Time for a small update on the AC.
So when I finally got it running properly I just wanted to get used to driving it again and getting to know it. I tried the AC but it was hard to know if it was working or not as the weather was so crap. Air was coming through the vents but was it cold?
On a trip up north with Jason where the weather had got a bit warmer we quickly came to the conclusion that it definitely wasn’t working - turning it on and off made no difference.
I ran a few tests - firstly to check that the battery was generating enough volts - I was a bit concerned about this as it’s now a lightweight oddyssey one - however it was generating plenty.
I then connected up the laptop and ran some diagnostic tests and uploaded these onto the classic retrofit forum. Jonny came back pretty quickly and said that these showed that things seemed to be operating as normal but that the compressor was off - i.e. not switching on. He asked if I’d made any changes when installing it and I confirmed no.
However I went back to the installation manual and looked again.
Now when I installed it there was an option to turn down the AC if you turn on other high voltage devices (such as heated seats - or heated rear window) - however that seemed over-complicated to me so I chose not to do that. It meant just tying off some wires and not bothering with them.
When looking at the wiring diagram there was also this part
This relay is also described as ‘optional’ which I interpreted (wrongly) as part of the same option as described above.
What it actually means is that optionally you can use the relay when connecting the two thick cables or can connect them directly (I think for more race-oriented applications)
So because I thought this was part of the same ‘voltage-preserving option I didn’t bother connecting the two smaller cables.
On the classic retrofit forum I’d passed the comment that I’d not bothered with the connector relay and Jonny replied that he’d seen that I had fitted it on my DDK thread. Hmmmm - I needed to look at it again.
Another factor in mitigation is that when looking down at the install you cannot see any unconnected pins
- The connectors for the two wires is underneath the relay that those two thick red wires go into. So when looking at the install there was nothing obvious missing.
So anyway I had a look at what I’d done and sure enough I’d taped off the two connecting wires (thankfully not cut them or anything) and feeling under the relay I found where they should plug in, and connected them both up.
And…….
IT LIVES!!!!!!!!!!
The AC kicked in exactly when it was supposed to. Happy days.
As planned I’ve been driving it to and from work each day and I was really looking forward to this week’s commute as the weather forecast was good.
The system has been great. When I first experienced the system in France Jonny said that it’s not going to pump out freezing air but it is plenty cold enough to keep the interior cool.
And that’s been my experience this week - in hot weather it’s been great - allowing me to drive with the windows up and stay cool. If the car’s been sat in the sun for a while and the interior is baking then it’s sensible to open the windows at first to get the hot air out quickly but then it settles down to a good temperature quickly.
As the temperatures dropped later in the week I found it was actually getting too cold. You may remember I previously set the desired temperature to 18 (down from 20) when sassing out the system. I’m going to change that back to 20 as it’s a more sensible level and easier to live with - I don’t think it will change anything when the temperature is really hot but it means when it’s more marginal it will be at a comfortable level.
Now everything is running properly it’s also let me reflect on what a neat solution it is - the only indicator that anything is not standard is the really subtle blue button on the dash, and yet it gives me everyday usability in all temperatures making the car a sensible option on long journeys in hot weather.
Happy days.
I think my experience of installing the kit has been harder than many but this isn’t to do with the kit. Firstly it’s a backdated hot rod with arch liners that I wasn’t prepared to move which limited my placement of the condenser.
Secondly the biggest factor was snapping that stud on the engine which meant a massive delay while I carefully f*cked things up when putting it all back together. All a learning experience but nothing to do with the AC kit.
Finally the reason it then didn’t work was down to me not reading the instructions properly - partially due to my willful blindness when it comes to electrics. When reading stuff I don’t understand I’ll often ignore it and keep reading until I get to stuff I do understand. Don’t laugh - it often works for me.
Overall I’m really chuffed with the system and so glad I installed it in the car.
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