Air Conditioning Pipes

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27 Oct 2012 21:12 - 31 Oct 2012 19:31 #1 by dandjcr
dandjcr created the topic: Air Conditioning Pipes
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frank
Member
Posts: 59
Found why the A/C not working, pipe on the compressor is cracked off (I seem to remember the guys I bought it off mentioning this - wondered at the time why they didn't fix it).

Easy fix - NOT.

The A/C pipes to the compressor are routed under the bottom of the central air tunnel, (where they are fixed on by clamps), and above the solid steel plate that is welded to the chassis, that goes above where a winch would mount.

Impossible to access without lifting the cab off the chassis.

And not only the A/C but also the power steering, brake lines and wiring harnesses are clamped either to this plate or to the underside of the central air tunnel.

I worked out my options were either:
-cut the bottom of the air tunnel out.
-cut the centre front lower section out and hopefully get a spanner in the gap
-cut the steel plate thats welded between the chassis rails out
-take the cab off
-sell it (and see if the fellow I sold my HJ61 to would sell it back to me).

I chose option #3. the logic being that the front bash plate provides protection for this area and that two layers of 3mm steel are probably not needed.

It took all day with an angle grinder, trying to carefully not cut all the other stuff that is mounted to it. I confess I didnt even know about the brake lines until the plate fell on top of me when I finally got it out. It looks like I didn't nick any of the other stuff. I had drilled out all the bolts that mounted stuff to this plate after knocking the end of the threads off with a cold chisel.

Now I will have to weld some little brackets on the chassis so I can reclamp the brake lines and power steering hose to something.

It would have been a whole not nicer if they simply ran the lines across the front where the wiring harness to the drier goes!

Rant finished - please no one tell me a real simple way to do this.

--
Frank & Christine Thomas

May 5, 2012 at 8:42 PM Flag Quote & Reply

frank
Member
Posts: 59
and,
does anyone know a good A/C mob I can get another pipe built and system regassed and whatever else they need to do?
thanks
--
Frank & Christine Thomas

May 5, 2012 at 9:20 PM Flag Quote & Reply

Alister McBride
Member
Posts: 97
Gday Frank,
Yeah, it is pretty common practice to cut that plate out, although it only took me half an hour to cut mine out (i was much less carefull by the sounds!). When i cut mine out i found that the brake lines were rusted so as part of my rebuild i'm replacing them but running them down the right hand side of the vehicle, it seems more logical that way and saves them crossing the vehicle multiple times... Just another unique okaism design! I've also removed the front evaporator (it's next to useless anyway) which should help front airflow and I'm rerouting the A/C hoses from the above head evaporator down the RH side of the cab, this also seems more logical, will let you know how i go.
The A/C hoses can either be gotten from your local autolec (who does A/C's) or a place like blackwoods of bj bearings down where we are... Basically anywhere that does hydraulic hoses should cover all bases.
Anyway, good luck and happy travels!
Al
May 5, 2012 at 11:21 PM Flag Quote & Reply

Tony Lee
Member
Posts: 539

"it seems more logical that way and saves them crossing the vehicle multiple times... Just another unique okaism design!"

Perhaps it is to keep them away from the exhaust pipe


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Tony

picasaweb.google.com/114611728110254134379

May 5, 2012 at 11:31 PM Flag Quote & Reply

David Hallandal
Member
Posts: 133
cut the steel plate thats welded between the chassis rails out. it is not there on all vehicles and was never fitted in later Vehicles

--
David Hallandal
OKA-131 Home Page
OKA Camper Trailer
XT and LT Service Manuals on CD For Sale
20mm Spring Hanger Upgrade Kits For Sale

May 6, 2012 at 7:06 AM Flag Quote & Reply

David Hallandal
Member
Posts: 133
Rod Lyons from the OKA Owners Group is a A/C man and knows them well
--
David Hallandal
OKA-131 Home Page
OKA Camper Trailer
XT and LT Service Manuals on CD For Sale
20mm Spring Hanger Upgrade Kits For Sale

May 6, 2012 at 7:08 AM Flag Quote & Reply

Hal Harvey
Site Owner
Posts: 509
David's point makes sense to me Frank - you have #164 and it had a plate that I couldn't picture, and I have #260 which never had such a plate.

Lyons Air Conditioning, as David also says, is your man - see the Links page, a little over halfway down.
--
Hal

May 6, 2012 at 11:23 AM Flag Quote & Reply

frank
Member
Posts: 59
Glad I made a good decision in cutting that plate out.
Really tempted (again!) to ditch the whole A/C and worry about it later. Getting desperate to get it all back together so we can use it. However a talk to Rod Lyons sounds like it is in order before I do that.
Alister's suggestion of ditching the front condenser sounds tempting too. Anyone ditched the front inside cab unit (the evaporator) and only used the rear one?

