Why Is The AC Suction Tube So Close To The Exhaust Manifold? Does It Matter?

[turbocruiser]

I think the title tells it all but out of curiosity, why is the metal tube for the AC Suction Line so close to the exhaust manifold? It pretty much runs parallel with and level to the total length of the exhaust manifold, I would think that this results in lots of heat soak into that tube. Is this by design? IOW is it helpful somehow to have that so close so that it wont freeze? Is it just the most logical location for the tube? Is it just a poor placement? With the extra heat from my turbo, I would think that my tube should be protected with heat shielding stuff. I'm really extremely rough when it comes to understanding AC componentry so if someone can share I would appreciate it. Thanks.

 

[cruiserdan]

Convert it to RH drive.....

 

[turbocruiser]

Convert it to RH drive.....

Yea but then my steering wheel shaft would get hot, hey heated steering wheels, cool!

 

[reffug]

Convert it to RH drive.....

Yaa....and then you could even get a side job delievering the mail or newspapaer.

 

[RavenTai]

is yours just bare? mine has some metal conduit stuff arround it, wraping it with insulation would be a good idea, there should be no moisture in the AC system to freeze, water is very destructive in AC systems, having that line go below freezing is unlikely anyway, the evaporator upstream of that pipe is regulated to 35* to prevent frost accumulation

 

[turbocruiser]

is yours just bare? mine has some metal conduit stuff arround it, wraping it with insulation would be a good idea, there should be no moisture in the AC system to freeze, water is very destructive in AC systems, having that line go below freezing is unlikely anyway, the evaporator upstream of that pipe is regulated to 35* to prevent frost accumulation

Hi Raven, thanks, no my tube isn't totally bare and it also has some conduit stuff around it but the part that is close to the firewall is bare, and the part that is close to the turbo's output tube (between the turbo casting and the exhaust tubing) is bare. Also, the conduit thing is worse for wear and looked aftermarket as opposed to factory. I have some super shielding stuff to put to the tube but I was almost wondering if the tube was close to that tremendous heat source of the exhaust manifold for a reason such as freeze protection or something. Your point about water within the system is super clear and super helpful. I think I will go ahead and reshield the total tube including the parts that are totally bare. Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.

 

[cruiserdan]

Remember that the turbo was designed for RHD applications and some bits are likely to be in odd places due to the system being installed on an LHD chassis.

 

[reffug]

Hi Raven, thanks, no my tube isn't totally bare and it also has some conduit stuff around it but the part that is close to the firewall is bare, and the part that is close to the turbo's output tube (between the turbo casting and the exhaust tubing) is bare. .

OK this got me to thinking, which is usually a bad thing. So I went out and crawled under my rig and found the same condition which turbo is describing on his. My question is what should be wrapped around this tube to protect it from the heat of the Turbo, is it something aftermarket or is the OEM wrap that should be used(C-Dan?). If anyone can point me in the right direction would be appreciated.

 

[turbocruiser]

OK this got me to thinking, which is usually a bad thing. So I went out and crawled under my rig and found the same condition which turbo is describing on his. My question is what should be wrapped around this tube to protect it from the heat of the Turbo, is it something aftermarket or is the OEM wrap that should be used(C-Dan?). If anyone can point me in the right direction would be appreciated.

Hi Reffug, the stuff that I am installing around the areas close to the turbo and the turbo output tube are DEI (Design Engineering Inc.) Cool Tube and or the Cool Tube Extreme. I have several different styles of shielding stuff from them and it is all awesome IMHO. I get it all from Eastwood www.eastwood.com . I also have much of my intake hose covered with another special fiberglass fabric based product from DEI which has helped with heat hitting the tubes going from the intercooler into the throttle body and warming up the intake temperatures. I now have much less difference in performance on a cool day vs. a hot day. As always, I'm probably overkilling it but what the hell, the reason I never did anything with the AC suction line is that it already had some corrugated shielding stuff on it but thanks to all the braided stainless steel lines in that area, that shielding stuff was ragged. I was going to cover the hole tube but just before I did that, I wanted to write in here and make sure that that specific tube was not supposed to get some heat somehow. Anyway, I am going to cover the hole tube now that I know, I may H8 mud, but man I love the IH8MUD forum! Thanks Fellas.