Learned a new trick to get the A/C to blow colder

[pushead]

One of my other cars a/c kicked it so I took it to a local shop to find out what I need to replace. While waiting I observed the owner/tech taking some foam pipe insulation and wedging it in all around where the radiator is bolted to the frame. So when it was my turn I asked him about my 03 vibe since my wife was there with it and me. He said to take the top 2 bolts that hold the fan/radiator to the cross bar and stuff the foam across it and down the sides. By doing this the high pressure dropped over 30 pounds and the air got colder. My ac is now blowing ice. I never even considered the lost air flow. Between that and my pusher fan I am blowing out 32 degrees at the vent.

[Salsa Guy]

How about a few PICs. I find what you are talking about very interesting and helpful

[beemerphile1]

Sounds like you are blocking air leakage from coming around behind the condenser. Is that correct?

If there is substantial leakage, the insulation could force more air through the condenser rather than around it.

[pushead]

Sounds like you are blocking air leakage from coming around behind the condenser. Is that correct?

If there is substantial leakage, the insulation could force more air through the condenser rather than around it.

Basicly that is correct, but the seal is actually all around the radiator since the condenser sits in front of it. You can seal every gap around the entire raditor and frame to improve the flow. This way its all forceed through like you said vs by passing it through any gaps.

I would post pics but I dont use any online photo sites for anything. I am not a fan of posting pics online for my daily life via FB, Twitter or for any thing at all, so I just don't use them. If you want you can PM me your email and I will gladly take some pics for you over the weekend. You can also google it and find allot of information about. I just never came across it before this week to think of it.

[danimal86]

I just gave this a try (along with wrapping one of the lines going to/from the condenser), and i'm not sure which one made a difference or both, but the AC seems cooler quicker.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but framing the radiator with the insulation just helps at slower speeds (when the radiator fan is on)?
Would this make the engine run warmer in stop-go traffic because the radiator fan has to pull air though the condenser before it hits the radiator?

[lannvouivre]

I just gave this a try (along with wrapping one of the lines going to/from the condenser), and i'm not sure which one made a difference or both, but the AC seems cooler quicker.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but framing the radiator with the insulation just helps at slower speeds (when the radiator fan is on)?
Would this make the engine run warmer in stop-go traffic because the radiator fan has to pull air though the condenser before it hits the radiator?

The radiator fan is always on when the A/C is. I don't think it would cause the car to run warmer, even if you sit in place during a hot TX summer the fan cycles on and off while the engine idles (when the A/C is off). I think this would help prevent as much standing engine compartment air from being sucked into the radiator. I hope that makes sense, it's 2 am and suddenly English looks like absolute tongues to me.

Also, the experience I'm remembering with the fan cycling is from cars besides Vibes with overheating problems (shophands get the boring jobs, like watching the temperature reading on the scanner for over an hour waiting for a car to overheat)

[danimal86]

I just gave this a try (along with wrapping one of the lines going to/from the condenser), and i'm not sure which one made a difference or both, but the AC seems cooler quicker.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but framing the radiator with the insulation just helps at slower speeds (when the radiator fan is on)?
Would this make the engine run warmer in stop-go traffic because the radiator fan has to pull air though the condenser before it hits the radiator?

The radiator fan is always on when the A/C is. I don't think it would cause the car to run warmer, even if you sit in place during a hot TX summer the fan cycles on and off while the engine idles (when the A/C is off). I think this would help prevent as much standing engine compartment air from being sucked into the radiator. I hope that makes sense, it's 2 am and suddenly English looks like absolute tongues to me.

Also, the experience I'm remembering with the fan cycling is from cars besides Vibes with overheating problems (shophands get the boring jobs, like watching the temperature reading on the scanner for over an hour waiting for a car to overheat)

That makes sense about the fan always running. Thanks for the info. Its supposed to hit 100deg today, so i'll give it a good test on the ride home.

[Rayven01]

This seems like one of those things that's so simple there's got to be a catch. It would cost car makers pennies to build them like this from the get go, in some cases saving them money by improving efficiency enough to warrant a cheaper compressor. There' got to be a reason they don't...

[kumquat]

This seems like one of those things that's so simple there's got to be a catch. It would cost car makers pennies to build them like this from the get go, in some cases saving them money by improving efficiency enough to warrant a cheaper compressor. There' got to be a reason they don't...

I'd guess you increase the risk of overheating in conditions where the car is not moving and the ambient temperature is high. Without the makeshift duct, the radiator fan pulls some ambient air through the rad without it passing through the condenser as well. As you can imagine, with the AC on full blast the condenser is warm. So forcing all air going through the rad through the condenser first may compromise the rad's ability to shed heat.

It's worth noting that this situation - high ambient temperature, car not moving - is precisely the situation where this mod will help the A/C temperature the most. It's probably not a big deal, but you are compromising the radiator's cooling by maximizing the condenser's.

[vibrologist]

I'd guess you increase the risk of overheating in conditions where the car is not moving and the ambient temperature is high. Without the makeshift duct, the radiator fan pulls some ambient air through the rad without it passing through the condenser as well. As you can imagine, with the AC on full blast the condenser is warm. So forcing all air going through the rad through the condenser first may compromise the rad's ability to shed heat.

I think there is a little trade off going on: yes the air going through the radiator is warmer than it would be without the seals, on the other hand the fan is pulling more air volume at a higher speed. Also the air flow may be more even across the radiator. Without the seals there may be warm air circulating from the back side of the radiator to the front. That is a loss of efficiency. If your temperature gauge stays in the normal range you should be good.

Some cool pictures in here:

https://www.exa.com/cooling-airflow.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[kumquat]

on the other hand the fan is pulling more air volume at a higher speed.

What? How do you figure that?

[vibrologist]

on the other hand the fan is pulling more air volume at a higher speed.

What? How do you figure that?

I thought about that myself. I think I was wrong on that. There could be a little channeling effect but not enough to get the volume up.