Tuscan A/C

Author
Discussion

Steve Devaney

Original Poster:

715 posts

209 months

Thursday 20th April 2023
quotequote all
Can the std set-up be improved with sensible money, or is it just born to be average!?

nawarne

3,098 posts

267 months

Friday 21st April 2023
quotequote all
When I had my Chimaera the perceived wisdom was that - A) why did you need a/c in a convertible, and B) TVR a/c never worked, Well, contrary to all opinions, I noticed on one occasion that the compressor was not clutching 'in'.
Took the car round to an ex-work colleague who knows his way around compressing gasses.
Upshot was that after a decent check - evacuate system, hold vacuum for ~ 20 mins, then if vac' holding, re-gas and add lube-oil. Absolutely icy cold air coming out of vents.

With the Tuscan, I think the biggest detractor from the system is the heater/a/c stepper motor and its associated flap. Said flap diverts cold air (or hot) into the dash plenum.
The issue is that the stepper motor is a flawed device, and the flap that it drives by bent wire(!!) is supposed to have a seal to cover the blown air outlet from the heater matrix.,,,,No doubt after ~ 15/20 years this seal has crumbled away....So, you're getting a mix of hot and cold air, rather than all the chilled air from the aircon evaporator matrix.

So - get the system regassed by someone who understands refrigeration/air conditioning. If that doesn't improve the output, then you've got to look at the flapper operation (Need to remove both 'humps' visible in engine bay/N.S inner wing area).
Nick. .

Basil Brush

5,227 posts

270 months

Friday 21st April 2023
quotequote all
It should work. I've taken my car down through France and Spain in high 30s temps and the aircon managed to keep us comfortable with the roof on.

Steve Devaney

Original Poster:

715 posts

209 months

Tuesday 25th April 2023
quotequote all
nawarne said:
When I had my Chimaera the perceived wisdom was that - A) why did you need a/c in a convertible, and B) TVR a/c never worked, Well, contrary to all opinions, I noticed on one occasion that the compressor was not clutching 'in'.
Took the car round to an ex-work colleague who knows his way around compressing gasses.
Upshot was that after a decent check - evacuate system, hold vacuum for ~ 20 mins, then if vac' holding, re-gas and add lube-oil. Absolutely icy cold air coming out of vents.

With the Tuscan, I think the biggest detractor from the system is the heater/a/c stepper motor and its associated flap. Said flap diverts cold air (or hot) into the dash plenum.
The issue is that the stepper motor is a flawed device, and the flap that it drives by bent wire(!!) is supposed to have a seal to cover the blown air outlet from the heater matrix.,,,,No doubt after ~ 15/20 years this seal has crumbled away....So, you're getting a mix of hot and cold air, rather than all the chilled air from the aircon evaporator matrix.

So - get the system regassed by someone who understands refrigeration/air conditioning. If that doesn't improve the output, then you've got to look at the flapper operation (Need to remove both 'humps' visible in engine bay/N.S inner wing area).
Nick. .
That's a great reply, I'll do exactly like you say. Are new /refurbished motors available from anywhere, or is the 'crumbly seal' available separately and easy to replace?

Granturadriver

629 posts

268 months

Tuesday 25th April 2023
quotequote all
I used a self-adhesive seal from boat building.

A good picture showing the flap can be seen here:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165553838544?hash=item2...

Steve Devaney

Original Poster:

715 posts

209 months

Wednesday 26th April 2023
quotequote all
Granturadriver said:
I used a self-adhesive seal from boat building.

A good picture showing the flap can be seen here:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165553838544?hash=item2...
Thank you, very handy. 👍