A/C Evaporator (inside) unit

[Lenny Julius]

My wife and I purchased a 1981 Westy last December. The freon lines were completely disconnected from the compressor. Considerable work was done by a VW specialist in Jacksonville,NC including conversion to 134A, NC and the compressor is
working well when it operates. Plenty of cold air comes out and it even gets to the front seat quite handily. The problem is two fold:

1. Condensation pours out when the A/C is runing even for short periods. The drain tube on the passenger side was kinked and we replaced it with a new tube which has no kinks. There was no tube on the driver's ide and I have had difficulty installing a tube there. The conection point is not visible and I don't know what size tubing to use. The outside dimension of the 3/8" vinyl tubing I have tried seems too large. Additionally, the leaks seem to be coming from other places than the tubing connection points.

2. There is a control issue. The front fan and the compressor run very well for two or three minutes and then stop. When it is not very warm they seem to cycle enough to provide good cooling. When it is hot they stay on for very short periods and the intervals between cycles are very long. The result is very little cooling.

Can you help us?

Thank you,

Lenny

[ 06-29-2001: Message edited by: Capt. Mike ]

 

[Capt. Mike]

There are two drains for condensation shown on the VW parts fiche. According to my copy of the price manual, that actual hose is NLA, probably replaced by generic meterware. Unfortunately, the original hose specifications are not listed on the fiche anymore. Either way, since you have to drop the cabinet to make the necessary connections, you can measure the union that feeds out of the water drip tray. Since there is no pressure on the drain lines, PVC or rubber tubing should be satisfactory.

If it is not draining through the two drain fittings, it indicates: 1 -- your tray has been damaged; 2 -- the drain fittings or hose are clogged or kinked; 3 -- the tray is not properly leveled so it overflows rather than go out the drains. Any of which also means dropping the cabinet and going back to square one.

The drains, left & right, route into the air intake area in either quarter pillar. You can usually see them behind that grill near the rearmost side windows.

Since your system has been modified, I can only guess that your symptom of quick shut-off when hot is due to a high-pressure cut-out switch. Such switches are normal to protect the system. It may trip due to overcharge (most likely), bad switch or excessive resistance in the system creating too high a pressure. This is to prevent a blown compressor, so shouldn't be tampered with or defeated, but needs a proper testing & diagnosis.

Recognize that an A/C system is a heat transfer operation, so you should have fan speed and thermostat closely matched, i.e. don't run low fan speed but maximum thermostat because it can't take the cold away fast enough and the coils will ice up causing high pressures, perhaps enough to trip the high-pressure cut-out switch.

About 3 hours away for you, but Four Brothers A/C in Raleigh has a pretty good reputation, and the dealer in Raleigh
has perhaps the best bus technician in the SE in their senior tech Jimmy Allen. I've seen him rebuild a fire damaged bus A/C system from scratch.

 

[Capt. Mike]

Transferred from other posts to consolidate similar topics.

Tapping A/C . . . driving me nuts

KIRK Junior Member # 819 posted 05-20-2001 10:29 PM

When I turn my A/c on I hear a tapping noise,
it's coming from the vents where the air blows out. I've taken the vent shutters out but can not locate the problem. Any suggestions?

By the way it is a 1985 Westy. Thanks.

Rear A/C fan ginding during hard cornering -- 85 Westy

jpquick Junior Member # 121 posted 06-28-2001 09:56 AM

85 WESTY -- Rear A/C fan ginding (fan to someting contact) during hard cornering
anyone experienced this- suggestions on a quick fix.

Any help appreciated -- Jon

Capt. Mike Moderator Member # 11 posted 06-28-2001 11:30 AM

There are never any 'quick fixes.' Noise during cornering from the fan usually have only two causes. The first, the fan itself has worn or has come loose, thus is making contact during cornering. Since the fan is a squirrel cage, the former is more likely (worn bearings or brushes) but either would require dropping the rear cabinet to inspect and replace/repair.

Another, more common, is a blocked condensate drain. If water can't drain and puddles in the condensate pan, it will slosh and can be picked up by the fan. Surprisingly, it often sounds like a mechanical contact. Check that your condensate drains are clear (Bentley 87.12). I believe there are some hints at clearing drains posted elsewhere on this forum.

 

[Capt. Mike]

Transferred from another post to consilidate similar topics

A/C Fan Operation - Sans A/C...

jamescooper Member # 590 posted 07-18-2001 07:12 PM

So, has anyone looked into setting up a switch that would activate the rear blower without turning the A/C on? Seems like it would be a nice feature when sitting in traffic or looking to save fuel.

 

[vanis13]

You may want to run this by the Capn' but I would think just putting a switch inline in the one wire that activates the clutch should work. (you can most easily see it at teh compressor) There's even a quick disconnect here so you woul'd have to cut anything to try it. With the line interupted I'd figure the system would think its going but the clutch would't engage.

