cookie64 Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 hi all i have had an air con compressor for a 300tdi fall into my greasy mitts and came up with an idea that i might be able to use it as an air compressor for my locking diffs,tools etc instead of compressing gas for an air con unit. does anybody know any reasons why this wouldnt work or have any advise on how to make this work?? thanks tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash.Witty Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I know someone who has done this and has been working well, plus you have the benefit of the mag clutch so it can only run when you want it to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynic-al Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I have it on mine. Works really well. I have a 25 litre tank in the boot with a standard compressor switch to turn the pump on and off with the decompression feature, quite happy at 8 bar. I ended up having to have a hydraulic hose made from the pump to tank as the v8 generated enough heat to make a reinforced airline blister and burst under pressure. I also put a lubricator on the air inlet for the pump. Some people also put cooling coils in to cool the air after compression but so far I've got away without. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejparrott Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 There are several excellent threads on this forum about doing it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigelw Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 My favorite http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=2527 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diff Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 hi all i have had an air con compressor for a 300tdi fall into my greasy mitts and came up with an idea that i might be able to use it as an air compressor for my locking diffs,tools etc instead of compressing gas for an air con unit. does anybody know any reasons why this wouldnt work or have any advise on how to make this work?? thanks tom Here's a post of mine which has lots of good info and contribution from others: http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=13723&hl= System is still working fine. Regards, Diff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I've got a 200tdi air con compressor waiting for me to convert to do this task, I might get round to it this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discomikey Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 i kept mine since i ripped it out the discovery especially for this. but never got round to it i need a tank too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie64 Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 Thanks for the quick replays guys, I've managed to find quite a lot of info from the various threads people have posted Such a good forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigelw Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 My favorite http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=2527 What happened to the pictures They were there when I book marked it in around 2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 What happened to the pictures They were there when I book marked it in around 2006 where ever Les had the photo's posted maybe a clearout or he's moved them or removed them from the hosting site, you could PM him & ask Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CwazyWabbit Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 What happened to the pictures They were there when I book marked it in around 2006 Photobucket messed up all of Les's pictures earlier this year (it was mentioned on his current rebuild thread) He managed to get some of them put back but I guess these have not been fixed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean f Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Relatively cheap source for a suitable air tank is an old P38 Range Rover or Discovery with air suspension. Lots have either been scrapped or converted to coils, most of the time when they are converted to coils the tanks is left in place but not used, they are relatively small and come complete with mounting brackets already attached. If you plan to use the air a lot then a bigger tank might be better but it is always a trade off of now big a tank and where you can put it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Brock Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Hi Guys, I think I have them on an external drive somewhere, I'll have a look and stick them back up - once I find them There are some other pic's on my build thread (linky below) including using a P38 Air tank Really must get that finished this year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallfry Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I thought Aircon compressors had oil in the refridgerant ? Surely running on just air would wear it out fairly quickly ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 there has to be an oiler within the system to for lubrication purposes, if run without any lube the pump will sieze up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I ran one before without an oiler, it would run for quite a while before seizing (weeks of occasional use) and once seized a drop of oil in the inlet would free it instantly for another few weeks. I don't recall which model pump it was Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynic-al Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 I have a 1/2" lubricator on the inlet and a trap on the outlet. Been ok so far... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie64 Posted January 12, 2014 Author Share Posted January 12, 2014 cynic-al i dont suppose you have any photos of your set up? did you use original parts i.e compressor mount, tensioner idler belt etc or did you go custom thanks tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynic-al Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 No photos but I can take some if you need something specific. I have a 1/2" airline that comes from a small filter up by the snorkel top, through a lubricator then to the compressor. The compressor is standard land rover (not York) on a standard mount with the standard pulleys, belts and tensioner. Some people may go custom as they already have a second alternator there? There's a 1/2" hydraulic hose that goes to the tank in the boot. I had to use a hydraulic hose as the braided airline went soft and blistered with the heat from the exhaust manifold and air pressure. I can't remember the fitting thread off the top of my head but I can look it up if I kept the pipe invoice, jis I think. I don't have a cooling coil and have got away so far, maybe as the pipe runs under the car? The tank and fittings are basically a 25 litre compressor like you would have at the home. It has the standard pressure switch that comes on at 6 bar and off at 8 bar and decompresses the line once it switches off so that the pump doesn't start under load. I did have the standard check valve but it failed so I just used some inline ones I had lying around. The clutch on the compressor needs 12v to engage and pulls around 4 or 5 amps so I have it wired through the pressure switch on the tank and a dash switch in series. I have a fluid trap on the tank outlet then just a standard pcl fitting for an airline, I also have a pressure gauge on the a-pillar just so I can see what's happening whilst I'm driving. Hope that makes some sense?! If not I'll do a sketch or there may already be better technical posts on here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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