Gulfstream Greg Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 We have purchased our new Toyota Motorhome. The Sunrader is off with a new family. We found the Conquest far far away. Its a 1991 Gulfstream Conquest. Didn't really know anything about the Conquests when we went to lok at it other than it has the floor plan we want. We looked and realized the cab over needed some TLC. My worst case scenario would be to rebuild it, the framing etc. So we made an offer and bought it. After getting it home and opening up the walls I discovered that it has 1 inch by 1 inch square aluminum framing through out. I was expecting wood! The damage over the cap is basically superficial with the inside paneling de-laminating. I have pulled off all the de-laminated areas and primed the surfaces that are left. The way it is constructed is with a sheet of foam core sandwiched between two sheets of 1/8 inch luan plywood. The front widow area has a wood frame around the window, I am going to build a new piece for that. There was no insulation above the window where the running lights are so I will fill in that area with foam. The front will be overlay-ed with 3/8 plywood then a 1/4 inch luan. The sides will receive 1/4 inch luan all glued and screwed in place with adhesive. One of the challenges here will be to match the stain with the existing paneling in the rest of the coach. Our other option would be wall paper or paint. We will give the stain a shot as we feel a warm wood cab-over would be a nice touch. More pics and story to come. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motoyhomme Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Congratulations on your new acquisition. Are the new owners of your Sunrader baby going to get to use Turbo in their screen name? Are you going to change your name to perhaps Conquistador Greg? (Wow, this is a really slow day for me). Anyway, I (we) are looking forward to seeing and hearing of your endeavors to bring your new Conquest up to your standards. Allen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajadulce Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Cool, a new toy to spend the next few years personalizing! I like it. Looks pretty roomy. How tall is that thing? Aluminum framing sure is nice! Looks like a decent camper too. The driver's side view looks like there is a bathroom in the back? Won't you miss your rear dinette and the 180 degree view you had w/ sunrader? ... hey look interchangeable wheels! That must be nice not to have to worry about different spares anymore. V6 or 4cyl? Auto? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted April 3, 2009 Author Share Posted April 3, 2009 Cool, a new toy to spend the next few years personalizing! I like it. Looks pretty roomy.How tall is that thing? Aluminum framing sure is nice! Looks like a decent camper too. The driver's side view looks like there is a bathroom in the back? Won't you miss your rear dinette and the 180 degree view you had w/ sunrader? ... hey look interchangeable wheels! That must be nice not to have to worry about different spares anymore. V6 or 4cyl? Auto? Interior height is 6 foot half inch by 79 inches wide. I will miss the view out the back. Bathroom is in the back, basically the same floor plan as any of the winnys or dolphins. One exception though, just a single sink instead of a double so there is a bit of usable counter space. Tons of storage, maybe too much. Got my templates made for the two side panels and hope to cut them when I get home tomorrow. I would like to stain them outside but I see there is a possibility of rain on Sunday. The front panel will have to be temporarily put in place and I will remove the front window and mark its position from the outside. I want to reseal it anyway. One little problem is the rubber seal around the outside window that has come loose and looks like it has shrunk in length. Hopefully the guys at mission rv repair will have something or know what I need. This hopefully is our MH for years to come. V6 with auto. Got to do some exhaust repair then to the smog man. Engine ran bad at first because of 3 year old gas but some injector cleaner and a couple of tanks and it purrs right along! And motoyhomme, I like the sound of "Conquistador Greg". Have to sleep on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted April 7, 2009 Author Share Posted April 7, 2009 Got the cab over paneling in place and stained. Wish I could have used a water based stain as the oil base is very oderous. It dies off over a weeks time and the clear coats will help. Used a narrow gauge air powered stapler to do the fastening of the panels. I had considered screws but then I would have to deal with the screw heads when I trimmed it out. Stapler cost me $100 but well worth it. It had the power to easily staple into the aluminum framing just like the original factory install. I primed the existing panels then applied Pro Bond to adhere the new and old panels together. I even put in some insulation in the area where the running lights are as the manufacturer had left it empty. Now on to trimming it out and clear coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoprat Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 Now that's a very good job. I give it three"Woots" and 30 seconds of applause. Ahhh.. by the way Greg.. wonder what that sucker would do with a turbo on the V6... Muuuuhahahahah.. Come-on, ya know ya want to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted April 8, 2009 Author Share Posted April 8, 2009 I was actually thinking more inline with a super charger! But I don't believe anyone makes a super charger for these engines. Here are a couple of links though of interest. There are some engine swap possibilities though! Hmmm the 3vz-fe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_VZ_engine http://www.toyotacatalog.net/M1WebGear/Pro...aspx?Class=1641 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoprat Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 http://www.toyotacatalog.net/m1webgear/Pro...aspx?Class=1641 That's the outfit where I got my turbo kit. They know what they are about. Great customer support. A little pricey, but hoo boy, do they deliver! