Sirpent Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Hi Guy's Well any of you that may attempt to retrofit or Recondition an existing factory air-con unit will come across a number of issues as I have found. So in order to save some bucks and some time for you all with regard to finding parts alternatives etc I decided to start this thread. I have already done some work on the main unit, and will upload some instructions and pic's regarding some of the internals and tricks I came up with. Later I will also document a HEAVY DUTY fan upgrade that can be used on normal heater only units also, I believe Ive found a supercharged alternative to the common Civic upgrade. But today's big winner was a factory vacuum operated Heater C0CK Valve used in the air-con version, I was about to put in the recycle bin until the price of a replacement $250.00 + got the better of me, and which I repaired for less than a $5.00 ! Here are a few pic's, I will document the strip down and rebuild process tomorrow. Cheers John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLEXZED Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 bro are you sure you didnt folk out $245 and bought a new one ;D ;D ;D ;D seriuosly great work mate looks great Loui Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sirpent Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 OK, so from the pics above you can see that the valve was in a real mess, and the prospect of forking out $250.00+ for a replacement or retro fitting something else just didn't appeal to me. So I decided to strip it down and see what had failed and what could be done to refurbish it. The main components were intact and still very functional, the main diaphram and shaft were in good operating order, the base valve plug its inner washer and "O"ring were dine as were the main head plug and stainless clips, however what had failed was a cheap plastic factory "O" ring which sat above the base plug and which sealed the waterway when in the open under vacuum position, this meant that coolant was allowed to seep through the back and therefore escape ending up on the inner cabin floor and also rusting away the diaphram and associated brackets. This is a picture of the culprit on the right of the shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sirpent Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 On the reverse side of the base are 2 components, a rubber seal which insulates the shaft from seepage and also a locking washer, these were both reusable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sirpent Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 These are the before and after shots of the valve assy after I had cleaned them up, the rusting was negligable and the pitting would not effect the function of the unit once completed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sirpent Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 Once I had undercoated the components and enameled them black, re-assy was as follows, I set a rubber "O" ring in place at the base using some engine gasket silicon. The following shows the re-assy process. in the last of the 3 pics you can see that I have re-fitted the base plug with it's internal components and upper copper washer, around the top of the base you will also note a new rubber "O" ring, this was the original failure point, the "O" ring closes against the seat of the feed tube, when the valve is in either the open or closed position this does the job of sealing the assy, once this goes you end up with a swimming pool in the cabin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sirpent Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 Final assy of the valve involves reinsertion of the retaining clips, first the main valve stop plug is put back into place and the upper clip secured, after this the copper washer is raised into position and the secondary clip applied, once this is completed, the main feeder is replaced and secured in place by 3 spring washers and nuts, I replaced these with stainless for longevity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
260Coupe Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Busting to hear about your heater fan upgrade I was going to find a civic fan motor to replace my asthmatic old orginal fan ..........best waite to see what the better fix is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Zedman240® Posted March 17, 2011 Moderators Share Posted March 17, 2011 I know a few people asking about blower fan upgrades..can't wait for this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sirpent Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 OK OK I wasn't going to say anything till I checked it out myself, but since it's getting cold out there. On Hybrid Z they mentioned that a 1995 Comaro Heater / AC Blower was identical in fit to a 280Z NOT ZX unit. So my head started to work overtime and I realised that the GM cousin of this car in Australia was a Commodore so I started to check pics of various commodore units and BINGO, VR Commodore looks identical. The only pic I have been able to find so far is this one. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:J7Clt-nua8sJ:cars.ebay.com.au/HOLDEN-VR-VS-COMMODORE-HEATER-BLOWER-FAN-MOTOR_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQitemZ180586471805+VR+commodore+heater+blower+EBAY&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au&source=www.google.com.au I am off to a wrecking yard tomorrow and will see how the one I have taken out of my car compares and report back in the afternoon, so do yourselves a favour and just sit tight till I report back. Cheers John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sirpent Posted March 18, 2011 Author Share Posted March 18, 2011 Fan Upgrade #1 OK, so went down to my local Holden wrecker today, and the news is great. I compared my fan assy with a VT Commodore unit, this is the sealed chamber type, there is also an open chamber type, and I was 80% correct, the dimensions of the squirrel cage as far as depth are almost exact, slightly smaller, the width is about 20mm wider, and the mounting bracket just fits the outer circumference of the Zed chamber, the inlet to the chamber is going to have to be increased accordingly but this isn't a big task. The unit from the Zed is rated at 160W (Standard is 120W however this is the Air-con version with the stronger motor), the VT item at 280W, with the increased squirrel cage size which has more than enough room inside the Zed housing and the increase in motor strength I think this is a goer and will start the conversion tomorrow. If this works, everyone doing the conversion owes me a drink. I will do a step by step tutorial in this thread as I go along. Cheers John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 nice one john!