[Damo]

I'm putting power steer on my zook at the moment and have been messing with the pump bracket lately. On 1.6 Vits the A/C compressor is bolted to the power steer pump, so it's not a big job to add it on. I was thinking I could use the A/C compressor for onboard air, but i recall reading somewhere that some A/C compressors aren't too flash for this. Any ideas?

[monley]

I think one of my mates had that setup in his 75 series cruiser and it would pump a tyre up faster than a arb compressor

[smiffkid]

of course then gonna pump tires up fast, the have to pump a huge amount of air for airconditioner,

[Fatzook]

Damo wrote:

I'm putting power steer on my zook at the moment and have been messing with the pump bracket lately. On 1.6 Vits the A/C compressor is bolted to the power steer pump, so it's not a big job to add it on. I was thinking I could use the A/C compressor for onboard air, but i recall reading somewhere that some A/C compressors aren't too flash for this. Any ideas?

They will run dry. The A/C gas acts as a lubricant to keep it running. Straight air will not.

I have heard of guys tapping grease nipples in to service the bearings. Reckon a few shots after every trip out keeps 'em going.

[troopy]

I run one on the vit motor in my sierra and what I did was to fit an inline oiler that are used on nail guns and some air tools to the intake of the compressor and also connected the compressor intake to the hose that goes from the rocker cover to the airbox.This setup has been reliable for 2 years getting used at least once a week and is definately faster than mates arb or twin cylinder compressors.

[Rusho]

You probably already have one but, if you don't I have a pump here all ready to go for the desired purpose

[ajsr]

these type of setups generally use a sanden style compessor , like 80's commodores ect used. thats what you need to be using for a reliable setup.
like this http://cgi.ebay.com.au/SANDEN-508-Air-C ... 25623eef28

[Rusho]

Looks like the one I have. I think mine is a Denso brand though.

[royce]

ive had 3 of the newer version of a 508 in mine AS the AC comp and they were all shit and noisy and the bearings failed anyway so who cares about oil

ive seem lots of oem style ones working well, they might get a shot of oil or grease in em now and then, lets face it, just how much work are they going to get? if bits fail and you cant replace them, like sealed bearings then chuck it and grab another from a wrecker

[want33s]

York piston compressors as found on XE or earlier Falcons are the best to use as they don't need any external oiling.... Only downside is their large size and weight.


HERE is how to do it....

[Gwagensteve]

Theres' three types of AC compressor - Vane, Axial piston and piston.

Pretty much everything these days runs vane compressors. They do not work dry. They need oil in them for the seals to work. I experimented with oiling one and it only pumped useful amounts of air when it was also pumping useless amounts of oil - great blurts of it. If I lowered the oil feed enough to get cleanish air, I got next to no air.

If you pull one apart you'll see why they need all the oil - they have a huge wiped surface area ( kinda like a rotary engine). To try and get one to work, you'll need an oiler on the intake air and a oil separator on the exhaust. Another club member went through all the same work he had the same experience.

Axial piston will run with grease only. (Sanden) I don't know what their long term durability is like really running dry, (As in with grease only for the bearings) but these compressors are what Endless Air sell, with a grease nipple added. My Dad ran one of these in his 80 series for years, including for locker activation, and it worked very well - quick and quiet.

I set one up on a G13BB in a sierra a few years ago and it still works very well. Obviously it doesn't get used every day, but when it is used it pumps up a lot of big tyres, as nobody can be bothered getting out their electric compressors when there's a car with an engine compressor around.

The ultimate gold standard is a York. They have a sump, so just like in a motor, the piston rings and bearings are lubricated regardless of what the compressor is doing. They run forever, and deliver 9cfm @ 3000rpm.

I'd be running a York if it was me, but they are pretty big and heavy.

Regardless, you're going to have to make brackets to run a different compressor than came with the car, so it's a fair amount of effort.

I'll also add that ARB have just released a doubled-up version of their high speed compressor. That should give over 5cfm @ pressure, which is pretty close to the output of an endless air sanden (they start at 6cfm, although apparently there is an 11 cfm version available now) without all the hassle of fitting it.

Steve.

[Damo]

I know what you fellas are saying about Yorks, and yes I agree.

The point is I already have a Vit compressor and the bracket for it. From what GwagonSteve says the vane compressors are useless if you're not going to run oil in them. Which makes sense as the A/C system they are usually a part of has oil in it.

An oiler on the intake shouldn't be too hard, i'm pretty sure I have a spare one of them kicking around in the shed.

As for the oil separator, are we talking about the same kinda thing that I have on my shed air compressor? The water trap thingy?

[SuziBlu]

Damo, I know you have a pump, but, they are very cheap from wreckers, get an aluminium York or Sanko, 508 or 512, the 08 and 12 indicate the CFM.

These are good, they use oil, but you only need to fill about half full and they will run perfect, fill it, run it, what spat out is what it doesn't need. For long operation like when running the aircon on a hot day, yes, it will need the oil, but for low cycle duty like tyres or tools now and then, the remaining oil is perfect.

Lookup Endless air.

[Gwagensteve]

Damo wrote:

. From what GwagonSteve says the vane compressors are useless if you're not going to run oil in them.

Actually, I think they are useless with oil, as the complexities of setting up the system mean you'll trash a few compressors before you get it right, and even then it will be marginally reliable - the discharge temperatures on mine for the minutes when it was working were scary.

Yes, the oiler will be an tool oiler. I'm not sure if a normal water trap will catch enough oil on the exhaust to make it work. Mine didn't. The other club member we had tried an oil feed from the separator back into the compressor to try and keep the thing together.

Go for your life, I just don't think it's viable long term. It's fun to experiment with though.

Steve.

[Damo]

Grrrr not what I wanted to hear. You're supposed to say "yep that'll work perfect, do that."

Now i'm looking down the barrel of dick-arseing around to get something cobbled together that might/might not work.

Bah fuck it. I'll keep an eye out for a Sanden or a York and keep this POS for chucking at the next door neighbour's cat.

[Gwagensteve]

I think you'll be happier in the long run.

Steve.

[SuziBlu]

Damo, have a squiz at this ok its for Jeeps, but its a good write up, and will give you lots of ideas.

The thing with compressors, some were O ring fitting, others were barbed, the barb is the, O ring you cannot easily fit a line to.

[Hybrid]

I've got two axial piston compressors at home you can tinker with if you like Damo. I'm going to hold out for a Sanden 500 or 700 series compressor.

[Damo]

Hybrid wrote:

I've got two axial piston compressors at home you can tinker with if you like Damo. I'm going to hold out for a Sanden 500 or 700 series compressor.

I thought you ended up getting a Sanden?

Do either of those two compressors have a multi-rib pulley?

[Hybrid]

Both are multirib. No, haven't got the sanden yet. These compressors at home are just left overs from my crummydore misadventures. One I think off a 3.8L v6 and the other off an RB30 (VL).

[Damo]

Hang on a sec, isn't a Sanden just a axial piston type????

[SuziBlu]

Yes, thats why the are so good for onboard air.

[Hybrid]

Depends on the Sanden. The SD's models are all piston I believe. The rest aren't.