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted April 8, 2009 Author Share Posted April 8, 2009 Hows that turbo running? Blow anything up yet? Did you lower the compression? Unfortunately in California the smog man has some serious rules we must abide by. I will in the future look to other means for increasing the horsepower. The conquest is one of the lighter rigs because of its alum framing and light weight panels. Not very much particle board that I can find. The tables and a small panel between the doorway and dinette is all. Stepped inside this morning to find two leaks over the cab over. Looks like the front window and a running light. I knew I had to pull the window and reseal it and the lights too. I have been thinking of installing some led runners so was holding off caulking them and have been waiting on the window when I can install the interior bezel permanently. Hope to get my clear coats on tonight so its close. Driving it down to the smog man tomorrow. If all goes well then down to CA DMV for the new plates. Installed a new down pipe from the manifold to the cat last night with a new O2 sensor. Previous owner had crunched something right on the pipe and bent it and creating a leak at the cat flange. Eventually a new system from the cat back will be done for that nice throaty sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoprat Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Turbos' running great.Or it was last year last time I used it. Think I told here year or so ago, how I cooked the header manifold. The boys at LC Engineering said I must have been running 1600 degrees F. exhaust temp to do that ! To make a long story short, I had erred in using a knock sensor. It was backing out timing and overheating exhaust because it was reading some piston slap due to the Hyper eutectic pistons I was using. Disconnected the knock sensor, took it to a fella here that runs a dragster and had him listen to the engine while I stood on the go pedal on a road test. Said there was no spark knock, just something that "Was there". Not really something to be conserned about. So, I ran it down to Tenn. and watched the exhaust temp with my new Temp guage. 1450 at the top reading. Going up a long hill at 50 -55 mph. It got about 13.5 mpg average. Thing can now get out of it's own way. Still running the stock comp. ratio. with 4 - 5 pounds boost. I know that's low boost with a high comp. ratio, but I use premium gas. I figger with my needs, that gets the job done with very little chance of rolling the crank out on the road. Runs about 185 to 210 on the cooling system. I am very well pleased. Oh, by the way, the guy who most helped me iron out the wrinkles was John in Customer Support at LC Engineering. Can't say enough good things about that organization. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted April 10, 2009 Author Share Posted April 10, 2009 1600! I think you are lucky the whole thing did not go up in flames. A friend of mine has an 88 turbo truck. He installed the T3T4 kit from LC and has been very happy with it. He did have some assembly issues because of some parts though. He is running around 10 pounds boost. 2 1/2 inch exhaust, some sort of high end ignition and a bunch other tricks. Runs really nice! His is the turbo engine so running the lower compression. On another note the Gulfstream passed smog and DMV handed me a shiny new set of plates! Got my new shurflow silent pump and will be putting it and the tank back in this weekend. Among other things I will be resealing everything on the outside this weekend also. Looks like I might need a new refer roof vent cover but have not looked at it closely enough. Its all coming together little by little. I will also be putting on the clear coat on the cab over and trimming it out. I contacted a local foam shop and it apears that replacing the cab over foam will be easy and somewhat cheap with higher density more comfy foam. My front seats had some sheep skin type covers on them so I pulled them out only to discover that the seats match the interior upholstery. The stitching on one side of both seats has come loose, no tears or rips so it should be an easy fix to fix them. I have been looking at carpet kits for the cab, anyone have any suggestions. The eventual plan is to remove the carpeting in the coach and it would be a good time to re carpet the cab. The cab is blue like the upholstery but the carpet is a goldish brown. Probably go with a blue type carpet in the cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted April 23, 2009 Author Share Posted April 23, 2009 A small update. Put the front cabover window back in and resealed it. I could not get but one of the cab over amber