Drivers AC Problem

[dlefty]

On my way down here to Fla. I was driving in some high winds. All of a sudden I heard a tearing noise from the roof of the coach. I stopped at the next exit and got outside of the coach to see what it was. The roof drivers air had a torn exterior to it . Great, just what I need, something else to add to the list... My drivers ac hasn't worked properly in years. I've tried in years past in recharging the system to no avail.

Who makes the system? It supposedly was 18,000 BTU's. My father had replaced the compressor, drier, and new freon back in 1998. It worked OK for him but not all that great. The new freon wasn't as cold as the old stuff.

Does anyone on this forum have any other systems that they are happy with? I've been checking out a system from Red Dot which appears interesting. The R-6100 is one system but is 16,000 BTU's. There is some photos on the Yahoo FC Forum that shows this. The other alternative is the R-9727. This is 22,000 BTU but a bit larger. Cost is another issue. Right now I only have a price on the R-6100. It's $995 plus the cost of installation.

What do you think?

[susanmarycamilleri]

Dan
I have had my FC for 10 years. Over that time I have spent approx $3000 trying to keep my dash air servicable. I replaced the hoses, compressor, dryer and then charged with 134A four or five times. The problem with mine has been several different things. First it was a bad flare joint, but it would take several weeks to leak out. Then it was the seal on the compressor. In my case I don't use the dask air enough. the bus will sit for months and then when I go to use in the dash air would be U/S.
For these reasons I have decided to run the generator and use the roof air conditioners when I need it. I don't use my generator as much as I should, and the money that I have spent on the A/C could have bought a lot of gas. Also my engine is only 210hp so not using it to cool the bus is also good. I just wish I had made this decision before I spent all the money trying to keep the dash air working.
Just my experience and decision. Good luck with what ever you decide.

Peter Haggins
35' 78 FC
Prairie Dog

[Mike Hohnstein]

I got a Red Dot condensor on the roof, a big 'un and changed over to 134A. Recharge it in the spring and it works great all summer. Cools the bus from the entry door forward. The roof top unit has two fans and cost about a grand, two new fan motors for the overhead vents was about fifty bucks and the reman compressor cost a couple hundred I think. I weren't too happy when I had to tear the evaperator out to replace the **** expansion valve down by Randys but we got it fixed and it's still working good. Dash air is an ongoing commitment, you respect it or you don't.

[dlefty]

Mike, what Red Dot unit did you get, the R-6100 or the R-9727?

Who did BB use for the condenser on the roof ? If I could find out who to contact to get a new shell that would be another option.

Thanks Mike and Pete for your input.

[Mike Hohnstein]

Looks like the 6100 but mines got two fans. If you wanta use 134a, get the big condensor, 134 needs it. I got two identical Ford pickups, one with R 12 in the system and the other changed over to 134a. R 12 cools much quicker, this is telling as all components are the same size, and the refrigerant is the only difference. For 134 to gain parity in response time, a larger condensor is required as compared to R12.
In the case of my Fords, the 134 system gets cold, but it takes 5 minutes to really get with the program. Probably wouldn't be a bad plan to install a little water spray on the condensor to get it working quicker.

[dlefty]

The 6100 and 9727 were complete units (condenser, compressor, evaporator, etc.) The units require a large hole to be cut into the bus. I was uncomfortable with that. So I began looking at just compressors. With Mikes advice I found a compressor, R-6260, which seemed to fit the bill. I don't have the price I was quoted in front of me but it was around $780 mark. An air dryer was around $200. So I told the service supervisor to go ahead and order one. It should be in by Fri. I'll be looking at having it installed on Monday. I'll let you know how it turns out...