Hi all,
As hinted on the Yahoo board, I have removed the rear Kerstner air conditioning unit from the roof. I have driven through and parked in enough rain to be able to recommend this, but as always, your mileage may vary!
This air conditioner was originally designed for delivery vans and thus is not optimized for noise or comfort. Early NAFTA James Cooks apparently came with a smaller unit originally, but these were swapped out in the U.S. at some point before sale. Perhaps that was a quieter air conditioner, but it was apparently outgunned by Texas and Florida heat.
In any case, we had no need for this A/C since we hardly ever used it and, living in Europe, don't have access to 110V shore power. So off it went, all 60 kilograms (~130 pounds), not including the components in the closet.
I was very curious to see how the handling would change after removing the A/C. The improvement was dramatic, and perhaps a better change than switching to the Koni dampers. On undulating roads, there is significantly less "head toss." On the highway, side winds and the bow wave of trucks still push the van around, but there is only the initial movement, easily corrected, instead of the sway, followed by counter sway, etc.
Removal is pretty much as per the manual, with the following additions: (if you don't have the manual, get it, because I do not cover the steps here in sufficient detail to do this job safely without it.)
After removing the A/C, you need to patch the hole. The rough-cut hole is approximately 58x40 cm. It is not perfectly square. The roof is approximately 2" thick. Above this rough cut is a plastic flange that the A/C engages. On our van, a sheet of 8mm polycarbonate, 595mm x 425 mm, with 50 mm radius corners, covers the lip well. It is attached with self-tapping screws and a healthy bead of Sikaflex. The 8mm sheet is overkill in terms of toughness, but you don't want it to bow under the weight of water, snow, or ice!
In retrospect, I might have removed that plastic flange and patched the roof directly, as there are some hairline cracks in the flange that I did not notice until after the repair. Ideally, you will do this operation under a covered spot so you can decide for yourself. If you remove the flange, however, you will have to contend with the slight curvature of the roof.
Inside, I fitted a good chunk of polystyrene insulation, then placed a 3 mm acrylic sheet (63x39 cm) in place with self-tapping screws and duct tape. Note that the rough-cut hole extends slightly under the cabinet, at least in our van. This sheet cannot be much more than 39 cm in the front-back direction without being an interference fit that could cause squeaks. You can see most of this with a good flashlight after removing the vents from the cabinet and peering in through the narrow door in the bathroom.
You will need six plastic bolts (M8x20mm) to replace the metal bolts that held the A/C in place. Out of an abundance of caution, I also covered these with duct tape. Ugly, but on the roof so not visible.
Then there is some housekeeping of the remaining wires to prevent shorts and rattles. Presumably you will not replace the 150 Amp fusible link, but a future owner might, and that cable is hefty enough to be a major hazard if it ever went live. You'll also want to close off the evaporator drain (I made a simple wye with the remaining hose) and, if you're ambitious, you'll fix the air pipe for the exhaust fan. (I did not.) No wonder it does such a poor job, as it is squeezed nearly flat as it comes up behing the pantry!
An additional benefit to this job is you get a nice new linen cabinet!
Here are some photographs.
Next up is to get the other components out and investigate the feasibility of turning the water heater cabinet into a propane locker with the space that becomes available.
Ted
As hinted on the Yahoo board, I have removed the rear Kerstner air conditioning unit from the roof. I have driven through and parked in enough rain to be able to recommend this, but as always, your mileage may vary!
This air conditioner was originally designed for delivery vans and thus is not optimized for noise or comfort. Early NAFTA James Cooks apparently came with a smaller unit originally, but these were swapped out in the U.S. at some point before sale. Perhaps that was a quieter air conditioner, but it was apparently outgunned by Texas and Florida heat.
In any case, we had no need for this A/C since we hardly ever used it and, living in Europe, don't have access to 110V shore power. So off it went, all 60 kilograms (~130 pounds), not including the components in the closet.
I was very curious to see how the handling would change after removing the A/C. The improvement was dramatic, and perhaps a better change than switching to the Koni dampers. On undulating roads, there is significantly less "head toss." On the highway, side winds and the bow wave of trucks still push the van around, but there is only the initial movement, easily corrected, instead of the sway, followed by counter sway, etc.
Removal is pretty much as per the manual, with the following additions: (if you don't have the manual, get it, because I do not cover the steps here in sufficient detail to do this job safely without it.)
- I removed the interior cabinet without an assistant, but I would recommend having one if at all possible.
- Protect the counter tops in advance. The scratches in our van are clearly from an earlier removal, either to replace the unit or repair the evaporator drain hoses.
- I removed the "hat box" and the lamps in the cabinet, even though the manual does not call for it.
- After loosening the six allen bolts (M8, 6 mm head if I recall correctly) I pushed up from below to help loosen the unit before lifting it.
- Hoisting eyes are provided on the unit. You will need a suitable hoist (ours was rated 500 kg) and a secure anchor (ours was a huge tree). Remember that you need to lift the unit almost two feet higher than its installed position to clear the bath skylight. Then, after driving the van out from underneath, you need to be able to get it down to the ground. It is a long way!
- The roof is not designed to be stepped on. Be careful.
After removing the A/C, you need to patch the hole. The rough-cut hole is approximately 58x40 cm. It is not perfectly square. The roof is approximately 2" thick. Above this rough cut is a plastic flange that the A/C engages. On our van, a sheet of 8mm polycarbonate, 595mm x 425 mm, with 50 mm radius corners, covers the lip well. It is attached with self-tapping screws and a healthy bead of Sikaflex. The 8mm sheet is overkill in terms of toughness, but you don't want it to bow under the weight of water, snow, or ice!
In retrospect, I might have removed that plastic flange and patched the roof directly, as there are some hairline cracks in the flange that I did not notice until after the repair. Ideally, you will do this operation under a covered spot so you can decide for yourself. If you remove the flange, however, you will have to contend with the slight curvature of the roof.
Inside, I fitted a good chunk of polystyrene insulation, then placed a 3 mm acrylic sheet (63x39 cm) in place with self-tapping screws and duct tape. Note that the rough-cut hole extends slightly under the cabinet, at least in our van. This sheet cannot be much more than 39 cm in the front-back direction without being an interference fit that could cause squeaks. You can see most of this with a good flashlight after removing the vents from the cabinet and peering in through the narrow door in the bathroom.
You will need six plastic bolts (M8x20mm) to replace the metal bolts that held the A/C in place. Out of an abundance of caution, I also covered these with duct tape. Ugly, but on the roof so not visible.
Then there is some housekeeping of the remaining wires to prevent shorts and rattles. Presumably you will not replace the 150 Amp fusible link, but a future owner might, and that cable is hefty enough to be a major hazard if it ever went live. You'll also want to close off the evaporator drain (I made a simple wye with the remaining hose) and, if you're ambitious, you'll fix the air pipe for the exhaust fan. (I did not.) No wonder it does such a poor job, as it is squeezed nearly flat as it comes up behing the pantry!
An additional benefit to this job is you get a nice new linen cabinet!
Here are some photographs.
Next up is to get the other components out and investigate the feasibility of turning the water heater cabinet into a propane locker with the space that becomes available.
Ted
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