running lights to work so I pulled them and have installed led lights. Will do the same for the rear running. I replaced the tail lights with bargman led replacements. The sockets on the originals were really rusted and I had 3 broken lenses. Let me say the new led went right in, a 5 min job each and are they bright, brakes and turn actually hurts the eyes when close. I had pulled the water tank and found that the filler hose had been leaking for years. The floor was still sound but the tie down straps had come loose. I laid down a 3/4 inch piece of exterior plywood and re attached the hold downs. While I was in there I also replaced all the hoses. I dropped in a new silent water pump, almost can't hear it running. Put in a new drain valve for the tank. Adjusted the heaters spark gap to factory specs as it was having trouble igniting. Seems OK now. Its a suburban and has to be pulled from its housing to work on it. Don't really like that option. There is an exterior door available so maybe one day I will retrofit it. Fired up the refer and the freezer got down to 4 degrees. Guess its working. Installed new Bali blinds on the two main side windows and the rear bath window. Still have to sew up some curtains for the upper bunk though. Shampooed the carpet and upholstery. Yanked the cassette stereo out of the dash (was brand new, why would someone put in a cassette these days) and installed a Pyle which has a LCD screen. Its a DVD player also so we will be able to pipe the video to a monitor in the rear. It also has a rear view camera option which I intend to use. I have found that with this motorhome I am completely blind as to whats directly behind me. The rear view camera is a must have safety item. Have not figured out a camera yet though. Worked over the dinette as someone had modded it for who knows what. I don't know if it ever had cabinet doors for the under the seat storage so I put solid panels with access from the top seats. The table would not fit between the seats to make into a bed so I fixed that also. Bought some round led lights from Costco and put them in the top of each cabinet. They are cool as they have a motion sensor and will activate for 30 or 40 seconds and shut off. I think they are $20 for a pack of 3. I started restoring the fiberglass. Can't remember the name of the stuff but I am using a scrubby sponge to apply then let it dry and wipe off. Wow what a difference. The existing is chalky with the fiberglass fibers showing. After the treatment it almost looks new. Still have the water heater to address as it lites but goes out in a few seconds then re-lites and goes out again. I still have a yard long list of things to get done. Will post some pics soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted April 24, 2009 Author Share Posted April 24, 2009 Heater blues When the heater is running there is a smell of propane, enough to warrant concern. So the heater is coming back out. I suppose I will have to rig up a gas line to it somehow for bench testing. I don't think its a compromised combustion chamber as the carbon monoxide detector just sits at 0. My guess is the burner feed line is not sealed somehow but the only way to see it is out of the camper on the bench, hence the bench test. I will plug the air outlet from the combustion chamber also as it has its own forced air system and perhaps with some soapy water I can check the chamber for leaks. It should pressurize when running I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted May 11, 2009 Author Share Posted May 11, 2009 Figured out what was wrong with the heater and propane smell. Dumb me did not tighten the burner supply tube to the valve. Lucky I did not blow up. The water heaters problem was bad grounding. It could not sense the flame. Had to take the burner assembly all apart, clean up all the connection points and run a ground wire from it to the chassis. It lights almost all the time and stays lit but now the pressure relief valve opens at the slightest heat increase. My roof leak is not gone. On our way down to the Big Sur Toyin I had a very small amount of water leak in around the front window. Only while were driving in the rain. It rained all night the first night and no leak. So my conclusion is it is being forced in some where when driving. The roof has a rubber membrane, so the plan is to use a product specifically for re-coating it. There is a seam where the roof connects to the front panel and someone has ran a new membrane over it. My guess is somewhere there is a small hole invisible to the eye. The cab over re-model is almost done, just a couple more pieces of trim and some filler in the staple holes. Installed a propane detector. They have pull dates. Check yours to see if it is still with in its usable dates. Got my rear view camera and hope to get that in soon. Have to run a video cable to the front. Ordered a new exhaust for the catalytic converter back. I am sure I will have to mod it a bit. Its by Pacesetter sold through Summit racing and also JCWhitney. $10 less from summit but they do not ship free, JCW ships free and will pay return shipping if it does not fit. I had actually bought one for the turbo but it did not fit because of the rear spring mounts. Its a really nice 2 1/2 inch exhaust with mandrel bends. Well its 2 inches to the muffler then 1 1/2 to the tail. I will post some pice tonight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bear Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 