Puma Defender A/C wheres the condenser?

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Was looking at a Puma in Opposite Lock Rockdale today and realised that the condenser unit is not taking up the footwell.

Is the unit in the dash below/behind the airvents or is it a combined unit with the demister blower unit in the engine bay?

Diana

[TimNZ]

Hi Diana, I take it you mean the evaporator? Its up behind the dash with the heater core.

[manic]

shame about that... would be nice if they mounted externally on the bulkhead like the old heater boxes - allow the older defenders to get some cool air.

The bits on show
Defender2 - View topic - Aircondition kit for puma defender + scanguage (http://www.defender2.net/forum/post95525.html)

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Hi Diana, I take it you mean the evaporator? Its up behind the dash with the heater core.Oops, I had it on reverse cycle didn't I? That's what you get trying to keep warm in Winter!

When you say behind the dash, you are talking about the bit where the radio and switches live aren't you?

[TimNZ]

When you say behind the dash, you are talking about the bit where the radio and switches live aren't you?

Yes :)


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/02/1042.jpg

1 Air inlet duct
2 Air intake and blower assembly
3 Heater assembly and controls
4 A/C (air conditioning) thermostatic switch
5 Water valve and bracket assembly
6 A/C (air conditioning) refrigerant pressure switch
7 A/C (air conditioning) evaporator
8 A/C (air conditioning) thermostatic expansion valve
9 A/C (air conditioning) receiver drier
10 A/C (air conditioning) condenser assembly
11 A/C (air conditioning) compressor

(This is for a LHD car, but the idea is the same).

Cheers,

[PAT303]

I've been told to never drive with the windows down and air con running as the evaporator will fill with dirt and stuff up,a very exxy job to fix. Pat

[GlennWA]

I've been told to never drive with the windows down and air con running as the evaporator will fill with dirt and stuff up,a very exxy job to fix. Pat

Anyone know the reason, if any, behind this? From my limited knowledge it doesn't sound credible but would love to be proven wrong.

[DeanoH]

Anyone know the reason, if any, behind this? From my limited knowledge it doesn't sound credible but would love to be proven wrong.


IMO the problem is that it does sound credible, but whether it actually is or not is debatable.

With the air con on and the windows closed there is a certain amount of external air sucked in even if air flow is switched to re-circulate. (This is for safety reasons so that oxygen levels in the car don't become too low).
If the windows are opened, the amount of air entering the vehicle through the ventilation system will increase as air escapes from the opened window(s). It could be argued that should the vehicle be moving the 'venturi effect' caused by the airflow across the opened window(s) would greatly increase the volume of airflow through the car.
As air entering the car ventilation system will have a certain amount of dust/pollen etc suspended in it, it could be reasonable to assume that some will 'stick' to the air con evaporator which is in the airflow path (this is how the air is chilled). So logically then more airflow = more dust/pollen stuck in the evaporator.

BUT. There are two things (that I can think of) this hypothesis doesn't take into acount.

1/. does the vehicle have a dust/pollen filter to trap the contaminants before they get into the cars ventilation system ? My P38a did, my sons 1995 BMW has (don't know about SWMBO's D2a though), so I guess this depends on the car. So if the car has a pollen filter worst case it will need cleaning/replacing more often.

2/. it doesn't matter a damn whether the air cons switched on or not (for the evaporator to supposedly get blocked up) as the ventilation air flow goes through the evaporator whether the air cons switched on or not !

So perhaps the 'warning' should be ..............'don't have the air vents and windows open at the same time ?'

IMO reckon this is one of those seemingly 'credible' storys that is actually a crock of ****. :D

Deano:)