Vintage Air Not Cooling Properly - Lateral-g Forums

Vegas69 · #1 07-29-2021, 12:18 PM

It's been a long time since I've worked on AC, but those pressures seem way off. What are ideal pressures based on the conditions when you took the readings? I know when high side pressure is too high, the condensor can be partially plugged or your air flow is no sufficient.

Bad Bowtie · #2 07-29-2021, 03:29 PM

Just throwing this out there as another thing to check... is the heater control valve flowing the correct way and wired correctly if I recall they have a directional arrow on their valves for recommended flow direction. Also think they used two different valves over the years depending on how old your system is. Hopefully you not getting a mix of hot water in the heater core at the same time the a/c is running through the evaporator core.

BB

ItDoRun · #3 07-29-2021, 06:30 PM

Yeah I chased that rabbit a few years ago as well. VA sent me a new style valve. I’ve even installed a manual block valve ahead of that and closed it off.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bad Bowtie

Just throwing this out there as another thing to check... is the heater control valve flowing the correct way and wired correctly if I recall they have a directional arrow on their valves for recommended flow direction. Also think they used two different valves over the years depending on how old your system is. Hopefully you not getting a mix of hot water in the heater core at the same time the a/c is running through the evaporator core.

BB

proper · #4 07-31-2021, 02:32 PM

I do automotive a/c full time up here in Canada and the pressures I typically see on production vehicles differ slightly from Vintage Air systems that I service a few dozen times a summer.5 psi is within VA specs for the low side and 225 on the high side makes me suspect your not getting rid of the heat in the condenser since the vent temp isn’t below 46 degrees. Try spraying some water on the condenser with the system on and if your vent temp drops like a rock in a few moments then you have verified your system can produce cold air. The fix could be as easy as a 2 speed fan that may pull more air then your current one or it might mean your condenser is under sized even though it was a kit made for your application.We have have lines run beside the exhaust manifolds and condensers mounted too far in front of the radiator with no seal so the fan just pulls air around the condenser instead of through it.Lots little things to look at ,but enough them and you have a problem. Just my two cents and I’m aware that there’s some really smart A/C guys on this site.Hopefully these few suggestions help

Musclerodz · #5 07-31-2021, 07:39 PM

I'd start with your fans. Verified there blowing the correct direction and not reversed? SD7 has lower output than the 508, which is one of the reasons accessory drives have the overdriven crank pulley. Ive never experienced that issue with VA before. My only other thought is you have the blend door not programmed correctly. There is also 2 ECU's, one for factory air car and one for non air car. Have you verified you have the correct ECu for the installation? I know some people have had some issues, but Ive installed dozens and I think I only ran across one bad ECU.

ItDoRun · #6 08-02-2021, 09:37 AM

I ended up receiving a PM from Shane @ Vintage Air and after discussing the issue with him, he's going to swap out the evaporator box due to an issue they had with a specific manufactured year range that mine falls in. Fingers crossed this fixes it but after talking through it with him, I'm hopeful. Just not looking forward to having to pull the unit out but if it'll produce cold air like it should, I'm up to the challenge.

To answer your original question, I did not verify if the ECU was correct or not. My car was a factory AC car and that's the system I ordered. I never got that far with VA's tech support to check that particular item. The fans are operating correctly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Musclerodz

I'd start with your fans. Verified there blowing the correct direction and not reversed? SD7 has lower output than the 508, which is one of the reasons accessory drives have the overdriven crank pulley. Ive never experienced that issue with VA before. My only other thought is you have the blend door not programmed correctly. There is also 2 ECU's, one for factory air car and one for non air car. Have you verified you have the correct ECu for the installation? I know some people have had some issues, but Ive installed dozens and I think I only ran across one bad ECU.

ItDoRun · #7 08-02-2021, 09:41 AM

I appreciate the feedback. I am planning to look at sealing up the areas to ensure I get as much air being pulled across the condenser as possible.

Quote:

Originally Posted by proper

I do automotive a/c full time up here in Canada and the pressures I typically see on production vehicles differ slightly from Vintage Air systems that I service a few dozen times a summer.5 psi is within VA specs for the low side and 225 on the high side makes me suspect your not getting rid of the heat in the condenser since the vent temp isn’t below 46 degrees. Try spraying some water on the condenser with the system on and if your vent temp drops like a rock in a few moments then you have verified your system can produce cold air. The fix could be as easy as a 2 speed fan that may pull more air then your current one or it might mean your condenser is under sized even though it was a kit made for your application.We have have lines run beside the exhaust manifolds and condensers mounted too far in front of the radiator with no seal so the fan just pulls air around the condenser instead of through it.Lots little things to look at ,but enough them and you have a problem. Just my two cents and I’m aware that there’s some really smart A/C guys on this site.Hopefully these few suggestions help

**130fe** · #8 08-03-2021, 06:38 AM

Chris, how old is your unit? I am having similiar issues with mine. My unit is from 2008.

**sleepertime** · #9 08-03-2021, 08:33 AM

For what it's worth...
I am a little late to the party on this one, but I have my unit that was built around 2011 and not put into service until 2015. I have had several issues where an unrelated battery charging problem has led to a complete loss of battery power while the car was sitting. This in turn caused a serious control problem with the Vintage air not blowing cold or even not blowing at all. I was at the point of ordering a new controller but ultimately solved the issue. I ended up unplugging the wires from the controller and then plugging them back in, while also disconnecting the power to the unit. It seems to be some sort of reboot, I also have had to perform the recalibrate. Once the the charging/battery issue was resolved I have not had any more issues.

ItDoRun · #10 07-29-2021, 06:29 PM

From what I’ve been told 15-25psi on the low would be good, preferably on the higher side of that range.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vegas69

It's been a long time since I've worked on AC, but those pressures seem way off. What are ideal pressures based on the conditions when you took the readings? I know when high side pressure is too high, the condensor can be partially plugged or your air flow is no sufficient.