3.0L engine swap

[Farrar]

It's like Christmas Eve here as I eagerly anticipate a package from Tallmadge, Ohio.

Currently waiting patiently in my garage:
- new condenser
- condenser mounting hardware
- radiator mounting hardware
- new a/c accumulator
- O-rings for condenser & accumulator connections

Trivia: the condenser is the only a/c component left on the car that is original. A few years ago I replaced the hoses, evaporator, accumulator, compressor, and orifice. Because of the 3.0L swap, this car is on its *fourth* compressor since 2007. LOL

Maybe as long as I have the system open I might as well get a new orifice from AutoZone (which also rents out a removal/replacement tool set) and replace the variable orifice valve I installed several years ago. The VOV may be clogged with oil, which is also the reason I am replacing the accumulator. My a/c system makes weird noises when it's shut off. When the compressor started squeaking, I added more oil to the system, which didn't help (compressor clutch itself was failing), so now I think the system has too much oil in it -- hence my new accumulator.

A new orifice is only $2, so maybe I will pick up two, and if I break one trying to install it I will have a spare. Heh.

[DMC-81]

It's like Christmas Eve here as I eagerly anticipate a package from Tallmadge, Ohio.

Currently waiting patiently in my garage:
- new condenser
- condenser mounting hardware
- radiator mounting hardware
- new a/c accumulator
- O-rings for condenser & accumulator connections

Trivia: the condenser is the only a/c component left on the car that is original. A few years ago I replaced the hoses, evaporator, accumulator, compressor, and orifice. Because of the 3.0L swap, this car is on its *fourth* compressor since 2007. LOL

Maybe as long as I have the system open I might as well get a new orifice from AutoZone (which also rents out a removal/replacement tool set) and replace the variable orifice valve I installed several years ago. The VOV may be clogged with oil, which is also the reason I am replacing the accumulator. My a/c system makes weird noises when it's shut off. When the compressor started squeaking, I added more oil to the system, which didn't help (compressor clutch itself was failing), so now I think the system has too much oil in it -- hence my new accumulator.

A new orifice is only $2, so maybe I will pick up two, and if I break one trying to install it I will have a spare. Heh.

Something to look for when removing the variable orfice valve: It may be clogged because of a bend in the tube that it sits in. It has a brass pin in the middle that helps make the variation work. If it is bent too much that valving won't work. Yes, I would get 2 of the fixed orifice valves. They are inexpensive and more resistant to bending.

[Farrar]

Something to look for when removing the variable orfice valve: It may be clogged because of a bend in the tube that it sits in. It has a brass pin in the middle that helps make the variation work. If it is bent too much that valving won't work. Yes, I would get 2 of the fixed orifice valves. They are inexpensive and more resistant to bending.

Thanks, Dana! If the variable orifice is bent, that could explain the weird sounds the system makes when I shut it off. I'll go with the standard orifice.

[opethmike]

Yes, be sure to always ensure that your orifice is variable.

[dn010]

I'm using a VOV and I get a weird sort of deep hiss/bubbling sound from the evaporator area when I shut the AC off. I don't recall what, if anything, it sounded like prior to using the VOV but I think I will be going back to standard if and when I ever have the system open again.

[Farrar]

I'm using a VOV and I get a weird sort of deep hiss/bubbling sound from the evaporator area when I shut the AC off. I don't recall what, if anything, it sounded like prior to using the VOV but I think I will be going back to standard if and when I ever have the system open again.

Mine makes the same sound. It didn't when I first put the VOV in, but it started not long after I had been using the system for a little while. Bill said it sounds like my DeLorean skipped lunch and its stomach is growling. LOL

[DMC5180]

There could be debris on the VOV screen causing additional restriction to the liquid refrigerant flow.

For the most part the gurgling is just the operating system pressure differential equalizing when the the Compressor stops.


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[Farrar]

New radiator/fan/shroud assembly from DPI arrived yesterday. I set it down underneath the new condenser and snapped a picture. The "universal" condenser is slightly smaller side-to-side than stock. The difference is exaggerated by the fact that the side tanks on the new aluminum radiator are narrower than the ones on the brass radiator.

radiator-condenser.jpg

I will put spacers between the radiator and condenser. But the question is: how long do the spacers need to be? This is where I would appreciate some community input. The gap between the radiator and condenser on #2613 is 7/16". The condenser is likely original. The brass radiator is not. However, the brass radiator was sold by and installed at DMC Florida by a previous owner. I don't know what the "stock" radiator-condenser gap is for a DeLorean. If anyone reading this thread would care to go out and measure their car's radiator-condenser gap, I'd appreciate it, because I am curious.

On the internet, recommended radiator-condenser gaps can be anywhere from "as close as you can get it" (various car forums) to "no more than 3/16 of an inch" (a site that sells a/c components for old cars that didn't have factory air). Some modern manufacturers go to the effort of putting a rubber gasket between the condenser's outer edge and the radiator behind it. All of this seems to be to try to minimize air turbulence between the two components. Or maybe they are trying to make sure that as much "condenser air" as possible also becomes "radiator air." Obviously, DeLorean Motor Company didn't use a gasket behind the condenser. And a 7/16" gap, if that is stock, was not considered to be detrimental to proper air flow, at least not with the added help of the air duct in the front and the fan shroud in the back.

To my knowledge no DeLorean owner has ever solved an overheat problem by moving the condenser closer to the radiator. So probably I will just duplicate the stock gap, or maybe lessen it slightly. I could probably make a rubber gasket, but I don't think it would accomplish anything.

[dn010]

It is impossible for me to get in there and get a measurement but here is a photo if it helps. Delorean EU aluminum radiator and stock condensor.

IMG_0493.jpg

[Farrar]

Thanks, Dan! It just occurred to me that anyone with the radiator duct installed wouldn't be able to get a caliper in there to measure. Oops. That's what I get for driving a DeLorean with no duct for over a decade. LOL

Elsewhere, Toby says 7/16" sounds about right. A little more or a little less won't hurt anything. I'll cut my spacers accordingly.