So it will be on the right side behind the battery box?

Hard to believe insulating this section of line could boost performance of the AC, but I live in Phoenix and I'll try anything to make it blow colder.

What other mods have you done to help? You mentioned electric fans...more detail.

ben

 

Can't wait for photos.

 

I just got a new Graingers catalog. That size wasn't in my old one. That's the right size and hopefully it's the really flexible stuff. I don't know when I can take a picture. I have a funeral to go to in Des Moines, now. Craig

 

subscribed...

 

"

So it will be on the right side behind the battery box?



"

Yes - behind the right battery under the finder lip.

I tried to take a picture but they are not too good. The battery and air box cover it up. If you look down in between the battery and air box you will see the line going up in to the fender. Or follow it back from the fire wall, it is the small one not hooked up to the accumulator (black can looking thing). In front of the air box you will find the high side test port.

 

Normally liquid lines don't get insulated but Dodge put the orifice in the connection behind the right battery box. Anything after that point is low side/evaporator and sucking up heat. Technically, the refrigerantion explaination is... that uninsulated tube under the hood is greatly increasing "flash-gas" and reducing the amount of refrigerant that's left for "net refrigeration affect". Flash gas is the gas that's created, instantly after the "point of expansion", by the refrigerant that boils off to lower the temp of the remaining refrigerant to the temp of the evaporator. In other words... Dodge put evaperator tubing under the hood and right by the turbo/exhaust so part of the "net refrigeration affect" is wasted on cooling the engine compartment. I don't know if they did that on any other years. Feel that line when your AC is on and if it's cold, you got the same problem. I might insulate the acculator sometime cuz that's just increasing "superheat" - the temp rise of the refrigerant vapor after the "saturation point" (after all the refrigerant is boiled off). That also reduces the "suction cooling" to the compressor. Craig

 

Grainger 1/2" Thermacell I much appreciate the information offered in this thread.

 

C Schomer, about how many feet of this insulation is needed for this to do the job properly? And how and with what are you planning on using to insulate the accumulator? This could be very good thing for me if it works as well as you say! Thanks for the info. And @ Rednax, if you plan to do this anytime soon, please let me know your results, as I live in Corpus Christi also!

 

This mod might encourage me to finally install the new battery tray that has been sitting on the shelf for the past year.

 

Ok, got some 1/2" pipe foam insulation from Lowes and some aluminum foil tape. The guys over there were kinda skeptical what I was doing when I told them. Biggest concern they had was melting the insulation. I just pulled the fender liner and I felt the lines and how hot it is under there. I must say I'm a bit concerned about the heat melting the insulation too. Should I get something different? (no Grainger nearby)

The line runs over the fender supper and there are a couple clips you have to work around. Then it drops down at the front.

 

Next question from me is...What do you do to cover the tubing around the 45's and 90 degree angles (and all other angles and bends between that!)? I'm guessing that you cut notches in the insulation, and wrap the bend area in some kind of "special" tape? Sure wish we had some pics of the finished product! Think I'll tackle this idea next week, and maybe even do the coolant by-pass thing while I'm at it!

 

Well mine's done. I just cut the wrap for each major section (three pieces right now) and taped it up as best I could with foil tape.

- piece from firewall and ending at the vertical top of the tube by the coolant reservoir
- small ~1' piece running on top/under of the fender well section
- piece from that corner of the top of fender to down near the front of the truck where it bends up

Could use one more~1' piece on the vertical where the port is at the front. But I didn't want to take off the airbox in order to foil tape it.

I'll get pics of it later. It's too hot out there.

 

Shorts--take that thing out for a drive and let us know if it works! I do have a Grainger's near me, and I see from the link Rednax posted, that they sell it in 6' lengths. Just wondering if that's enough, but no big deal if I have to buy two lengths of it, it's pretty cheap. Better than having to drive all the way across town because I came up short (wait a minute! That just does not seem quite right!).

 

I bought the 6' and have about 1-1.5' left. So you should be good with the 6' length.

I hopped in for a spin immediately after and the ac was fine. I didn't put much stock in that first ride since I was hot from working in the garage and I had just run the truck about an hour before and everything was warm/hot. I was leery of the placebo affect.

I'll revisit this on the next couple drives. I know the truck's ac goes from cool to 'eh' especially in stop and go traffic & city. Hope to see improvement there.

 

I am going to try and insulate my line tomorrow with rubber pipe insulation. I bought two rolls of the product below to do some insulating in our RV and have about 2' left over. I am thinking about cutting it to fit around my accumulator and using aluminum AC/Heating tape or zip ties to hold it on.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_13358-56291-...ion&facetInfo=