looking at the subaru motor that i want to install to my kombi, just noticed a problem. the aircon has a radiator-like thing that sits infront of the standard subi radiator. i presume this is so that it gets the coldest air possible. in my bus the radiator is at the rear, so...
do i:
a) install the aircon thingy behind my radiator, causing it to get the warm air that has already passed through the radiator?

b) or install the aircon thingy in front of the radiator and try to find some way to fit the fans to it to blow through both?

any suggestions much appreciated.

Ryan

The "radiator thingy" is called a condensor, and is used to cool the gas in the aircon to remove heat from inside the car. Most manufacturers mount it in front of the radiator for convenience & lack of space. If you have enough room, mount it seperately from the radiator with its own fan, that way the radiator & condensor both get cool air and work at their optimum performance.
Graham

I have an EJ20 in my bus and the rad in the back, and if I wanted A/C I would do as Graham suggested and stick the A/C condenser somewhere else.
They can pump out quite alot of heat and it is gonna be on a hot day when you use it -when your cooling system is working it's hardest.

I haven't gotten around to installing my AC yet, but I am currently thinking of installing the AC at the front of the car (the radiator is above the gearbox).

I will then have to find which of my thermofans was doubling as a condensor fan, and link a wire into it to run a new fan which I will need to mount on the condensor. (did that make sense).

The problem I have at the moment is trying to find an evaporator/ ducting/ blower small enough to mount inside the car. The original gear out of the MX6 is huge! and cannot fit in the Baja. It's a pity as it was full climate control. I'm still thinking about what to do.

thanks guys, i will try to take 11cabs advice ans see if i can find anywhere else i can wedge it, its pretty damn big tho so this should be fun!

Wes what about an aftermarket underdash unit?? some of those can be quite compact: blower evaporator etc all in one - they are around a couple of hundred i think

i think you will find the problem is they are all "match sets"

As in for X compressor you must use Y evaporator and Z condenser.
I would be amazed if you can interswap between them all.
The gas being pumped must flash off correctly and condense correctly otherwise you will be pumping liquid and oil and blow the compressor

Wes, try one from a holden barina, they're quite small

Kombicol, you're thinking of the wrong part mate. The condensor that they're talking about takes the warm gas from the actually air-con element inside the car, and radiates it into the atmosphere outside.

Ryan, the kit I picked up for the kombi came with a condensor that mounts under the chassis rails, complete with a louvred stone tray and twin thermo's. It's a neat setup, but possibly a little bit prone to damage from speed humps etc if you lower your bus.

I'm not sure how much heat these things dissipate, but most (?) production cars mount them in front of the radiator, behind the grill. Obviously, this would preheat the air somewhat before it goes through the radiator. Either (a) the condensor doesn't dissipate enough heat to upset the radiator, or (b) the air-conditioned models have a bigger radiator to compensate for the higher temperature of the air passing through the radiator. I can tell you that the HQ-HX series had a heavier-duty radiator for air-conditioned models, so the heat output from the condensor must be significant.

If you were using an air-cooled motor, there is no way I would suggest you mount the condensor to recieve air from the engine bay as it would be preheated by the motor. Just the fact that manufacturers generally place the condensor in front of the radiator would indicate that cool air through the condensor is important.

But you're using a watercooled motor, which doesn't disspate as much heat directly from the motor to the atmosphere. I would try mounting the condensor as you suggested in b), but make sure you use an appropriate radiator. Remember that cooling efficiency is proportional to the square of the difference in temperature between the cooling medium (the air passing through the radiator) and the medium being cooled (the water in the radiator). In other words, use a heavier-duty radiator than stock (for your motor). :thumb

Just my opinion anyway.