Figured out what was wrong with the heater and propane smell. Dumb me did not tighten the burner supply tube to the valve. Lucky I did not blow up.The water heaters problem was bad grounding. It could not sense the flame. Had to take the burner assembly all apart, clean up all the connection points and run a ground wire from it to the chassis. It lights almost all the time and stays lit but now the pressure relief valve opens at the slightest heat increase. My roof leak is not gone. On our way down to the Big Sur Toyin I had a very small amount of water leak in around the front window. Only while were driving in the rain. It rained all night the first night and no leak. So my conclusion is it is being forced in some where when driving. The roof has a rubber membrane, so the plan is to use a product specifically for re-coating it. There is a seam where the roof connects to the front panel and someone has ran a new membrane over it. My guess is somewhere there is a small hole invisible to the eye. The cab over re-model is almost done, just a couple more pieces of trim and some filler in the staple holes. Installed a propane detector. They have pull dates. Check yours to see if it is still with in its usable dates. Got my rear view camera and hope to get that in soon. Have to run a video cable to the front. Ordered a new exhaust for the catalytic converter back. I am sure I will have to mod it a bit. Its by Pacesetter sold through Summit racing and also JCWhitney. $10 less from summit but they do not ship free, JCW ships free and will pay return shipping if it does not fit. I had actually bought one for the turbo but it did not fit because of the rear spring mounts. Its a really nice 2 1/2 inch exhaust with mandrel bends. Well its 2 inches to the muffler then 1 1/2 to the tail. I will post some pice tonight! Do you have weep holes on window that leaks, could be forced in thru those. My side window in bath leaks when rain forced in by wind, but not otherwise. Figured from where the leak is that must be it. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted May 11, 2009 Author Share Posted May 11, 2009 The very front cab over window does not have the weep holes, only the side windows do. My leak is somewhere above the front cab over window, it drips out at the frame on the top of the window. When I had the inside all apart I did not think about shinning a bright light from the inside and see if there were any pinholes in the aluminum that comes down over the front cap. The reality is the leak could be anywhere above the window and migrating down to the frame and exiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted May 12, 2009 Author Share Posted May 12, 2009 Here are some updated pictures Original look after I pulled all the loose stuff out. Paper template for side piece. New paneling before staining. Almost finished, stained and one coat of satin clear with valances in place. The original side curtains are up temporarily. Still a little trim left to do and a couple coats of clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoprat Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 That looks really good , Greg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85mirage Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Nice job thank allah for aluminum framing!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted July 17, 2009 Author Share Posted July 17, 2009 And as the Saga continues --- I have made some progress. Built and installed my radio related power panel Installed an antenna platform for antennas Its across the rear of the coach and mounted through the sides. I have my new battery isolator installed but have decided to move it to the drivers side. Maineah kept asking me why I just didn't wire it in a certain way and after some thought he was right. I had lost my marbles and he helped put them back in the bag. I had put the isolator on the passenger side near the fuse box under the hood. That's where the old style isolator was installed and so that's where I put the new one because the coaches wiring was routed to there. I assumed that I could eliminate the alternators main supply wire to the fuse box and run my own. I was wrong. I discovered on a short trip that I had lost my brake lights, running lights and cab ventilation fan. I searched and searched for the cause. Finally I placed what is called a tone tracer on the dead circuit and guess what, the original alternator wire was the end result. So somewhere between the alternator and the fuse box the three dead circuits tap into the wire. This probably is very confusing to some who are reading this. End conclusion is to move the isolator to the drivers side where the alternator is, move the main alternator wire that feeds the fuse box from the alternator to the output post of the isolator and a new wire from the alternators output post to the input post of the isolator. Confused yet? Don't worry, Maineah and I are putting together a isolator installation piece. I installed some Gabriel Air Shocks. They will take 200 PSI but my compressor will only reach 140 PSI but it really helped with the boat feeling being eliminated. Installation of the shocks was easy but running the lines was some work. Installed the new Pacsetter exhaust system. Had to do some mods as the tail pipe is too short to extend past the side of the RV. Also had to use a different mid section pipe as it seems some previous work had