Topic: How Difficult is it to Add Air Conditioning?

[Jeffy]

So when you bolted up teh radiator did you just squish the AC lines at the condenser?

[DanMarino]

No need.  The AC lines for the condenser were low and on the right side and they are clear of the radiator.  The lines are flexible so you can bend them easily if you want, but mine were fine.

[stan98tj]

I'm probably going to do this for my 1.9TDI swap as HPA says all the jeep's equipment will fit (including AC) and run as before. SO, i need to save some cash if I'm going to be able to do it. What is the cheapest rout to go in order to get AC in there? I was thinking about getting some junk yard parts and then new parts from Jeepair. What parts can I "trust" from the junkyard and what parts should I def buy new? Jeffy mentioned def getting the condensor new (i think i read that) what else should I buy new and what can i just get from a yard?

[DanMarino]

I didn't want to trust used or junk parts, so I went with an all new system.

I guess in theory, if the evaporator/fan unit under the dash is good that would save you some money.  A used condenser might work.  Probably used lines would be fine.  Certainly a used idler pulley will be fine. 

At a minimum, I'd to with a new compressor, new o-rings for the lines, and a new dryer.

[Jeffy]

No need.  The AC lines for the condenser were low and on the right side and they are clear of the radiator.  The lines are flexible so you can bend them easily if you want, but mine were fine.

I mean the connectors actually.

You can see the upper line is right against the radiator.  I think unless you were going to connect the hose after putting the radiator in, you wouldn't notice.

[DanMarino]

Jeffy,

In that one photo you can see that I connected the AC lines to the condenser unit before installing the condenser into the car.  It looked like it might be a tight fit to do it afterwards.

Tom

[Jeffy]

Jeffy,

In that one photo you can see that I connected the AC lines to the condenser unit before installing the condenser into the car.  It looked like it might be a tight fit to do it afterwards.

Tom

Yeah, that's what I thought.  Just squish it all in there.  I don't think the OEM is like that though.  I had a friend send me some pics.  It's jsut one of the thing you run into and ask yourself why.  Makes it impossible to remove the hoses unless you pull the radiator, if you were going to fix it.

[DanMarino]

Here is the battery and battery tray removed.



Here are the AC lines connected to the Evaporator / Fan box at the passenger side.



Here are the AC lines going through the fire wall into the engine bay.



Here is everything connected and complete inside the engine bay.



This is hard to see, but the white wire connects to an empty fuse spot on the fuse block under the dash on the driver's side.  There is an empty fuse space that only puts out 12 volts when the ignition is on.  A spade connector fits in nicely.



My work is done.  I need to drop it off at a local shop to have them pull a vacuum and charge with 1.5 pounds of R134a.

Thanks for viewing.

When I tested out the fan I was very excited how powerful it was.  On the lowest fan speed it blew out a TON of air!  I think I will be very comfortable with this system.  I'll report back later this week once it's going.

I need to adjust the serpentine belt because it gives a chirp on start up. 

13

[sharpxmen]

cool

you guys are going to make me spend over 1grand on one of these 

[FourbangerYJ]

cool

you guys are going to make me spend over 1grand on one of these 

UM your in Canada...you can't live without AC for the 4 or 5 days it might be hot? 


Nice job Dan. I am sure you will be enjoying this. I am curious as to how this will effect the felt horsepower when it's running.

[Jeffy]

Looks good.  Was there a need to remove the battery box?  Or was that so you could get the lines in easier?  I've been sick as a dog for the past week and wasn't able to make any progress over the long weekend.  I still need to buy a crimper though.  I have to build the hoses still.  Mine didn't come pre-made.  I was also looking at the drain for the AC.  I hate the idea of having to drill another hole through the body.  Haven't decided on what I want to do with that just yet.

Was all od the connections done dry?  No teflon tape or anything?  I'd guess the O-ring would be enough.

[sharpxmen]

Was all od the connections done dry?  No teflon tape or anything?  I'd guess the O-ring would be enough.

teflon tape only if you have pipe threads, i don't think there would be any on that system

[Jeffy]

teflon tape only if you have pipe threads, i don't think there would be any on that system

They're all compression fittings with a small o-ring.

[sharpxmen]

They're all compression fittings with a small o-ring.

you can't use teflon tape on those... well you can on the thread but it won't do anything since that part is not sealing

[DanMarino]

I used teflon tape to seal that heater tube pipe that comes off the water pump.

The AC lines are done dry with only the o-ring.  I retrofitted my Volvo 240's AC system a few years back to convert it to R134a and all the AC lines on it are done the same way, just o-rings.

Removing the battery tray is easy and didn't take long at all.  Removing the battery tray makes access to the fire wall very easy for the AC lines.  What worked for me was to to first install the rubber grommets into the fire wall holes.  Then I lubricated the grommets and AC lines with some liquid dishwashing soap.  I then pushed the AC line fittings through the grommets.  This required me to bring the AC lines up vertically along the firewall, so the battery tray would have been in the way for that. 

You might not need to do it that way if you need to crimp the ends of the AC lines to put on the fittings.  You might be able to slide the AC lines straight through the grommets and then after the two lines are inside the cabin, you could crimp the ends.  I guess you need to figure out what is going to be easier for you.

I made sure to use a rubber grommet for the AC drain line hole too.  I guess now that I'm done, I could spray some undercoating around where the drain tube comes out underneath the jeep.