Defender 300tdi AC conversion

[TobyMellin]

I've done a few AC conversion for onboard air supply on Defender TD5's, but a mate has asked me to convert his Defender 300tdi.

I've never owned a 300tdi. Does the AC pump bolt straight on to a 300tdi?

Someone is selling a conversion kit, but it includes a front timing cover. Does this need to be changed to accept an air con pump?

 

Thanks for the help!

Toby

[oneandtwo]

Pump bolts straight onto the timing case.

you don’t need a new cover you just need the eccentric tensioner that bolts to front over in place of the fuel pump timing inspection cover.

[supaimpy]

Though I had pics of pulley and compressor  but can only find this currently

[Ed Poore]

It more or less bolts straight on - but there's a few little bits that you need to source and most of them are detailed here.

The tensioner accepts a 1/2" drive to apply tension and bolts in-place of the timing cover plate. There is a boss with a threaded insert for putting the idler pulley on (21). Perhaps the more difficult bit to source is item 6 which is a bracket that bolts onto the timing cover and then provides three long mounting studs for bolting up the compressor.

I've done this conversion and can take some pictures if you're interested. The output that the compressor can produce is insane, I can run my 50A plasma cutter off it without any difficulty, but then again it's got 100hp behind it... Although I don't anymore because I've got rid of the lubrication system because it kept disintegrating and only run it for short periods now. Been fine.

[TobyMellin]

Perfect, thanks everyone.

 

If you could please @Ed Poore, that would be great.

 

The TD5 setup is easy as the pump bolts straight on, next extra tensioners etc.

I use my setup quite a lot for inflating truck tyres, air tanks etc. I did burn out the clutch on my last pump trying to inflate some ait tanks on a truck a bit too quick. Now I just leave it on idle and it's been fine since.

 

Thanks for the help

Edited April 10, 2020 by TobyMellin

[Ed Poore]

Piece of rubber between the compressor housing and pipework may or may not be a piece of welly 

The two large bolts you can see just below the electrical cable (from just behind the pulley) are two of four that bolt into the timing case, there's two on the other side.

There's then the three vertical studs which are helicoiled / thread locked into the mounting bracket and have an M8 I think nut to clamp the compressor down.

The belt then runs around the clutch pulley and around this tensioner - you can see the 1/2" drive used to tension it and two of the three bolts that go into the timing cover. The pulley vertically below it bolts into that boss - I can't remember if it's a blind hole or if you need to size the bolt appropriately so it doesn't hit anything. I can find out as I've got a spare timing cover in the shed.

Most important, essential if you off-road is the flared washer that sits behind the bolt - this protects carp from getting into the bearing - it's not a perfect seal but before I managed to track one down it was eating bearings on that pulley every couple of months. Other than that it goes around the crank pulley at the back and then the viscous fan pulley before running up to the compressor.

Same view but from other side (passenger)