Where to buy a parallel flow condenser?

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KINGJOHN808
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Re: Where to buy a parallel flow condenser?

Post by KINGJOHN808 »

RossDinan6 wrote: Thu May 19, 2022 11:01 pm I am in the middle of my AC upgrade as I type. My Condenser is a 16 x 19 amazon unit. I'd have done a 20 had I found one at the time, I thought one would fit.

Based on the MT screen shot, I'm curious if insulating the receiver/dryer would improve efficiency. With the dryer mounted on the passenger fender, not too far from the exhaust manifold and turbo it seems every little bit would help.
From what I’ve seen, the 16x19 has plenty of room to spare especially if you shift the condenser more to the right. As soon as I get the fittings and hose, will mock up the setup and take pictures and measurements to share.

Probably couldn’t hurt to insulate the drier, especially like you said, your turbo and exhaust manifold is sitting in the same area. That site was the best one I’ve found that clearly explained how the system works and actual plumbing.

On a different note, I checked with a local hydraulic hose sales/service shop here on island and they stated $5 per crimp. I’ll definitely pay that instead of buying the compression tool that I’ll probably only use this one time
Ewa Kai, Hawai’i
1984 633CSi
1983 633CSi (wreckers)

“Aloha and have a great day!”
Jubilados
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Location: So Cal

Re: Where to buy a parallel flow condenser?

Post by Jubilados »

It can’t hurt.
I’ve insulated ALL of my AC lines in the engine compartment.
I used the insulated silver wrap that secures by Velcro.
I think it makes a difference. The setup of ours cars is a little unfortunate in that the lines run on the exhaust side and are exposed to quite a bit of heat.
If the lines aren’t insulated, particularly the metal lines, the AC system is absorbing a lot of exhaust heat that need to be cooled.

Like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Aluminized-Sleev ... 01300&th=1
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RossDinan6
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Re: Where to buy a parallel flow condenser?

Post by RossDinan6 »

That's a good point about the insulating sleeve, I'll look into it. I think I would avoid the Velcro version, I suspect it will be difficult to keep it closed, especially as it ages.

I don't know how it compares in price to crimp fittings, but I am using Eaton EZ Clip ac hoses and fittings. https://www.eatonpowersource.com/aeroqu ... p-fittings I have run these for at least 10 years, likely more at my first AC system repairs. With hose, fittings, hardware and a $30 crimper the hoses can be made up to your needs in the garage. It helps to have an account with the Aeroquip supplier and a good relationship with the folks behind the counter there.
Ross
'84 633 Dinan turbo
KINGJOHN808
Posts: 127
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2019 2:27 am
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Re: Where to buy a parallel flow condenser?

Post by KINGJOHN808 »

RossDinan6 wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 1:10 am That's a good point about the insulating sleeve, I'll look into it. I think I would avoid the Velcro version, I suspect it will be difficult to keep it closed, especially as it ages.

I don't know how it compares in price to crimp fittings, but I am using Eaton EZ Clip ac hoses and fittings. https://www.eatonpowersource.com/aeroqu ... p-fittings I have run these for at least 10 years, likely more at my first AC system repairs. With hose, fittings, hardware and a $30 crimper the hoses can be made up to your needs in the garage. It helps to have an account with the Aeroquip supplier and a good relationship with the folks behind the counter there.
I looked at the EZ clip system and was extremely interested until I saw the price. Great system just out of my desired price range.
Ewa Kai, Hawai’i
1984 633CSi
1983 633CSi (wreckers)

“Aloha and have a great day!”
KINGJOHN808
Posts: 127
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2019 2:27 am
Location: Ewa Kai

Re: Where to buy a parallel flow condenser?

Post by KINGJOHN808 »

Jubilados wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 12:03 am It can’t hurt.
I’ve insulated ALL of my AC lines in the engine compartment.
I used the insulated silver wrap that secures by Velcro.
I think it makes a difference. The setup of ours cars is a little unfortunate in that the lines run on the exhaust side and are exposed to quite a bit of heat.
If the lines aren’t insulated, particularly the metal lines, the AC system is absorbing a lot of exhaust heat that need to be cooled.

