Airline and fittings for onboard air

Mattman · Post by **Mattman** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 12:19 pm

I am looking to do an onboard air conversion on my Surf.

I have hunted around and haven't found many places that sell the line, fittings, oil, trap etc.

Anyone able to recommend someone?

I am also looking for a suitable place to mount a tank/resourvoir - tossing up between a removable tank in the rear or a smaller tank mounted underneath the body somewhere.

Anyone else done this?

Cheers
Matt.

SupraLux · Post by **SupraLux** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 12:27 pm

Ash Air in Chch... although I have found most of the fittings and things can be purchased from Repco, Mitre 10, Placemakers etc... a bit cheaper than most specialist air tool shops.

filter ---> In-line oiler ---> AC pump ---> pressure switch ---> tank.

Steve

Mattman · Post by **Mattman** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 12:32 pm

Cheers Steve!

Some of the installs I have seen have a safety valve fitted - is this necessary?

Also any thoughts on tank location?

Cheers
Matt.

SupraLux · Post by **SupraLux** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 12:46 pm

Tank location, inside the chassis rail, passenger side, tucked on top of the gearbox crossmember if you can fit it in there...

Safety switch - I assume its a high-pressure cutout switch... just to make sure you don't over-pressurise the system. Wire it back to the clutch on the A/C pump so it cuts out when the pressure reaches the desired level.

Steve

Mattman · Post by **Mattman** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 12:47 pm

The safety valve is actually a blowoff valve designed to pop if the pressure gets too high.

Cheers
Matt.

MATT4U · Post by **MATT4U** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 12:52 pm

Ac pumps self oil so no need for an inline oiler

Mattman · Post by **Mattman** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 12:58 pm

Really?

Everything I have read says that the oil is suspended in the AC gas so if you remove the gas you need to supply an alternative oil source.

Cheers
Matt.

MATT4U · Post by **MATT4U** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 1:05 pm

Yea same but its not rite, the pump uses bugger all oil and has a place on board to top it up

SupraLux · Post by **SupraLux** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 1:25 pm

Then what is the oil that seeps out of the system when you break a line in an a/c setup?

The pump and the tools require oil to keep them running, and I think you'd be asking for trouble not running an inline oiler.

Jungle - you had one in the 60- that gave grierf - what did you find when you dumped the inline oiler from yours?

Steve

Rangielux · Post by **Rangielux** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 2:48 pm

SupraLux wrote:
The pump and the tools require oil to keep them running, and I think you'd be asking for trouble not running an inline oiler.

Steve

You'll need some sort of oiler/lube. The Endless Air type compressors seem to have a grease nipple for lube which seems a better system to me - refer below.

I coverted my a/c pump on the 3Y in my surf (easy to do and had more pump than the Black Eyed Peas

)and it went well for a couple of years but now it's pretty much seized cause I only used to squirt a couple of drops of oil down it when I used it. Plus I drowned it and the inlet filter numerous times and basically abused it (they're a dime a dozen anyhow)
:?:

The thing is you feed oil into the pump and therefore oil must come out - right ? and I've seen it on a number of these conversions. So a tank and oil/water trap should be used also otherwise you pump up your tyres with a oil/air mix then wonder why your tubes start to fail

.

Clint · Post by **Clint** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 3:02 pm

Oilers are actually quite easy to make. Just have a bottle, 1/2 filled with oil, run a pipe from between yer air filter & throttlebody to below the oil level, then feed the compressor with a pipe a bit above the oil level. Seal off the top around the hoses. Adjust the height of the compressor feed to alter how much oil is picked up.

Cheers
Clint

SupraLux · Post by **SupraLux** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 5:18 pm

Or buy the Mitre 10 one for $19

Good tip tho... and yeah, I get the safety valve thing now - for some reason I read valve, but my brain translated it to switch instead, so therefor couldn't figure out what it was

Steve

Jafa · Post by **Jafa** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 11:57 pm

The setup I had wuz real simple,
1- No mods to air con comp, just plumb in a moisture trap on the outlet side of the comp so that expels from the bottom when the liquid reaches a certain level, normally on a workshop air system this goes to atmosphere, instead thread the bottom of the clear plastic bowl and route a line back to the compressor so when the exhaust happens it goes back into the compressor inlet. Fill the bowl with I dunno, 30cc of fine hydraulic oil or somethin similar, presto every time the trap pulls the oil from the air and exhausts, it goes back into the comp.
Here is a schematic

Just be sure to be carefull when threading the bottom of the plastic water trap as it cracks easy, and stik it on the firewall or inner guard, as the air comin out of the comp can get real hot. Because its a loop system , ya dont have to worry about the oil running out, just chek it as part of ya reular maintainence
my 2c

callum007 · Post by **callum007** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 9:30 pm

i like that recirc idea..
i just have a drain at the lowest part of the 5 tanks. and the outlets are the high points.. so most heavy oil stays in the tank, the mist lubes the tools, and the tubes.....

if anyone needs the parts for these setups, and is too lazy to go shopping. just PM me and i'll send them at cost price.. got some good simple multi voltage pressure switches for $55 +gst that are very water resistant