In-dash air conditioner - Worth converting or fixing?

[DaHose]

I have an older Jamboree I am breathing new life into and cost is a concern. Our in-dash air conditioner is dead and I am mulling over converting it to R134A. However, I have seen some posts comment that the dash A/C is nowhere near enough to cool the RV on hot days and that it makes more sense to just run the gen. set and rooftop A/C.

If you had a 1983 Jamboree (26'), would you bother to repair/convert the in-dash A/C to R134A, or just forget about it and use the rooftop any time you wanted to cool the rig down?

Jose

[j-d]

Which system do you have, Jose - The "factory" with a cylindrical compressor or the "dealer" with one that looks like a mower engine?

We had "dealer" and though it was a pain in several ways, it blew COLD after conversion and I would not have wanted to do without it. Our Holiday on 83 E350 was 24-ft but we never ran roof air on the road. Only the dash and it cooled the whole rig. Vehicle A/C is rated in the 20,000 range and your rooftop is probably 13,500. Whenever we try to run roof air for travel, it just doesn't satisfy. You want the air in your face, not behind your back.

You need new oil, the 134 of course, new drier, fittings and label, plus a HPCO switch (High Pressure Cut Off). No need to replace hoses or O-rings unless they're failing. If it's factory, new orifice tube and new LPCO switch (or adjust the old one). If dealer, new expansion valve.

Either way don't overcharge. Start at 60% of OEM R12 charge and see what it does. Your low side may wind up low, but if you try to raise it you may find the high side goes too high. Conversions tend to jump into excess high side pressure.

[johnwalkerpa1]

Kind of a tough call. Its true that the dash air won't cool the entire coach but it makes a difference esp in the front 8-10 feet when driving. Not to mention the comfort level of the driver and front seat passenger. On really hot driving days you'll want(need?) both cab and overhead air to stay cool.

Personally I'd want the cab air to work but it all comes down to how much you want to spend.

Another thing to consider is how much you'll be driving versus sitting. If you take short trips or not many trips, maybe you can sweat it out with no cab air.

If you take longer or many trips, also consider that the extra fuel you use to run the generator (maybe 1/2 gallon per hour) may add up over time to more than the cost of the cab AC switch?