AC upgrade: Though to reality

N

nissanh

Senior Member
I did an improvement to cool (or heat based on the selection) the cabin area.

This is just to place a screen behind the 2nd row seats. The screen is multipurpose vinyl covering (CLEAR) from Walmart for $8. I bent the metal frame to match the contours of the roof and sides right above the rear seats.

Cut the screen 24 inches tall and 54 inches wide and then placed one side around the metal frame and stapled it. Then I mounted the metal to the two tabs holding the roofliner with a narrow metal wire. Also made two special clips to keep the ends secured.

Yet to checkout the cooling but I know this should work: I see the same setup but much better made by Toyota for Hiace van.
 

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If you like it, more power to you. But this looks... well, I do not like it.
And I don't really understand what the issue is with cooling or heating the cab of the truck.
 
It kind of reminds me of the people who put plastic all over their furniture. Like John's post above, I'm not too keen on this look. If your AC system is properly charged, you should have no problem cooling the entire cabin area.

Check out the AC Recharge video [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] and I recently posted on our channel. It's a long one but very informative. Get your AC running better so you don't have to resort to your Plastic Drape Mod.

Here's the video:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zlRE0Zeeyrc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
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Ok so does your a/c not work very well or what?

I mean in central texas when its 108 outside for over 4 hours a day mine can cool itself down (on high of course) within 5 mins and I never sweat a drop, awesome (crossed fingers) a/c!, then i have to turn it down after 15 mins....

If it doesn't work very well perhaps it would save more repairs by dealing with it now even though it's near the end of the season.... :cowboy:
 
jgue467 said:
Ok so does your a/c not work very well or what?

I mean in central texas when its 108 outside for over 4 hours a day mine can cool itself down (on high of course) within 5 mins and I never sweat a drop, awesome (crossed fingers) a/c!, then i have to turn it down after 15 mins....

If it doesn't work very well perhaps it would save more repairs by dealing with it now even though it's near the end of the season.... :cowboy:
Click to expand...
That's my experience too. Though, its not that hot here very often.

Good window tint all around helps a lot too - and actually improves the look of the truck. :)

-Charlie
 
My AC is fantastic but the problem is the distance the truck runs to work...just 3 miles and it takes 7-10 minutes drive. So around the 5th minute or so the entire truck is cold but in another 2 minutes wife and kids are home.

I want the truck to cool in 2-3 minutes. Will see...

Note: the plastic needs to stretch to remove the wrinkles so it needs to be parked in the baking sun for some time. Once that is done, I am sure the cover/screen will nearly be invisible.

Time to park the truck out under the sun.
 
nissanh said:
My AC is fantastic but the problem is the distance the truck runs to work...just 3 miles and it takes 7-10 minutes drive. So around the 5th minute or so the entire truck is cold but in another 2 minutes wife and kids are home.

I want the truck to cool in 2-3 minutes. Will see...

Note: the plastic needs to stretch to remove the wrinkles so it needs to be parked in the baking sun for some time. Once that is done, I am sure the cover/screen will nearly be invisible.

Time to park the truck out under the sun.
Click to expand...

Remote start is more useful and a lot cleaner. Just start her up few minutes early.
 
I can appreciate the problem solving involved with this but this really is not a solution I would want to go with in the long run. A remote start probably is the best option; not only because it cools the cabin but it allows the motor to get up to operating temps properly as well. Short starts are hard on a motor in the long run.
 
The Cruiser FSM states the engine should not idle for more than 3-4 minutes. You can find more on this at mud.com. So with a remote start, we clearly going to exceed this limit.
Before I joined the mud forum, I used to let the engine to come to an idle before taking off but not any more.

Ha ha.. grocery shopping.. what about sedan cars?

Anyways, I am seeing an improvement already....
 
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nissanh said:
The Cruiser FSM states the engine should not idle for more than 3-4 minutes. You can find more on this at mud.com. So with a remote start, we clearly going to exceed this limit.
Before I joined the mud forum, I used to let the engine to come to an idle before taking off but not any more.

Ha ha.. grocery shopping.. what about sedan cars?

Anyways, I am seeing an improvement already....
Click to expand...

I don't know why it's bad to idle more than 3-4 minutes, but what do you do in really slow moving traffic where you are basically idling and just letting your foot off the brake over and over again to move the maddening few feet every so often. Should we stop and start our vehicle over and over again? Now, I know that's not good for several reasons.

Hey, if you like your mod, that's all that counts. I'd like to hear the science behind not letting your vehicle idle for more than 3-4 minutes.
 
nissanh said:
My AC is fantastic but the problem is the distance the truck runs to work...just 3 miles and it takes 7-10 minutes drive. So around the 5th minute or so the entire truck is cold but in another 2 minutes wife and kids are home.

I want the truck to cool in 2-3 minutes. Will see...

Note: the plastic needs to stretch to remove the wrinkles so it needs to be parked in the baking sun for some time. Once that is done, I am sure the cover/screen will nearly be invisible.

Time to park the truck out under the sun.
Click to expand...

Where I work it gets to over 110 F often, so before I get in the car to drive, I start it up, blast the AC and crack all the windows a bit and let the cool air force the hot air out. Only takes a few mins.

FWIW, I had my AC serviced before the summer. Cost me $90 and now this thing blows 40 degree F air on high.

Rip that shower curtain out
 
Use the cargo cover, that will isolate ~20 cubic feet.

Have the windows cracked while it is parked.

Open up the hatch and a door or 2 before you get in to allow the trapped hot air to escape.

Do this: :noidea:

30898d1279167009-thinking-cutting-back-img_1014.jpg
 
I'd try getting tint. I just had my fronts done and it stays unbelievably cooler inside. If you matched the fronts and did a light tint on the rears and windshield I think this would be a non-issue, plus it would look better and protect your seats/dash from the sun.
 
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