Re: [doc] Smoking DeLorean! (FAO possibly Phill W)

[Nick Tomlinson <nickandkathryntomlinson@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sounds like the clutch has gone....
 
I would recommend investigating the air con compressor itself in case a rod has gone (ouch).
 
You could be lucky if the cause was broken clutch or over-pressuring of the gas itself.
I presumed that the person did a full UV dye and nitrogen pressure test first.
Then, a full evacuation, oil added and gas fed, quantity measured in by weight.
 
R134a requires a higher pressure than R12.
Due to the molecular structure being smaller in R134a it peritate through the rubber hose itself (unless the hoses on the D are compatible with R134a ??)
 
I got mine pressure tested, evacuated, re-oiled and re-gassed with R12 (old can the air-con engineer had spare) 2 years ago and it still works fine now.
 
I would just disconnect the belt and red cable (and insulate it) for now until it is sorted.
 
I personaly only engage the air con when the engine is at idle as it minimises the wear on the clutch, less 'kick'.
 
You are supposed by law now have the gas pumped out of the system before work, not a diy job. 
 
Also, don't use a halide torch (naked flame), an old method for tracing a leak, like they did with domestic gas pipes! If you burn R12 gas then the by-product is Mustard Gas, not pleasant.
 
Good luck,
 
NickT
 


John Tien <johntien99@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi Phil,

Same thing happened to me when I regas my air con for
the first time. However it happened to me when the car
was in idle.

Try switching on ur air con when you are driving at a
constant speed (e.g. 30mph+) and see if it still
happens (of course, check if the air con still
works!). Look at the volt meter, see if the voltage
drops too much from 12-13V when the air con is on.

What may be happening, is that your D is having a
'lack of voltage' problem... causing the electronic
magnetic switch at the air con compressor to fail at
engaging (or disengaging) the clutch fully, making the
clutch slip (while in contact with the rotating disk)
hence causing smoke. Testing it while the car is at a
constant speed will hopefully see whether it is a bad
alternator causing the overall problem.

Anyway, I am not a very experienced DeLorean owner
yet... so someone with a more techanical mind will
correct me if I got something wrong here!

Good luck with the problem solving!

Regards,
John Tien
DOC 8
RHD 3046

--- Phil Peters 
wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
> Unfortunately I suffered one of those heart stopping
> moments tonight when I saw SMOKE billowing out from
> the engine cover while I was driving through town! I
> pulled over immediately, and a closer inspection
> revealed that the smoke was coming from the air con
> compressor rather than the engine itself, so panic
> over. I seem to remember someone's car at Gaydon
> this year suffering the same problem (possibly Phill
> Wright's SOR83T?). 
> 
> I could be wrong, but it seems that the compressor
> has a sort of clutch mechanism to engage it, since
> the belt constantly drives it. If you were standing
> at the back of my car looking into the engine bay,
> you can see that the round part on the compressor
> which engages seems to get stuck or seize. Does this
> mean that the bearing has seized? If so, what would
> be the next step in sorting this out? And
> furthermore, can I do it without losing all my
> refridgerant gas?? 
> 
> Any advice at all would be really welcomed! :-)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> 
> 
> Phil Peters
> VIN #4400 LHJ 58W
> DOC #84
> Wolverhampton, UK
> 
> 
>
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