--
Frank & Christine Thomas

May 6, 2012 at 10:23 PM Flag Quote & Reply

Alister McBride
Member
Posts: 97
Yes Tony you're right it would run near the exhaust, i'm just wondering whether i will run the new brakelines above or below the fuel line which runs within an inch or so of the exhaust... I won't go into how petrol cars run their brakelines down the same tunnel as the exhaust and their exhaust run a lot hotter than a 110Hp diesel.
Anyway, back to the point... Frank i also found that removing the in-dash evaporator helped with hose complexity in tight places under the cab etc. (also less leaking potential if that matters...) Something to keep in mind, i've got a bus evaporator in a dual cab so i should be frosty, i'm not sure how it would perform cooling a whole bus... i'm sure it would be fine, just something to consider.
May 8, 2012 at 8:57 PM Flag Quote & Reply

frank
Member
Posts: 59
Well I rang Rod Lyons, apparently he is doing an Oka at the moment (anyones here?). His recommendation is to replace the front condenser with a larger unit, replace pipes etc ~$2k. So, based on that, in the short term I am going to remove all the A/C store it in the attic and concentrate on getting the vehicle usable for our purposes. Next job (off topic now), replace all rubber coolant and fuel hoses. Coolant ones make a cracking sound whenever I touch them, and a couple of the fuel ones drip diesel.
--
Frank & Christine Thomas

May 8, 2012 at 10:41 PM Flag Quote & Reply

Dandj
Member
Posts: 367
Frank, I read you original post with interest but then moved on as it wasn't applicable to me, then.
So this week, after a few years of fading performance, I had my A/C system leak tested and found the compressor front seal and a couple of other hose ends are leaking, so the compressor had to be removed for repair/replacement.
Now your post suddenly became ultra-applicable.
I found it impossible to remove the unions from the compressor in situ so I removed it and clamped it to the spring to undo the joints. One was completely fused to the compressor, so the hose end will need replacing which means extending the hose, or replacing it completely. Either way I needed access to the hose which terminates at a tee piece, under That Plate.



So I followed your plan and successfully removed the plate to reveal the hoses. It took a couple of hours since I was being wary of not damaging the pipes above it. I drilled out the pipe clamping screws last, so I knew where the pipes were while cutting through the welds.



Now all the hoses are exposed for maintenance but I'll need to add a support/protection bar for the brake pipes. I'll also refit a removable cover to protect all hoses from dust, rocks and branches.
Other hoses and cables can be clamped to the bottom of the air tunnel which I can access though cutouts on the side (used to funnel cool air into the cab).



Thanks for your insight into the plate removal.
--
David and Janet Ribbans, Oka 148

May 13, 2012 at 8:34 AM Flag Quote & Reply

outyonda.com
Member
Posts: 58
Frank Remember the HQ Holden A/C under dash unit? I have two OKAs with dash mounted A/C plus roof units, works well. You can still get units brand new, around $300 from local sparky. A cheap fix that works well. Only the early models had that plate. cheers Brett
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May 13, 2012 at 11:24 AM Flag Quote & Reply

Dandj
Member
Posts: 367
Several people have alluded to later model Okas not having The Plate.
How are hoses and pipes clamped and protected on these vehicles or are they run somewhere else? Any pics?
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David and Janet Ribbans, Oka 148

May 13, 2012 at 1:29 PM Flag Quote & Reply

frank
Member
Posts: 59
David, i was wondering the same. I was actually thinking that if I had known about the brake lines it would have been wiser to cut the plate east west an inch or so in front of the brake lines. I'm thinking I will just weld a couple of tabs in and make up some line clamps like are used elsewhere to hold the pipes (drill a couple of holes in a block of steel and then hacksaw through the middle of the holes).
OutYonda, you mean the units that freeze your kneecaps if you sit in the front passengers seat! Any chance of some photos of your setups? Also, are you the one who had the Oka tray advertised in Gumtree?
--
Frank & Christine Thomas

May 13, 2012 at 8:50 PM Flag Quote & Reply

outyonda.com
Member
Posts: 58
it was not my tray on gumtree. you take the centre glove box out & mount the knee tremblers high & centre.
May 13, 2012 at 10:21 PM Flag Quote & Reply

Dandj
Member
Posts: 367
Frank, in hindsight you're right, but you can't easily see what pipes/hoses/cables are where (mine were all over the place) so cutting anywhere except carefully though the edge welds is a bit risky.
I've bolted a 40mm angle (50mm would have been better) to the rear cross member to clamp the brake pipes to via a nylon block so there's no more metal to metal contact.
The wiring loom and hoses were quite abraded through vibration so I'm glad I removed the plate so I can stabilise and protect them better.
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David and Janet Ribbans, Oka 148

May 14, 2012 at 12:27 AM

David and Janet Ribbans - Oka 148
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Last Edit: 31 Oct 2012 19:31 by dandjcr.

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