Assume that I live in the sub tropics (which I do)where we rely on airconditioning almost all year round. Also assume that I know how a good air conditioner should work. So when I make suggestions to you also assume I know what I am talking about having done this exercise completely from start to finish after a total strip down to bare metal rebuild of my car.
Over time, Dutch guys have been exceptionally helpful to me and I would like to return the favour.
The very first thing I need you to understand is that air conditioning
does not put cold into your cabin.
It takes heat out.The cabin becomes cooler as a consequence. Total cabin heat including body heat is called the
heat load.
Here are some of the specific problems with the GTV6 in terms of getting good air conditioning :-
1The heat load in the car is larger than cars generally because of the large glass area it has.
2 More heat load from the engine through the firewall as there is no insulation to speak of on it.
3 Additional heat load through the floor because the exhaust system is not lagged.
4 The heater valve usually has a minor leak and provides more heat into the cabin.
5 The engine bay cross members are hollow and have drain holes in them. Unfortunately, due to a factory design fault, these hollow sections are channelling engine bay heat into the external cold air ducting and providing additional heat load into the cabin all the time.
All this heat load would be a challenge for any well designed system but the Alfa system is not even well designed because:
1 The evaporator unit is too small and wrongly configured.
2 The condeser size is too small and inefficient due to an out dated design.
3 The air circulation around the evaporator unit is so bad that it causes 50% of it to be by-passed and the rest is partially iced up so it gets blocked. Once blocked, no air can circulate through it and no heat scrubbing can take place.
4 The air speed and VOLUME from the fans is too small.
5 The air distribution is hopelessly inadequate becasue there is no distribution only one outlet for each front pasenger coming from a single point source.The side vents are for fresh air only.
6 The fan noise is excessive.
7 The thermostat tolerance is too wide and causes too much heat build up before it engages the compressor again.
8 The system cannot cool down a hot car.
Now for the worst part.
To get access to all this and fix it like it needs to be done this is what you need to do :-
1 Remove dashboard compeltely
2 Remove
all existing GTV6 air conditioning components and place them in the waste bin
3 Install new condenser,new drier, new compressor, new gas lines, new evaporator/heater module, bigger fans, air filter,new custom ducting behind dashboard and face level outlets. The majority of all this reinstall will need to be customised.
4 Modify console to adjust for new set up as required.
5 Plug off engine bay hot air going into inside guard channels.Use expansion foam to do this .
6 Fix insulation on the engine side of the firewall
7 Install a ball valve to the heater supply line so you can manually turn if off during the summer
8 Insulate the exhaust under the floor or the floor from the exhaust
9 If you still cannot get enough chill in the cabin, install a transparent plastic divider betwen the front passenger section and the rear compartment to reduce the heat load volume. This means no air conditioning will be available to rear passengers at all.
So, are you ready for an air conditioning project or what?
In summary what you are doing is retrofitting a contemporary air conditioning SYSTEM that is DESIGNED for the heat loads in this car.
Doing anything less is a bit like fitting a new fan belt and hoping it will fix your electrical problems because the alternator now has a more reliable drive...
You can always just open the window..