Well I have tried to run this VA mini in my 56 pickup for the last few years, never had decent results. Fully insulated with 2 layers of dynamat, then 1/2" dynapad and a crapload of new seals on doors etc.... vent windows are almost so tight they would be screwed shut, no leaks there. Here is the run down..... 95 degree day, cant get below 82 inside that's running full cold, full fan, you can back off the cold knob 1/4 turn and it cycles worse and the cab temps rise to 85...Cycles compressor within 15 minutes of first start up...I thought maybe a heater valve was not shutting completely, put a manual ball valve in the supply heater hose. Helped a smidge on overall vent temps 2 degrees lower max is what i saw. Compressor running It will blow 34 degrees out of the vents. I just feel like this unit is too small for his truck cab. I know on the site they say 30s coupes, and 40s trucks... So anyone else ever had the issue with the mini just not having enough airflow to cool anything down? Truck just lacks the room under the dash for the gen 4, or even the compac..... So it seems this winter I will rip this out, put in a mark 4 under dash and call it golden since there are enough people here with mark 4 that freeze full 50's and 60's sedans out. I just didn't like the look of the mark 4 hanging under the dash etc is my only reason I didn't do it to begin with. If anyone has experiences I would love to hear em, or words of warning or anything.... Thanks in advance!
I've run a VA mini unit in a 1950 chevy pickup. In the mild days, 80ish, it was comfortable In the 90's it never was comfortable. I did find improvement by directing more air through the condenser. Of course,good insulation at the firewall, roof and floor is a must. Have you contacted the vendor?
What are your high and low side pressures? How is the condenser mounted? Enough airflow? Lots of Ac systems need an extra fan Is the condenser sealed up with a good fan directing air where it needs to go?
Pressures are set exactly to what VA recommends and requires... Airflow isn't an issue, condenser is 14"x20" with some big fans also... 1/2" in front of radiator... 1/4" gap max clearance from grille opening to around radiator so its forcing tons of air. Vent temp shows everything working right.....
From the sounds of it the system is working as it should. Try googling hvac or Ac system specifications I’m sure there is a formula for Ac system requirements for a given space. Something else to think about is maybe refitting the system so you can recirculate the already cooled air instead of fresh outside air? My 69 Lincoln has one way Vents in the trunk to help push air out of the cab so the climate control could work better. The air needs to move around for it to cool effectively. Or possibly if you do the math the system is just too small. Tricky one.
I just installed the mini in my '37 truck this summer. It's more then enough to keep it cool, smaller cab I know, but on a hot 90 degree day, I was getting 38* air out the vents and stay cool all day. Best thing I did was tint the windows. Setting so close to the glass made it feel much hotter then it was. How much freon is in the system? Mine works best with 1.6 lbs. I have heard, the mini's will freeze up on humid days or when running for hours at a time. I use a thermometer to regulate the air temp to about 38 - 40 degrees by adjusting the cycle switch, so far I haven't had any freeze ups or problems.
If it blows 34° out the vents it's working as good as possible. Will it cool better when sitting still than when driving? If so, there is still hot outside air getting in the cab. Otherwise it just isn't big enough for the cab. The all metal cab construction doesn't help either. Sent from my SM-G900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
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