'98 Ford E-150 conversion van with 36,000 btu rear a/c

I have a '98 Ford E-150 conversion van that came with rear heat/air.
I have a medical condition that is made worst in the heat. I had the rear system replaced with a 36,000 btu, 650 cfm rear evaporator and added a 58,000 btu skirt mounted condenser with dual 10' electric fans. I asked the dealer if this combination would work well for slow speed, around town driving. He said I would be able to "hang meat" inside the van.

My problem is that the inside temp just isn't that cool. On a 94 degree day, the temp at the vents is 65 and the overall inside temp is
75. The dealer said the pressures are correct and that vans are so big, they are impossible to cool. That's why I went with the larger
BTUs and CFMs. I figured the extra CFMs and BTUs would compensate for the larger cubic feet. The dealer charged me $3,600.00 for the work.

Any ideas what would help this combination?

K> I have a '98 Ford E-150 conversion van that came with rear heat/air.
K> I have a medical condition that is made worst in the heat. I had the
K> rear system replaced with a 36,000 btu, 650 cfm rear evaporator and
K> added a 58,000 btu skirt mounted condenser with dual 10' electric
K> fans. I asked the dealer if this combination would work well for slow
K> speed, around town driving. He said I would be able to "hang meat"
K> inside the van.

K> My problem is that the inside temp just isn't that cool. On a 94
K> degree day, the temp at the vents is 65 and the overall inside temp is
K> 75. The dealer said the pressures are correct and that vans are so
K> big, they are impossible to cool. That's why I went with the larger
K> BTUs and CFMs. I figured the extra CFMs and BTUs would compensate for
K> the larger cubic feet. The dealer charged me $3,600.00 for the work.

K> Any ideas what would help this combination?
K> Thanks,
K> Keith

Your AC should do better than 65 at the vents. I assume you've measured the temps while idling. Is the situation better at cruising speeds, or you use the van mostly in the city?

The '98 models came with the new R134 that is just not as good as the R-12 used to be. You increased the rear unit's capacity, and your compressor may not be able to keep up with the bigger system. If the system is correctly charged (I'd still would try to add a pound of freon, and see if it'd get better) and there are no leaks, you might try replacing the compressor with a larger one. That's a big-ticket item. You can also add a pusher fan in front of the front condenser, and install a Variable Orifice Valve. This latter two would help your idle/low-speed problems (http://aircondition.com/vov/).

Having said that, I know (have a '88 E-150 conversion) that your van is a big one, and it'll be difficult to cool it down to a comfortable temp when it's hot outside and the sun's beating down to that big metal body.

Another (probably hopeless) proposition would be to go back to the old R-12 system.

Good luck to you with your van! -Bela

have you considered until determining if a larger compressor does need to be fitted (I think so but Im not expert) fitting a plastic curtain ,?
does the whole van need cooling ?. if not then add some plastic sheet with vertical strips cut , similar to the fly curtains fitted to a house door , behind the drivers seat which will effectively reduce the swept area and hey presto a cheap fix :_)

I have the factory unit (FS10). I haven't found a web site that lists compressors by size, only by year, make and model. Is there a site that gives displacements? It would be nice to find a larger one rather than trying to mount two seperate units.

I thought about the compressor before I added the bigger parts. Some ambulance and EMS units have dual compressors, one for the front and one for the rear. The shop said that increasing the condencer and evap assys would do fine. My girl friend has a '96 Escort wagon with
150,000 miles and she gets 42 degrees while idleing in the parking lot.

The tempature does come down to about 56 after you have been driving on the interstate for 10 - 15 min. I do 95% of driving stoplight to stoplight.

Hello NTXokie,
it is Jan.31, 2009 so I am about 2 year late- but I just bumped into your question 1 minute ago. (On myspace search (w/'web' "coolest conversion van" - this page comes up 1st.

Anyway, I am an almost Vanner- Loved them all my life, never wanted a car or truck or space shuttle- only a van but never was able to do $o. But I have been studying.
Also check out my collection of van pics (leave comments!) on www.myspace.com/echdrum

Your cooling problem. I do not know about btu's and systems that come w/vs. others. But something that I thought of when looking at New cars- they have the White 'sticker' on certain parts to save it from scratches- I thought, 'why don't *they* sell those for the Summer? I would buy them to cover my car - and all of Florida would have them year 'round!"
The roof of your Van is holding a ton of heat in the summer. Under the hood there is a lot of heat that needs to be fought as well - If you could change your rooftop and other parts to solid white, that will surely bring the temp. down AND take less time for your a.c. unit to do the job.
It is difficult to cool a large conversion van as they are as big as kitchens inside. But, as it is only the size of a kitchen- a normal size a.c. unit should do the trick- right? Well most are thinking only of size- let's not forget that the Van is out in the Summers direct sunlight. AND the windows magnify the intensity to quite some degree!
Again I am not a Van owner yet, but I highly recommend that you take all the steps to assisting your van and your a.c. unit. Top of my head:
1. White roof & maybe other parts (hood).
2. Block Windows from sunlight; in the Summer your chairs are mini-heaters holding in heat- the a.c. has that to fight as well as the big space AND bodyheat, outdoor heat, etc...
3. Park Van out of the sun (i know, obvious, but i had to add it).
4. Do not turn your a.c. unit down to the coldest setting all the time. Chances of getting a van in 94' F. down to 55 are slim. So setting it at 55' (not saying you do) will only make it fight w/itself until it shutsdown- this can also lead to the unit breaking. (I worked at a store with large windows, when too hot outside/inside we turned the thermostat down to 50 (lowest setting) - it broke over and over until the repair man told us, "set it for what it can do- it can make this store 70' F. - but w/the sun burning through the big windows it can not go to 50' F. so the unit tries so hard that it gets confused and pushes out 80' F (and 'says' 50'F) or just konks out.

Sorry to ramle so much. Just keep in mind colours and windows. (maybe i should have just typed that!)

Good luck to ya'll.