Electric Auto AC compressors?

[JoshT]

Anyone here got experience with electric automotive AC compressors? How do they work, how much power do they need, etc?

Not actually asking for a ranger, but I figure it's kind of universal and could be applied to a Ranger as well. I'm wanting to add AC to my 68 F-100, it stays parked for a lot of the year due to lack of this creature comfort. Simply too hot here much of the year to want to go with out it. Unfortunately, the engine is not setup for AC and is not a super common engine these days. From piecing together (dual belt alternator) and fixing other things I know that this FE does not exactly have a factory accessory drive configuration, so I'd have to mix and match parts until I figured out what works. That's a headache I don't want to get into.

Down the road I intend to either rebuild this engine and install a serpentine drive kit or do an engine swap, but that's quite a ways off. I haven't decided on which I'm going to do yet and I'm not sinking the money into a high dollar conversion kit until I know. I don't want to wait that long to get an AC installed.

One thing that this truck does have is a lot of open real estate under the hood. It's also been converted to a gen 3 alternator which is already higher amperage than original and could be swapped for bigger pretty easily. Since I'm undecided on the engine, I'm thinking why not use a compressor that can be used with any engine. Electric driven compressors must be getting more common considering the amount of EVs that are being built and developed. Actually 12v compressors are becoming more common in campers and RVs too, so they must be getting some decent tech behind them. Build a system that uses the 12v compressor, but is otherwise the same as regular system, then when the engine work is done down the road I can convert to an engine driven compressor if that makes more sense then.

Of not, thanks to that extra underhgood space, I also have room for a second battery. That might help with providing needed amperage for the electric compressor. I was already figuring on adding a second battery for the Warn 8274. Honestly, I don't expect to ever use the winch, but its been on there for 30+ years (unwired and without cable) so it's kind of part of the truck. Since it's staying on the truck is is going to be functional.

If I figure out that this works it might also end up on the 85 Ranger. I intend to do a 2.3 turbo build and the turbo might want to occoupy the same area as the AC compressor. If that's the case an e-compressor might be a good alternative for keeping AC.

 

[franklin2]

They make them. But expect to pay $5000-$6000 for a system.

Brackets are not hard to fabricate. You should be able to get a aftermarket conventional system for $1200 that hangs under the dash.

Don't worry about the 2.3 turbo and A/C. I had a SVO mustang and it had factory A/C on it.

 

[JoshT]

I'm not woried about the 2.3 turbo 85 Ranger, I was just throwing that out as a potential use and relating it to the Ranger. I could also say that I would potentially use it with the 2.8L V6 (anther potential for the 85) rather than hunting down the appropriate brackets and pullies to hang a compressor on that engine. As for the SVO vs the Ranger, IIRC they used different acessory drives, and the engine bay layout is very different. Turbo on the Ranger needs to be located differently than on the SVO, otherwise it (or the down pipe) tries to occoupy the same space as the AC box or is uncomfortably close to it.

I'll make something work regardless of which route I take on it, but even building that truck is way on the back burner. Actually if I'm using kitchen analogies, the pot is still in the cabinet and the ingredients are at the back of the pantry. I've got a few potential applications for an electric AC compressor either due to space constraints, or lack of bracketry available for engine choices.


I'm not sure where the 5-6k for an electric system comes from. You can get the universal underdash electric systems for about the same price as the "conventional" engine driven universal underdash systems(1000-1500). With the conventional, you'd still have the same issue with the compressor mounting on a non-traditional setup. Besides I'm not looking to run a universal underdash AC in anything (at this time). Those under dash units aren't exactly small and there isn't much realestate in the vehicles I mentioned, and that isn't even considering the apearance aspect. In the F-100 I've got shifters (trans and transfer case) that occoupy the space that the under dash box would need to go. The Ranger already has factory in dash AC components, and I'd rather use those than an underdash.

I'm not even looking to purchase a complete electric AC system, I'll be piecing it together myself. The bulk of the system for the F-100 will be a retrofit AC system from one of the big companies. Those systems, minus the compressor kit, will run about $2000. I'm just thinking about running it with an electric compressor instead of an engine driven. Of course most of the companies that offer those kits don't sell or support the electric compressors. They also don't support retrofits for most atypical engine swaps or other non-factory vehicles. That doesn't mean that the tech doesn't work, just that the market isn't worth them entering. Since they don't sell it, they don't want to talk about or encourage it. Kind of like EPS or Hydroboost conversions. We know that they work due to the plethora of hotrodders out there using them, but the big companies don't like to talk about it due to liability.

If I can piece it together the engine driven compressor is going to cost about an extra $500 (not included in the $2000 kit). If the electric compressors work and run 500-1000 , IMO it's worth it. Not only does it avoid having to adapt a compressor to the engine, it also bypass a lot of potential packing issues. Like if you are installing in something smaller without much engine bay space (IE a wishlist hotrod build), electric compressor location is a lot more flexable, it doesn't even have to be in the engine bay.

 

[franklin2]

I did a quick google search on "electric automotive A/C systems", and besides some youtube videos, this site came up. That is where the money amount came from.

Electric Air Conditioning

Electrocooler is the first 12V electric A/C system to offer levels of cooling comparable with that of a modern car. See our range of air conditioning products below: click READ MORE for the full description, extended product images and downloads.

www.classicretrofit.com

 

[JoshT]

I did a quick google search on "electric automotive A/C systems", and besides some youtube videos, this site came up. That is where the money amount came from.

Electric Air Conditioning

Electrocooler is the first 12V electric A/C system to offer levels of cooling comparable with that of a modern car. See our range of air conditioning products below: click READ MORE for the full description, extended product images and downloads.

www.classicretrofit.com

I did come across their site when searching the same, I quickly scrolled on and paid very little attention to their offerings. They sell custom kits intended for Porsche, almost the entire site is dedicated to what could be considered high end classics. At least half of their pricing is elitism. I consider them to be an outlier, not representative of the market.

 

[901wd#2]

93 turbo ranger AC system

I have a 93 ranger with 85 t-bird 2.3l turbo that ac system is missing. Due to O2 sensor being in heater box I am in process of flip kit putting turbo forward. What is the best way to add ac back with other accessories. My alternator is mounted where smog is and ac bracket is top driver side...

www.therangerstation.com

BobbyW dropped this link

Amazon.com

 

[JoshT]

While I am thinking about a similar system for a cargo trailer conversion project, that isn't what I'm asking about here.

I'm going to use the in dash retrofit system for the bulk of the system. Just considering a 12v compressor to run it, instead of engine driven.

Those systems are part of what is making me think it is a possibility. People run them off of 12v solar and battery banks for days when camping. I do understand that cooling a camper for hours is a different demand than a cab on the drive home from work, one is a large box that is being cooled for hours , the other is a smaller.space that is being.driven for @10 minutes on the way somewhere. The box is a much larger space, people seem to be satisfied with the performance, and don't complain about them taking excessive time to cool.

 

[franklin2]

Just make sure you stay with a system designed for automotive use. They are a different animal than say a window unit for home use. That is why automotive systems use different refrigerant than your home system. The automotive system is designed to run at a much lower cooling temperature. There is a lot more cooling loss in a car or truck compared to a insulated camper. And when you jump into a hot car, you want the temp to drop pretty fast compared to a home style unit that takes awhile to catch up.

I haven't looked into it very closely, but I assumed some of these electric cars used heat pumps instead of straight A/C units? So they can have some heat in the winter also?