jpg



Stick with the York. It has a proven track record and has an oil reservoir for lubrication. No need to try to reinvent the wheel or press into service something you might have 'on hand' but not well suited to the task.

3 York-pistons.jpg

3 Yorks.jpg


I have three sitting in my shop right now.
 
I picked up a modified York from Off Road Only. They are set up to act as air compressors vs AC compressor pressed into service.
Joey's bracket kit is slick!

 
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It IS multi-piston (5) and does operate off of a Swash Plate...but is not a particularly suitable design for an air compressor.


View attachment 2924697


Stick with the York. It has a proven track record and has an oil reservoir for lubrication. No need to try to reinvent the wheel or press into service something you might have 'on hand' but not well suited to the task.

View attachment 2924698
View attachment 2924699

I have three sitting in my shop right now.
Why isn’t the Toyota AC compressor suited for converting to an air compressor compared to other manufacturers ? In general an AC compressor is designed to run at 300 psi on virtually continuous duty cycle. I only need 120 psi for about an hour, once a weekend, to reair tires.

The basic drill, is to block off the internal lubrication system & lube the back end with hi-temp bearing grease. In the old Sanden compressors block off is as easy as drilling out one existing hole, tapping, and locktight on a set screw.

@flintknapper , which of the ports in your pic, are linked to the back end ? I assume the front has an electric clutch ?
 
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Why isn’t the Toyota AC compressor suited for converting to an air compressor compared to other manufacturers ? In general an AC compressor is designed to run at 300 psi on virtually continuous duty cycle. I only need 120 psi for about an hour, once a weekend, to reair tires.

The basic drill, is to block off the internal lubrication system & lube the back end with hi-temp bearing grease. In the old Sanden compressors block off is as easy as drilling out one existing hole, tapping, and locktight on a set screw.

@flintknapper , which of the ports in your pic, are linked to the back end ? I assume the front has an electric clutch ?
He is saying that because the York has a oil reservoir I believe that keeps it lubricated. However the Toyota compressor is probably lubricated by the refrigerant oil passing through it. However I use a Toyota compressor on my fj40 from a fj60. I have used Toyota compressors as air compressors for quite a while. I do oil them manually once in a while.
 
Why isn’t the Toyota AC compressor suited for converting to an air compressor compared to other manufacturers ? In general an AC compressor is designed to run at 300 psi on virtually continuous duty cycle. I only need 120 psi for about an hour, once a weekend, to reair tires.
IF your purpose for using a A/C compressor is limited to only airing up tires infrequently then you can use about any compressor you can lay your hands on, do whatever mods are necessary and it will serve your purpose. But that might end up being a lot of work for such limited and specific use (depending upon which compressor you choose.

If you've never opened up a PA series Denso Compressor then you are in for quite a surprise. They are vastly more complicated to work on (disassemble/reassemble) than other compressors.

The basic drill, is to block off the internal lubrication system & lube the back end with hi-temp bearing grease. In the old Sanden compressors block off is as easy as drilling out one existing hole, tapping, and locktight on a set screw.

Yes. And the Sanden's are very easy to disassemble, make the oil port mod (just plug it), grease the front bearing, needle bearing and thrust washers, wobble plate and you're done. Drill out the discharge hole to a larger size while you are at it. A Sanden 709 is available in junkyards everywhere. Easy to tear down the entire compressor if you want to really clean it up and inspect things. If you want something other than a York, go this route.
@flintknapper , which of the ports in your pic, are linked to the back end ? I assume the front has an electric clutch ?

There is no 'back end' per se to a 10pa (or 17pa) compressor there is the clutch side and rear plate. These compressors use a Swash Plate type crankshaft. The Swash Plate is roughly centered in the housing and drives the pistons BOTH directions. There are not single pistons moving up and down as with the Sanden compressor. Instead the Denso uses what is basically a 'carrier' that has a piston head on each side. The carrier is driven by the Swash Plate on the crankshaft. Each carrier has two half moon bearings that ride on the Swash Plate. The pistons (10 in all) move back and forth in the axial direction (no push rods of any type).




In order to grease/lubricate the Swash Plate (CORRECTLY) you would need to disassemble the entire unit. It is a Screaming Bitch to get the bearings and carriers back into the bores as you can only do one at time and only in a certain position. The first 2 or 3 will line up no problem. After that.....you'll be back here saying "I see what you mean".

You can pull the case apart while holding the crankshaft snout and leave all of the carriers intact. You could wash everything down with brake cleaner and do your best to grease what you can reach and put it back together. It will probably run OK for short periods of time....but this wouldn't be the right way to do it.

IF you need/want a compressor for anything other than just airing up tires (infrequently) then dispense with the idea of using the Denso and go with a Sanden 709 or York 210.

The work and cost involved to install On Board Air (correctly and SAFELY) dictates you start with something that makes sense, not just use what you might have on hand. Safety is a prime concern.

Most compressors will/can generate pressures in excess of 300 psi. So DON'T half ass rig up something that you just manually turn on and off. Any system MUST be regulated and have a relief valve in addition to a 'good' on/off switch to the power.

I don't really care what you come up with......just telling you that there are reasons (good ones) that the Denso PA series compressors are way down the list of ones to use for air.
 
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^^^^^
He said it better than what I had typed, so.....yeah.
 
The easy answer is that 99% of all vehicle AC compressors are lubricated through the refrigerant. The York is internally lubricated.

York's are bulletproof. You can re-ring them (if needed) very easy to work on. Oil attenuation is easy to do, can be mounted vertically or horizontally, come in different sizes if space is a concern. The clutch is easily replaced and a very robust design, comes in two different diameters and different offsets to suit different vehicles.

For On Board Air...it is the pinnacle. But a Sanden 709 is also easy to work on and will last most folks a good 10 years (oil-less and greased).

I've run a York 210 on my Early Model Bronco for over 20 years now and use it frequently around the ranch to run air tools (have a 3 gallon tank rigged up). It is flawless.

But not everyone needs that much air on demand. For simply airing up tires....I wouldn't use a converted A/C Compressor at all....unless you intend to air up everyone's tires on an outing. A decent electric rig or compressed CO2 tank would suffice.
 

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