DIY: A/C Insulation

[ricepower]

[talnlnky]

finished over the weekend.... don't have net at home anymore.... neighbors moved out... will take pics and try to upload them at work sometime this week. Using electrical tape was a pita because of the hot line that runs very close to the cold line getting in the way. I can see why the original poster used zip ties. I'm also sure that foam would work better than heater core tubing like I used... tho, not nearly as safe (I don't have to worry about high temps or hot liquids).

[cali yaris]

don't have net at home anymore.... neighbors moved out.

LOL - you were "borrowing" internet access?

[talnlnky]

Originally Posted by cali yaris

LOL - you were "borrowing" internet access?

I prefer the term looting... maybe even stealing. Don't worry, I was all ninja about it... they didn't know.

[IsLNdbOi]

Originally Posted by texkid

First off, I really should THANK Echo-hrs for the idea. If he never mentioned in the first place, I probably would've never know to do this to my car. I went to my mechanic for some help. After taking a look at my car, he definitely agreed that the Low Pressure line needed to be insulated.

I purchased a meat thermometer to get a reading on how its running BEFORE I started doing the insulation. Below is the reading with the A/C set to (4) on Recirculating, with all vents open; driving from work to home (roughly 20 minutes) ABOUT 50-DEGREES


Here is temp, with the car in the drive-way and windows half open. Its 120-freaking-degrees!


AND FINALLY, here is the temp AFTER the insulation driving for 15 minutes. A DROP OF ALMOST 10-DEGREES!



So, without further delay, on with the DIY.

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for what happens to your car. Do this at your own risk.

Tools:
- A pack of foam pipe covers (.75 cents at Wallmart)
- A pack of 6 inch wire ties or whatever you call them
As far as the zip ties are concerned, DO NOT tie them too tight like I did. Just enough tension to keep them in place is all that is needed.
- A meat thermometer
- A couple bottles of water
- SHADE!

Instructions:

Lets start with what the hell we are insulating. It is the low pressure line going from the firewall to the rubber hose before it hits the condensor. Its marked with a pink line at the firewall and has a pressure valved labeled "L". When run the A/C, this line should be the only one that is COLD to the touch. The smaller line that sits below it should be open to air as it is taking hot air out of the cabin and back to the condenser.






next: get your foam pipe insulation and check to see if it fits. If its too loose, you can trim off a bit. But just a BIT!

-Start at the firewall end since it is most difficult and cramped part of the job. At this point, it is recommended that the engine is cool to touch. I singed a couple of arm hair before I realized that. LOL!


-Run it as much as you can, once you hit that big, "drum" looking thing, cut and start tying it down. As far as that "drum" looking thing, you're just going have to get creative and find a way to cover it. But it does make a difference when you do.
As far as the zip ties are concerned, DO NOT tie them too tight like I did. Just enough tension to keep them in place is all that is needed.


-For the other side, grab a piece and run it from the front side and thread it under the engine mount. Tie that down very well and make sure nothing can hit the belt or the alternator.




-For the rest of the low pressure line, just keep tying it down until you hit the rubber hose. I shouldn't have to tell you this, but cut holes where needed such as the low pressure valve and that do-hicky you see below.


-AND YOU'RE DONE! Cut off the excess straps so they won't get tangled into anything.

Ok so it's been almost a year since this thread was made.

Anyone found / notice and negatives to doing this? Has it really made a difference in a/c efficiency?

[Henry G.]

Yep it definitely works. I used the aluminum tape over the foam and zip ties and its all still holding together nicely. Check the clearance at the back of the motor between the exhaust manifold and AC line (when the cars cool), its about an inch and half. Does that make sense? No!!

[bobolinko]

I read this thread and decided it was a good "investment" Mod so here you can see what the result was....

I used The Wiring Loom instead of aluminum for cosmetic reasons and wanted the engine bay to look a little neater... The loom has not degraded or shown any signs of overheating, so mybe it will last....(hopefully)
There is enough of it in the engine bay already so it should do fine.

The DIY results were as good as I expected.

You can see the final result at this link:http://www.scikotics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=192547

Aloha From Hawaii !

[metalshark]

Originally Posted by IsLNdbOi

Ok so it's been almost a year since this thread was made.

Anyone found / notice and negatives to doing this? Has it really made a difference in a/c efficiency?

On the Pro side it will help fuel economy because the compressor is a variable compression design as most are these days. On the con side if you were over charged and running AC on a cool day you would let liquid refrigerant into your compressor producing hydrostatic lock. When I do mine I will use aluminum tape over the insulation to reflect heat away from the insulation. That makes it way harder to melt the cheap insulation with under hood heat. The other hyper-miler tip here in Phoenix is to tint the windows. Both this insulation and window tint will cut the mileage drain AC caused here in Lucifer's waiting room. Window tint alone reduces the fan setting you have to use to wear a suit when the outside air temp on the express way says 1198 degrees F. I get 39 MPG here at 65 MPG on cruise lock. I've been watching for a trick to break 40 under the same harsh conditions. I average 42 city and highway so hyper-mile tricks between lights does work. Our winter mileage is even better than that. From my sig you can also see the other mods that allow better than EPA mileage results.

[metalshark]

Originally Posted by texkid

Update:

Yes, I had the circulation backwards.

However, I did some more research. Insulating the high pressure side will not improve cooling. Some mechanics sites say it'll do nothing....others say it'll put more pressure on the compressor, and blah, blah, blah.

Personally, I have not seen ANY positive results on insulating the High Side. In the meantime, I am going to research for insulation that withstand higher temps.

You don't want to insulate the High pressure line. Doing so will cut the sub-cooling of the High pressure liquid returning from the condenser and will decrease efficiency and mileage as a consequence.

[Yaris Hilton]

I think if it would make a big improvement, the factory would've already done it.

[bobolinko]

Originally Posted by Yaris Hilton

I think if it would make a big improvement, the factory would've already done it.

That's why I hesitated and waited so long to do it... My thoughts were like yours. However, summer heat is just around the corner, and a FEW degrees make a big difference when you're just above the "comfort zone" temp wise...

My Co-Worker was also skeptical, but after we went to lunch in my car, he decided to do it on his Tacoma as well, and even on his wife's car too. We FELT and SAW the difference and figured it could translate into a better fuel effeciency rating if the compressor would not kick in as often.

At any rate, I like the feel of the colder air blowing on my face while I sit in traffic, waiting to move 15 feet more before the light changes.... LOL

[Yaris Hilton]

Yeah, any improvement's a good thing. Gridlock in summer is grim without AC. Especially when straddling a big air cooled Harley engine.

[RHDVIPbB]

Just did it to my car over the weekend and I notice a small difference. It is in the high 80's so I will check after this week and see how it does. Fairly easy to do.

[90tsi]

funny i just did this several hours ago. lol took like 30mins. i thought it worked well. worth the whole $2 in supplies i used.

[IsLNdbOi]

Where can I get the supplies to do this?

[kazama82]

To share my DIY..mine is yaris sedan

[Echostatic]

I'll be trying this out this afternoon and probably taking video of the process, if anyone would find that useful. Here's hoping the shade is enough to stave off the 100 degree heat...

[nick.dollimount]

Originally Posted by Echostatic

I'll be trying this out this afternoon and probably taking video of the process, if anyone would find that useful. Here's hoping the shade is enough to stave off the 100 degree heat...

Video DIY's are always welcome!