been done to the exhaust and that pipe was welded to the catalytic converter. The exhaust used all the factory hangers which I feel is a huge PLUS. There are actually another set of hangers that are not used but eventually I will install - weld them in place for more support. Sounds really nice and I do feel it has more power. But at the same time I installed a KandN filter. I pulled out my shower pan as there was some rodent infestation and I wanted to remove it from under the pan. Found one skeleton! Installed some LED lights from Costco. They are battery operated, 3 aa cells. They rotate in several directions. I have them in and under cabinets. Inside the cabinet there is a motion activated feature where they go off after awhile when no motion is detected. Under they provide a very nice light with two levels. Highly recommended. Got both roof fans installed. Had to route some wires to one through a aluminum roof beam. Installed a rear view camera connected to a in dash Pyle DVD player, video monitor stereo system which auto activates the screen when in reverse. Is only 5 inches but works great. A fellow Toy owner sent me another screen and will be setting it up in the back as the pyle is a dvd player also and I can pipe the signal to the coach. And as the saga continues --- CAB AIR CONDITIONER NIGHTMARE When we bought this rig we knew it was missing the AC compressor. Not a big deal right. Just buy one, install it and have the system recharged. So I order the compressor and some other parts suggested to replace and it sits on the shelf for a couple of months. So now its time to dive in. I look the system over. There is an extra relay under the hood which has a wire running to the accumulator and another which I guess ran to the compressor. At this point I know nothing. I am looking at the lines that connect to the compressor and one looks a bit corroded so I set off on a quest to get a replacement. The door to the unknown has been opened. I search some wrecking yards looking for the hoses. Its compounded by looking at the new compressor. I see no way to connect the hoses and as it turns out I need a whats called a suction valve that bolts to the top of the compressor. In my search I find at least 4 different configurations but I get what I think is the right ones, hoses and a wrecker compressor with the valve. The story is not over! I am looking at the newly acquired hoses and there is no way they will connect to the condenser ( the ac part that runs across in front of the radiator), the fittings are way different. And I look at the new accumulator I bought and compare it to the one on the truck, way different. Now under the dash is whats called the evaporator. It has two connections that stub out through the firewall and one of the compressors hoses connects to it. There is also some sort of thermally activated valve on one of the stubs, and I have a new one to replace it. The story is not over! I am looking at my original hoses and I see that they have been patched back together with tubing and hose clamps. There is some chatter in the back of my brain and a little guy waving a red flag but I really not conscious of him yet. I locate a dismantler in San Jose who just deals with Toyota trucks and I pay them a visit, with all my parts and my motorhome. I set the compressor from the wrecker I had bought on the counter and the guy says, "that's from a 4 Runner". It was and I was amazed because if you put it next to the pickup compressor (my new one) the 4 runner is maybe 3/8 inches longer but looks identical. So they start dragging out parts that should be identical to mine and I am looking at them and nothing looks like my stuff. So I make the decision to buy the dead compressor they are showing me, the condenser for the across the radiator which has an accumulator just like my new one. and a line that runs from the condenser back to the firewall to connect to the evaporator (remember, that's the part under the dash stubbed out the firewall). The story is not over! I get it all home. A sense of relief knowing that I have all the right parts now. Right? I have to remove all the front of the grill work and bumper from the truck. I get the old condenser off and the new one in. At this point I am realizing my original condenser is not toyota. Its an adaption. So I have the new condenser in place and do a test fit with my wrecker hoses and one which feeds through the front sheet metal to the condensor will not connect to the condenser, just not enough room. And the fitting is identical except that it uses a larger bolt. *&@)!(&. Now I start looking at where the compressor mounts to see how I am going to get that sorta little heavy bugger in there and bolt it up. Hmmmm, that bracket really does not look like it will accommodate the compressor. %$#^%. So since my hoses will not connect to the under dash (evaporator) and the little valve is on the outside unlike the one the guys in San Jose showed me I am suspicious that something there is not right also. In an attempt to get my old line off the evaporator stub out I destroy the stub because the connection is corroded on so bad it just will not come loose. I finally get the evaporator out from under the dash and its not even close to the unit the guys in San Jose showed me. The Story is not over! I make a trip to Toyota for some parts counter help and the guy gives me some print outs and I head back to the local wrecker. I find the bracket, I find a 1990 