Like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Aluminized-Sleev ... 01300&th=1
Got any pics of your engine bay? Curious to see the wrap and hose routing.
Ewa Kai, Hawai’i
1984 633CSi
1983 633CSi (wreckers)

“Aloha and have a great day!”
Jubilados
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Location: So Cal

Re: Where to buy a parallel flow condenser?

Post by Jubilados »

Hard to see the routing, but here’s some pics.
It is routed the exact way as in the handwritten diagram on the previous page (I’m not sure but I think I made that diagram. Or if not, I used it)

Image

Image

Image

Image
KINGJOHN808
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Re: Where to buy a parallel flow condenser?

Post by KINGJOHN808 »

Mahalo’z for the pics.

Just pulled my evaporator assembly out. Going to open it up and flush the evaporator and change the expansion valve. Hopefully my lines show up early next week so o can get this put back together. Also ordered the heat reflective shield that you mentioned.

Have a great weekend.
Ewa Kai, Hawai’i
1984 633CSi
1983 633CSi (wreckers)

“Aloha and have a great day!”
Jubilados
Posts: 161
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Location: So Cal

Re: Where to buy a parallel flow condenser?

Post by Jubilados »

Good luck!
I like that heat shield because there’s a bit of an air gap between the lines and the heat shield, particularly on the metal lines. I think it’s very effective at shielding the lines from the exhaust heat.
If you feel those metal lines after you’ve been driving the car for a bit, you’ll see they are almost too hot to touch, quite hot. Your ac has to take those lines from extremely hot to very cold when the AC is running. Very inefficient.
When I first redid my system I went back and forth on whether to keep it an R12 system or go to 134a. I had read so many horror stories from people who went to 134 but couldn’t get vent temps blow the high 50s or even 60s on a hot day. A lot of people claim that since the car was designed for R12 it was impossible or very difficult to get it to 40 with 134.
But with R12 harder to get and a lot more expensive, I gambled that if I did everything right and maximized the efficiency of every component that I could, I’d be able to get 40 on 134.
I did, and I have to say it was one of the most satisfying jobs I’ve done in 40 years of wrenching. I smile every time that ice cold air comes blasting out of my 35 year old BMW vents on a hot day. :D
KINGJOHN808
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Re: Where to buy a parallel flow condenser?

Post by KINGJOHN808 »

Jubilados wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 3:30 am Good luck!
I like that heat shield because there’s a bit of an air gap between the lines and the heat shield, particularly on the metal lines. I think it’s very effective at shielding the lines from the exhaust heat.
If you feel those metal lines after you’ve been driving the car for a bit, you’ll see they are almost too hot to touch, quite hot. Your ac has to take those lines from extremely hot to very cold when the AC is running. Very inefficient.
When I first redid my system I went back and forth on whether to keep it an R12 system or go to 134a. I had read so many horror stories from people who went to 134 but couldn’t get vent temps blow the high 50s or even 60s on a hot day. A lot of people claim that since the car was designed for R12 it was impossible or very difficult to get it to 40 with 134.
But with R12 harder to get and a lot more expensive, I gambled that if I did everything right and maximized the efficiency of every component that I could, I’d be able to get 40 on 134.
I did, and I have to say it was one of the most satisfying jobs I’ve done in 40 years of wrenching. I smile every time that ice cold air comes blasting out of my 35 year old BMW vents on a hot day. :D
Definitely worth the small cost of the material to wrap all the lines especially the metal ones. It’s does get quite hot here on the island, so much so that having the cat on island for almost 3 years and having less than 80 miles on it. Some was due to maintenance issues, but mostly due to a inoperable air conditioning system.

Excited to get it back together and on the road. Need a little island cruise action. 🤙🏾🤙🏾🤣🤣
Ewa Kai, Hawai’i
1984 633CSi
1983 633CSi (wreckers)

“Aloha and have a great day!”
songzunhuang
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Re: Where to buy a parallel flow condenser?

