Air con capacity

[bash]

Anyone know the capacity of the aircon system/still got the sticker. Anyone following my aircon install on my v8 thread will realise my system isnt standard but the guy who is going to vacuum and fill it needs a rough idea. Also anyone know how much oil goes in, although 300 ml seems to be a common figure bandied about on www.
Cheers

Bash

[Marcus]

My system is a DIY system - my notes say it was 550 grams - no idea about the oil. Marcus

[Pete Boole]

Some compressors come already full of oil - does yours have any in it?

Pete

[bash]

Thanks Marcus.
Pete, Im not sure, there wasnt anything on the label/box, and some idiot fitted it before checking, I will see if I can syringe any out of it.
Bash

[Excel SA]

Hi Bash,

There is some info in the service notes - some posted below:



This is from section PC - 1986 model onwards. Section PA 9 mentions 1.65kgs of 'Refrigerant 12', but this may refer to pre '86 cars???

Can post those sections up if required, but they aren't great quality.

Neil.

[bash]

Brill,you must be a mind reader I have just found the same info
790cc refrigerant
105cc aircon oil
The members on this forum are really what makes it invaluable.

Bash
And its now here for posterity!

[Excel SA]

- how some of spend our time - reading the Lotus Service Notes and paging through the parts manual Biggest surprise for me was the fact that I remembered that I had read it somewhere

I'll need the same info when I cobble all my aircon bits together.

Neil

[bash]

Cos our systems are custom the true figure will be between that and Marcus. The sight glass in the top of the dryer will probably be our guide. The guy who is coming to top it up wanted a rough idea. If he tells me I will let you know.
The compressor did indeed come with some oil in it so it just needs a bit more as per the service notes.
Bash

[gusexcel]

Sight glass on 134 is not particularly helpful

People go on like the amount of refrigerant is some advanced science

What you want is enough 134 to always create liquid in the rec/dryer and not so much to create liquid in the condenser

Under all conditions

And leave space for the eventual loss

Easy right?

Once you have changed the system all you can do is go by pressures

Initial setup in average temps



BIg automakers can look on their CAD and calculate the exact volume of the system, then there are still going to be fudge factors
Did Lotus do that?
Or did they send a guy in the parking lot to make sure it worked ok?

Auto AC systems are giant so that they can cool the car down from hot, so as long as you have fan capacity, you can get away with quite a bit

DOn't overfill, you can always add more.

[bash]

Cheers dude, I will keep an eye on that. The mobile guy who is coming has alot of experience on custom setups in farm machinery which is why I chose him. There are many garages with the gear that plugs into the car and then is left to do its stuff automatically for an hour. Hopefully this guy has a greater understanding than that. I will report back

Bash