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sirpent Posted March 18, 2011 Author Share Posted March 18, 2011 nice one john!! Thanks Ben OK, couldn't help myself, I just had to see what the alignment would be like with the motor sitting in the housing, so I took off the squirrel cage and bolted the motor using one of the ZED mounting holes as a reference, it centered up beautifully as can be seen in the pic, I then reversed the assy and lined up the removed squirrel cage with the motor shaft to see where it would sit in the housing, once again spot on for room as per the photo's below. There is a slight problem, lets see who can pick up on it ? And if you have don't post just keep it to yourself as I have a solution and will show it in the rest of the tutorial as I modify. Cheers John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riceburner Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Awesome John! I don't know about anyone else but my Zed is like a sauna on wheels, this should definately help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sirpent Posted March 18, 2011 Author Share Posted March 18, 2011 Thanks Gareth, OK, so I decided to upload pics as I go along, no one has picked up the problem yet, but it will become apparent once I get to the remedy soon. Here are the cut measurements for the new blower, as you will note from the dotted line indicating the old squirrel cage inner circumference, this cage is a lot bigger. Arrows indicate the air flow, air is drawn from the center and then blasted outwards against the inner enclosure walls final exiting at the point of least resistance which in this case is the outlet as shown. I have included measurements for the positioning of the hole required to allow the squirrel cage to enter the enclosure and the measurements to the outer parameter of the enclosure, as soon as I get my jigsaw back from the rat I loaned it to and never returned it, I will cut this section away. For those that may find it a bit hard to follow, the diameter of the hole is 160mm, three other measurements indicating the distance between the cut extremity and the outer casing are also shown as 10mm, 15mm and 15mm. Cheers John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riceburner Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Does the VT motor spin in the opposite direction? If so, can you just wire it up in reverse? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sirpent Posted March 18, 2011 Author Share Posted March 18, 2011 Ohhhhh very good Gareth, You got half of it right, but you have to wait and see the solution to the total problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatoKid Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Watching watching....... Very good so far John, nice to be able to use something locallly made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sirpent Posted March 18, 2011 Author Share Posted March 18, 2011 Thanks David From an Australian model but still made in Japan LOL. Cheers John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Zedman240® Posted March 18, 2011 Moderators Share Posted March 18, 2011 I think if you reverse polarity of a DC motor, the timing is severely retarded so not only will it spin more slowly, it will have no power.. Timing is done by the position of the brushes on the commutator... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaygZ Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 ..... the brushes on the commutator... I was stoked as finally a thread that I was understanding. Now you've gone and put in a big word, it's even too big for scrabble! WTF is a commutator? Is it a) one of those moving walkways one finds at an airport, or b) a person that uses public transport, or c) a cousin of a transformer (more than meets the eye), or d) some sort of X-Man, or e) some sort of gizmo that has something to do with a DC motor Great work John. Now your car, while blowing the doors off everything else on the road, can literally blow it's own doors off. Better open a window when you turn the fan on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatoKid Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 Hey, nice to have the old eloquent Simon back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Zedman240® Posted March 19, 2011 Moderators Share Posted March 19, 2011 lol Simon... Best answer out of all those would be e:... best way I can describe it is as a rotary switch..switching different windings on the rotor at specific times. Its all about magnetism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sirpent Posted March 19, 2011 Author Share Posted March 19, 2011 I think if you reverse polarity of a DC motor, the timing is severely retarded so not only will it spin more slowly, it will have no power.. Timing is done by the position of the brushes on the commutator... Glad you guys are having fun while I toil over this retro-fit, best you all start pulling your fingers out and get to work on some other Zed solutions. Simon havnt you got some triplets to attend to? ........................LMAO No dont worry Dimitri, the polarity or for simon current wont be reversed, thats not the problem, but stay tuned and all will be revealed. Stay tuned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaygZ Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 Simon haven't you got some triplets to attend to? ........................LMAO ... the polarity or for simon current wont be reversed ... My wife still has them. She won't share! :'( Fancy treating me like a dimwit! I know all about the North Polarity and the South Polarity. I even know how many penguins that Polarity bears eat. By the way - how do you reverse a sultana? Why is there even a sultana in the fan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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