pickup with what looks like all the right parts, hoses, under dash unit, line that runs from the front to the under dash unit (evaporator) and I trade my 4 runner compressor for the pickup compressor as it has the correct top piece where the hoses connect. Now I am really feeling some relief that I have all the right parts! I am excited to finally be getting there. The story is not over! Did I say that before? I got my new bracket bolted in, the tension pulley lines up with the pulleys on the engine, perfect! The new lines all bolt up with all the other components, new under dash, new across radiator etc. Oh YA! One little problem. The connector plug for the wires for the Evaporator (under dash) is a little different but I can fix that. Is the story over yet? NO I test fit the compressor. You have to unbolt the power steering pump and move it to the side to get the little heavy bugger down in there. Its there! But the pulley does not line up with tension pulley or the engine pulley. WHAT THE F. sorry So close. I had taken back the wrecker 4 runner compressor and I remember that it is just a bit longer than the pickup but it looks like it will be the right size. So I return to the wrecker and trade the pickup compressor back for the 4 runner compressor. I will be doing a test fit tonight with the 4 runner compressor to verify all the pulleys line up. In the mean time I took back my new pickup compressor back to Napa with my sob story and they ordered a 4 runner compressor. It will be here next week. As it turns out the mounting bracket I got is from a 4 runner, so maybe it is different from the pickup bracket in where it positions the compressor. If the new 4 runner compressor lines up I don't care. I suppose I could call Toyota and find out if they are indeed the same or different mounting brackets. So none, of my AC components were factory original. Some one did some major modifications. I will leave you all with this thought, the story is not over, yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 Wow nice job Greg. I was born and razed on the Chesapeake bay and I thought old boats were bad but that was before I owned a 27 year old motor home! Good luck with the A/C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shandamac Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 Wow Greg! Sounds like the the little G had more than one skeleton. I know you'll get the a/c working beautifully, and that radio power set up is amazing. About that little guy with the red flag: I know that guy....He's a real bore. Can't wait to hear the rest of the story. shanda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted July 18, 2009 Author Share Posted July 18, 2009 Here is a Positive update! I slid in that little heavy bugger and it lines up perfectly with the engines pullys. So with all fingers crossed the new 4 runner compressor should be a GO! I still have to do some electrical testing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iowacamper Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 You will be converting system to 134A? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted July 19, 2009 Author Share Posted July 19, 2009 You will be converting system to 134A? Yes I will. I figure since about 95% of the old oil will be out of the system it would be best to use the new. I was told that it is actually the oil that carries the freon through the system. There is an oil that blends with the old oil but you have to get most or as much of the old oil out. Also I believe you can purchase 134 at just about any auto parts store and even walmart to recharge yourself if needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 And the story is not over! Bolted the new 4 runner compressor in and the lines onto the compressor and what do you know. One line is running right through where the power steering bolts up. So a trip back to the wreckers. I had to swap the suction valve (the part the hoses connect to) on the top of the compressor. The valve I was using had the hoses coming off the front. The one I needed has the hoses off the side. I just happened to have that on one of the junk compressors I picked up. But I needed different hoses. So a trip to a distant wrecker got me the right hoses. Ready to bolt in?? Tried but the High Side R134a adapter that can only go on the top of the compressors suction valve (because its the only high side port) hits the exhaust manifold and will not allow the compressor to bolt up. So a trip the a couple of auto parts stores gets me a right angle adapter and finally everything bolts into place. Today is the big day, a trip to the mechanic, he vacuums down the system and it holds the vacuum!!!. Then he puts in the oil into the system. Then he puts in the R134a!!! We let it sit for everything to level out. The engine is started, the A/C button is depressed, the compressor clutch engages and cold air flows from the dash, its a miracle!!! So a test run down to work basically froze me out and I had to shut it off. But it was 58 degrees outside. The trip home through 90 degree terrain will be the real test and of course time will tell if its going to blow up or loose its charge. Hot Diggity, we got A/C Now on to some other projects! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shandamac Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Yeah!!!! Great Job!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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