Red Dot A/C in Soft Top HMMWV

[beckel]

Guys - Just wanted to share a few pics of my recently completed Red Dot install in my soft top humvee. I chose a different setup for mounting the condenser because of garage height issues. Plenty of airflow and the unit cools very well. Evap was mounted on the 4 man cargo partition and is very solid.

 

[sully199]

I mounted mine under the hood, same reason, to fit her into my garage. I also wanted to be able to use the back of the truck. The condenser is from one of those units that are made for the wheel well.

 

[Speedzilla]

How does your AC perform with that condenser from the wheel well unit?

 

[rookie]

Yeah im curiuosto how well does it perform and do u have any pics

 

[1 Patriot-of-many]

Holy crap.....I didn't realize the unit was that big....... You lose most of your cargo space. Why can't they make a system like in civilian applications?

 

[sully199]

I am In Ft Lauderdale Fl, it was awesome all summer .

 

[Retiredwarhorses]

Holy crap.....I didn't realize the unit was that big....... You lose most of your cargo space. Why can't they make a system like in civilian applications?

they do....it's the OEM A/C, the red dot is not OEM to the HMMWV. it fits in any M series vehicle.

 

[Retiredwarhorses]

Let me add, the ones I have seen in HMMWV's blow cold as ice....they just take up a lot of room. Also, as the OP mentioned, that's not the standard config for a soft top install.

 

[rakhav]

labor cost

Guys - Just wanted to share a few pics of my recently completed Red Dot install in my soft top humvee. I chose a different setup for mounting the condenser because of garage height issues. Plenty of airflow and the unit cools very well. Evap was mounted on the 4 man cargo partition and is very solid.

vvvgood day who did the work for you and how much did it cost for labor

 

[rakhav]

good day how much did it cost for labor and who did the work for you

 

[rakhav]

good god i wish i was mechanically inclined like you. looks good

 

[sully199]

good god i wish i was mechanically inclined like you. looks good

I have installed 5 of them in my trucks and customers trucks. They are a pain in the ass! It takes about 20 hours or so to do. You have to pull the fuel tank pull the radiator, I work for some time, after the 5 th time I swear, I take a break and then have a couple shots. I own an auto repair shop, I end up doing all the work, because my employees bitch to much about it.

 

[linhster]

I also had the same idea about the install. This is my version.

 

[WAGNUM]

I have a Red Dot A/C kit coming on Friday; someone told me I'll need to find a new water pump v-belt pulley with an extra v groove to accommodate for the belt on the compressor because the kit does not include one. I've never heard this mentioned before and everyone else says the kit come with everything you need for the install. Should I be looking for a new water pump pulley? I have a 87 M998 6.5 n/a, 200 amp alt, v-belt setup.

 

[darkturbo]

I have the Reddot kit but mine did not come with the pulley .... I believe Greg have one for sale. ask him if you need it

 

[linhster]

My kit came with one. It's probably the hardest task in the install because of the awkward working area. You need to pressurized the fan clutch (using compress air) and lined up the opening for the 5/16 allen bolts. You do not need to remove the 4 nuts on the fan. Hope that will help on your install.

 

[WAGNUM]

My kit came with one. It's probably the hardest task in the install because of the awkward working area. You need to pressurized the fan clutch (using compress air) and lined up the opening for the 5/16 allen bolts. You do not need to remove the 4 nuts on the fan. Hope that will help on your install.

Good advice. Guess I'll clamp the hose and pull it off the fan. Can you just hold your air hose against the fitting to pressurize the fan, and with the other hand remove those 5/16 aliens? (I'm dumb, you must just pressurize the fan so you can turn it and align the access for the 5/16 allens) Does that mean I will need to bleed my power steering again after I reconnect the fan hose?

Did your kit come with install instructions. I have my A/C Manifold gauges and vacuum pump, now I need to know how much R134 to buy? I want to have everything ready to go when the kit gets here.

Thanks again for the info, let me know if you think of anything else.

 

[Action]

You can't just install the kit and add r-134 to it. It needs to have all the oxygen sucked out of it. The vacuum will also check for leaks. It cost me $50 for the service on mine, including the r-134, at an a/c shop.

 

[linhster]

You can't just install the kit and add r-134 to it. It needs to have all the oxygen sucked out of it. The vacuum will also check for leaks. It cost me $50 for the service on mine, including the r-134, at an a/c shop.

Action is correct. You need to pull a good vacuum. If you have access to a vacuum pump, it need to run for at least 20min to remove all the moisture and air. Once that's done you can add freon. My said 4lbs of 134a

 

[WAGNUM]

Yep. Got my manifold gauges and a vacuum pump ready to go. There are several types of R-143 out there. A lot of them advertise they contain different "stop leak" or "extra fast cooling" additives in them. My plan was to get straight up plain R-134. Can anyone recommend a good brand?