Post by songzunhuang »

So that sketch you posted earlier was from my earlier efforts to completely overhaul my AC. Here's a link to the original if you want a bigger picture.
I should mention that the "hard line" at the bottom was replaced with hoses. I had to relocate the receiver/drier and the hardline no longer would work. I had meant to create a cleaner version of that picture one day...
viewtopic.php?f=25&t=25858&start=400#p207254

Also, here's a picture of my routing and the metallic wrap I used with zip ties to secure.
I happened to be swapping my plugs this weekend which made for a super clear picture. You can see the AC lines at the bottom of the picture and the one hose that passes close to the exhaust manifold that I wrapped.
AC line routing.
AC line routing.
AC Hose wrap.png (1.56 MiB) Viewed 1398 times
From what I've read so far, you are doing it all correctly.
One surprise for me was the cost of all the custom hoses. IIRC, it ended up being just over $300.
-----
Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
KINGJOHN808
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Re: Where to buy a parallel flow condenser?

Post by KINGJOHN808 »

songzunhuang wrote: Mon May 23, 2022 4:54 pm So that sketch you posted earlier was from my earlier efforts to completely overhaul my AC. Here's a link to the original if you want a bigger picture.
I should mention that the "hard line" at the bottom was replaced with hoses. I had to relocate the receiver/drier and the hardline no longer would work. I had meant to create a cleaner version of that picture one day...
viewtopic.php?f=25&t=25858&start=400#p207254

Also, here's a picture of my routing and the metallic wrap I used with zip ties to secure.
I happened to be swapping my plugs this weekend which made for a super clear picture. You can see the AC lines at the bottom of the picture and the one hose that passes close to the exhaust manifold that I wrapped.
AC Hose wrap.png

From what I've read so far, you are doing it all correctly.
One surprise for me was the cost of all the custom hoses. IIRC, it ended up being just over $300.
Aloha Song,

Yep, used your image as I was getting conflicting information mainly from REALOEM and a few others. After getting my hoses and fittings, I realized that my drier was too low to use the existing hardlines, so had to build a stand to lift it 2 inches. That let to the issue of hitting the air intake bellows.

Was able to figure it all out though. Decided to make ALL new lines instead of trying to make the old and new work together. I also finally sat down and read “It just needs a recharge” cover to cover and it really helped me with getting this thing closer to being complete.

Because I was originally trying to put the system back to OEM (didn’t know about the PF condenser, R-134 conversion, hoses, etc). With this new set (all four custom) hoses and the original set that I brought in from Germany, I’m into the cost of JUST hoses somewhere in the neighborhood of $500 (when you factor in shipping, crimping cost, etc).

I’m all in at this point, so hope to have it all installed and charged by the end of next month if not sooner. Definitely going to be using metallic wrap and steel ties.

Excited as this is getting closer and closer to completion.

Here’s a pic of the condenser with the fan installed as well as the drier stand. Have a new drier, using the old one for mock up.

Just gotta finish the plumbing and figure out the wiring so it functions like the original did. Don’t want to rely on a switch in the dash to remember to turn it on and off.
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Ewa Kai, Hawai’i
1984 633CSi
1983 633CSi (wreckers)

“Aloha and have a great day!”
songzunhuang
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Re: Where to buy a parallel flow condenser?

Post by songzunhuang »

How'd it all turn out?

I was reminded of my A/C system as I had to repair parts of it due to my recent mishap causing me to replace my front end.
I hope you got yours all working.
-----
Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
KINGJOHN808
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Re: Where to buy a parallel flow condenser?

Post by KINGJOHN808 »

songzunhuang wrote: Wed Sep 28, 2022 3:57 am How'd it all turn out?

I was reminded of my A/C system as I had to repair parts of it due to my recent mishap causing me to replace my front end.
I hope you got yours all working.
Aloha Song. Had to take a break from the 6 for a while. Have the new compressor, brackets, drier and new hoses but lack the will or desire to put it all back together again. Was hoping to get back my motivation a few months ago, but it never happened. I just sit in it now, watch YouTube and drink beer. 🤣🤣

One day…hopefully by Christmas or New Years. 🤙🏾🤙🏾🤙🏾
Ewa Kai, Hawai’i
1984 633CSi
1983 633CSi (wreckers)

“Aloha and have a great day!”
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