That's what I'd try if I were to do it on my '83 westy. But I wouldn't do it because the fan is so loud that it would drive me nuts listening to it and knowing that I am not even getting conditioned air for my suffering. I'd rather open the windows.

 

[Capt. Mike]

Transferred to consolidate same topic.

Wade Yorke Member posted November 20, 2002 07:22 PM

I have a 1984 Westfalia with a Behr aftermarket air conditioner. The evaporator is installed beneath the glove box. I had a problem with water draining on the floor and was able to replace the drainhose which exits above the spare tire. I still have water leaking on the floor but now it is from the condensation on the outside of the evaporator housing. The compressor will only engage if the cooling selector is turned to 3/4 maximium. This gives air that it too cool most of the time. Do you think that the temperature sensor in the evaporator is defective or could it be the dash temperature selector module? I am likely freezing things up in the evaporator since I should be running the fans on maximum, but it makes it too cold in the van. Unfortunately, to replace the temperature sensor you have to remove the dash which looks like a big job. How can you tell if the compressor is cycling?

 

[Capt. Mike]

The compressor clutch is visible in the engine compartment and can be watched for engaging/disengaging. You can also use a volt-ohmeter to test the circuit.

Behr has excellent shop manuals available; contact them -- they had a US center at one time.

 

[Capt. Mike]

Transferred to consolidate same topic.

Condensate leak

pmbord Junior Member posted April 08, 2003 1:20 AM

Capt. Mike, Your site has been a huge help, from the purchase to the upkeep of our 87 Westie.

We had a rather large condensate leak from the aft overhead unit during a recent trip in Florida. We had not had any problems in teh previous weeks. I remved the side exterior louvers and checked the drains which were not blocked. Would you recommend removal of the over head components to access the entire drain system?
Thanks so much (I don't believe this has been addressed in the site),
Peter

Pat Generic Member posted April 09, 2003 12:57 AM

Peter, We have an 89 camper. We have the same problem. I completely pulled the rear unit and found that there were no drain clogs or any other problems. I went as far as to put a copper elbow on each of the drains on each side where they make the 90 degree turn, concerned that maybe they were getting pinched but it seemed to help little. When I see "the drip" I simply turn the turn the fan speed down one notch and the leak stops It seems to be a matter of humidity. On a recent trip to California there was no problem in Arizona or the desert of California but upon our return to Texas the drip started again. If it was dry no leak but humidity causes the "drip" to return. Try turning the fan down a notch that usually works for us.If the drip continues raise the A/C control a hair and it should cease. Sounds as though the Florida humidty was the problem.

TJ Hannink Member posted April 09, 2003 09:06 AM

I don't think that it's the Florida humidity. I haven't ever had any condensate leakage from my evaporator housing in the last 3 years/60,000+ miles that I have driven my camper here in Florida.

It's possible that the evaporator drip pan or the fittings on the side of it are cracked, or that one of the drain tubes has come off from the fittings on the evaporator drain pan. They are a real pain to get on correctly after they have been removed.

pmbord - snake a wire or cable up the drain tube to clear any possible clog in the pan fitting before dropping the evaporator housing/cabinet.

Good luck,

TJ Hannink
Goldibox - 1987 Vanagon Camper, Wolfsburg Edition
Winter Park, Florida

pmbord Junior Member posted April 09, 2003 10:02 AM

Thanks for the repliy, All.

I noted yesterday that the condensate was flowing from the righthand side drain tube (although not the left) and there was no leakage into the cabin. After blowing through the tubes there appears to be no blockage. At some point I suppose I'll disassemble if the problems returns.

 

[DASMITH64]

DGu7288835@AOL.com

Can someone please tell me where the air conditioner drain tubes exit the van. I see tubes coming out of the unit, but cannot find them underneath the van. I too have had my bed waterlogged after running the air conditioner. I would like to try snaking it before I have it servicced.

 

[Tim Hannink]

Can someone please tell me where the air conditioner drain tubes exit the van.

They come out of the evaporator cover and through the wall of the van behind the rear vent louvers. They bend down and hang about a foot into that cavity. The ends have a flattened rubber boot on them with a slit in it to keep wildlife from crawling up the tubes. Remove the vent covers, reach in toward the front of the cavity and you should be able to pull the end of the hose toward you and out of the cavity.

Good luck,

TJ Hannink
Goldibox - 1987 Vanagon Camper, Wolfsburg Edition
Winter Park, Florida
http://home.earthlink.net/~tjhannink/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wolfsburg_campers
http://photos.yahoo.com/tjhannink [Vanagon] Album

 

[Capt. Mike]

Transferred to consolidate same topic.

chrispa Junior Member posted July 26, 2003 01:19 AM

A/C Wiring

I have a new to me 84 Westy with non working AC and as a part of my initial diagnostic process have discovered that the fan/temperature switch has a burnt out/missing terminal on the back and a melted wire. I joyfully set out to replace it but could not find a source. Finally I turned to the dealer and he ordered a replacement. Wife picked it up today in Santa Barbra. Unfortunately it seems to be a fan only switch and has no additional mechanism on top to adjust temperature. Both switches are made by INDAK and have the same patent number on them; however my original switch has an added round part on top with the numbers C75315 235308 stamped on the side. This added part allows for adjusting the temperature. Does anyone know what the correct replacement part number would be?
Also a wiring diagram for reconnecting the switch, once located, would be great as I inadvertently forgot to tag the wires in my haste to remove the switch. All the wires were yellow with different colored stripes except one which was black. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Capt. Mike]

I suspect you will find that you have a dealer or POE installed A/C instead of factory. I have not seen any factory A/C's with other than the dual switch panel to the right of the radio area. Quite naturally, the VW replacments will be for that set-up.

A/C controls are relatively generic. Since none of the Vanagons had a temp-matic system, you had one switch to control fan speed and another to control the thermostat. Usually, they are wired in a series so that you must have both on to operate the A/C. Vanagons typically had only a 4-speed fan with no "off" position, and a thermostat. The thermostat was the master switch, also providing power to the fan switch. Thus the fan could only run when the thermostat was "on."

As such, it should be fairly easy to replace your dual control with the standard two single controls. I'm sure there are plenty in the salvage yards. A/C wiring diagram is in the Bentley (Guideline #2).

 

[Dixonphoto]

water in the passenger footwell

Our 93 Eurovan seems to be leaking condensation for the AC into the footwell on the passenger's side up front. Anybody have a clue as to what causes this and how to stop it?

[Moderator Note: Bentley §87-63; Guideline #2]

 

[BuddySauter]

Fuse Location for Evaporator fan(s) in '90 Westfalia?

The evaporator fan in my '90 Westfalia stopped working, the compressor still kicks in when I turn on the unit, but the fans don"t blow. I intend to check the fuses for it. I have reviewed the Bentley book and think they may be behind the cabinets in the back left of the bus, Bit I would like some more guidance before I start ripping things apart. There must surely be an easy way to get to those fuses.

If anybody has any other ideas about the problem, I am wide open for input.

All best,

Buddy

 

[Capt. Mike]

Bentley 87.3, item #20; also check relay 97.143 wiring diagram of A/C, circuits #6-9. Removing the vrtical box around the A/C is not hard. Remove one shelf (push-pin retainer) and two bracket screws. The box will lift right out.

 

[lugnut2]

AC

Transferred to consolidate same topic.

chrispa Junior Member posted July 26, 2003 01:19 AM

A/C Wiring

I have a new to me 84 Westy with non working AC and as a part of my initial diagnostic process have discovered that the fan/temperature switch has a burnt out/missing terminal on the back a)nd a melted wire. I joyfully set out to replace it but could not find a source. Finally I turned to the dealer and he ordered a replacement. Wife picked it up today in Santa Barbra. Unfortunately it seems to be a fan only switch and has no additional mechanism on top to adjust temperature. Both switches are made by INDAK and have the same patent number on them; however my original switch has an added round part on top with the numbers C75315 235308 stamped on the side. This added part allows for adjusting the temperature. Does anyone know what the correct replacement part number would be?
Also a wiring diagram for reconnecting the switch, once located, would be great as I inadvertently forgot to tag the wires in my haste to remove the switch. All the wires were yellow with different colored stripes except one which was black. Any help would be appreciated.

Hi
Wanted to ask you a couple questions. My ac is blowing fine but air not cold. Checked with gauge it read in the red. Would the clutch not come on if too full? Is there a relay and where is it located as the fuses are good. If ac thermostat where is that located. Didn't check to see if compressor clutch came on will . Also dag gone squirrels chewed a yellow and green wire back on left side in hole in front of tail light decided by what looks like a power plug of some sort but creates a partition wires were on the other side. What are they for? Connected Y bk up but couldn't find where green connects into Ty

 

[lugnut2]

Ac

Bentley 87.3, item #20; also check relay 97.143 wiring diagram of A/C, circuits #6-9. Removing the vrtical box around the A/C is not hard. Remove one shelf (push-pin retainer) and two bracket screws. The box will lift right out.

Wanted to ask you a couple questions. My ac is blowing fine but air not cold. Checked with gauge it read in the red. Would the clutch not come on if too full? Is there a relay and where is it located as the fuses are good. If ac thermostat where is that located. Didn't check to see if compressor clutch came on will . Also dag gone squirrels chewed a yellow and green wire back on left side in hole in front of tail light decided by what looks like a power plug of some sort but creates a partition wires were on the other side. What are they for? Connected Y bk up but couldn't find where green connects into Ty