Advice on fitting an air-conditioner in the Mahindra Thar

[nnn]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Somebody has gotten Thar AC done in Delhi, and the AC and heater are both working. So its indeed possible to have Thar AC + heater!
I will try to get more details and post here.

I got an AC fitted in the Thar and have the heater in place.

Sorry guys, was wanting to get this posted earlier with the summer in full swing but did not get a chance as I did not get my membership to the forum despite two tries. I then wrote to the moderators with this post in mind and pronto - here we are.

This is what was done:

1. Used a Scorpio compressor - readily available with all a/c retro fitters and repairers. This fits with no modifications. The bolero compressor is not available ex stock with dealers or aftermarket.
2. Only modification to fit the compressor was to move the power steering resorvior by 1 cm. No welding was done.
3. Used standard Scorpio hoses on the compressor. All available easily.
4. Fitted a Superking or similar blower after removing the Radio / cd Console.
5. Fitted the condensor with a electric fan under the body (left hand side). The condensor at the moment hangs a bit below the chassis, bit we are ordering a special condensor to fit between the chassis and the body with a smaller fan. That's a simpler problem to resolve and I have the time. We have also mounted a condensor below the chassis on our gypsy, though in the Gypsy the condensor is above the diffrential. That space is not available in the Thar.
6. The car does not overheat and is bearable in the cabit without insulation even in the Delhi 45 centigrade today. The temperature with or without the a/c is the same.
7. As the original blower was not touched the heater remains in place.The wiring was taken off the battery and hence the original harness remains in place. I was told by the dealer not to cut the wiring anywhere.
8. Am now working on a hard top and insulation.
9. I will post the driving and ownership impression on the Thar later, but in short I am impressed with the setup. Its a beauty.

I saw a Thar modified with one of the dealers in Delhi. They fitted a fan on the outside of the grill and that needed a quick goodbye, thank god for that, as that Thar will overheat. The dealer wanted 40K but confessed that teh car had not been driven for any distance. They did not want to give me a TD but wanted me to get the modification done.

I got this done from Quick Refrigeration at Lajpat Nagar, Delhi. The owner there a Sardarji has loads of experience and we have been going to him for decades. He should charge about 35K or so.

The fitting of the condensor below the chassis level may not be the best for off road use, but we will resolve that in time. At least the car is bearable in the summer.

Please do not hesitate to ask if you need further advice.

Good Luck

[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

Originally Posted by nnn

I got an AC fitted in the Thar and have the heater in place. Which Evaporator setup are you using?

This is what was done:

1. Used a Scorpio compressor - readily available with all a/c retro fitters and repairers. This fits with no modifications. The bolero compressor is not available ex stock with dealers or aftermarket. 170 cc compressor or 150cc, both are available?
2. Only modification to fit the compressor was to move the power steering resorvior by 1 cm. No welding was done. Why is this required, any pics?
3. Used standard Scorpio hoses on the compressor. All available easily. Which hoses, any pics?
4. Fitted a Superking or similar blower after removing the Radio / cd Console. Why so, a Blower is already present?
5. Fitted the condensor with a electric fan under the body (left hand side). Space is available, which condenser (size), fan (fan dia)?
6. The car does not overheat and is bearable in the cabit without insulation even in the Delhi 45 centigrade today. The temperature with or without the a/c is the same. What grille temperatures are you getting?
7. As the original blower was not touched the heater remains in place.The wiring was taken off the battery and hence the original harness remains in place. I was told by the dealer not to cut the wiring anywhere. Oh, so you have 2 blowers 1 for AC and 1 for heater, is it?
8. Am now working on a hard top and insulation. How is the in cab temperature?
9. I will post the driving and ownership impression on the Thar later, but in short I am impressed with the setup. Its a beauty. What mileage are you getting?

The fitting of the condensor below the chassis level may not be the best for off road use, but we will resolve that in time. At least the car is bearable in the summer. DANGEROUS!

Please do not hesitate to ask if you need further advice. Does the condenser fan rotate all throughout when the AC is switched on?

I have a few queries written in bold above ^^. Also, where have you kept the Antifreeze switch? Any pics would be great!

Spike

[headers]

The fitting of the condensor below the chassis level may not be the best for off road use, but we will resolve that in time. At least the car is bearable in the summer. DANGEROUS!

Unless we see the pics, i dont think it is DANGEROUS.

And if it is dangerous, then the THAR CRDe should be factory fitted with AC and HT, so that customers are not taken for a ride!

Also, if the customer does not want offroad use, one can live with it.

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by nnn

I got an AC fitted in the Thar and have the heater in place.

Sorry guys, was wanting to get this posted earlier with the summer in full swing but did not get a chance as I did not get my membership to the forum despite two tries. I then wrote to the moderators with this post in mind and pronto - here we are.

This is what was done:

1. Used a Scorpio compressor - readily available with all a/c retro fitters and repairers. This fits with no modifications. The bolero compressor is not available ex stock with dealers or aftermarket.
2. Only modification to fit the compressor was to move the power steering resorvior by 1 cm. No welding was done.
3. Used standard Scorpio hoses on the compressor. All available easily.
4. Fitted a Superking or similar blower after removing the Radio / cd Console.
5. Fitted the condensor with a electric fan under the body (left hand side). The condensor at the moment hangs a bit below the chassis, bit we are ordering a special condensor to fit between the chassis and the body with a smaller fan. That's a simpler problem to resolve and I have the time. We have also mounted a condensor below the chassis on our gypsy, though in the Gypsy the condensor is above the diffrential. That space is not available in the Thar.
6. The car does not overheat and is bearable in the cabit without insulation even in the Delhi 45 centigrade today. The temperature with or without the a/c is the same.
7. As the original blower was not touched the heater remains in place.The wiring was taken off the battery and hence the original harness remains in place. I was told by the dealer not to cut the wiring anywhere.
8. Am now working on a hard top and insulation.
9. I will post the driving and ownership impression on the Thar later, but in short I am impressed with the setup. Its a beauty.

I saw a Thar modified with one of the dealers in Delhi. They fitted a fan on the outside of the grill and that needed a quick goodbye, thank god for that, as that Thar will overheat. The dealer wanted 40K but confessed that teh car had not been driven for any distance. They did not want to give me a TD but wanted me to get the modification done.

I got this done from Quick Refrigeration at Lajpat Nagar, Delhi. The owner there a Sardarji has loads of experience and we have been going to him for decades. He should charge about 35K or so.

The fitting of the condensor below the chassis level may not be the best for off road use, but we will resolve that in time. At least the car is bearable in the summer.

Please do not hesitate to ask if you need further advice.

Good Luck

I think I can understand what you have done. I know the concerned Sardarji very well as used to go to him while I was in Delhi. Its actually a very good idea to have a stand alone A/C system that you have done which you have take off totally when factory fitted A/C THAR comes out and you switch to that setup.

Enjoy your THAR and do start your ownership thread.

Cheers

[nnn]

1. A 170 CC compressor was fitted because that was readily available. The 150 CC is not readily available.
2. One of the compressor hoses fouled with the Power steering Suction hose.
3. The Suction and Delivery hoses were from the Scorpio because those mate with the Scorpio compressor.
4. I kept the Thar setup standard and retained the original blower to avoid a warranty lapse as the dealers warned me. The advantage of adding a second blower is that the heater remains in place for those cold days when the windscreen mists up.
5. The condensor is about 20" long and 16" wide. The fan is about 16" diameter.
6. I have not checked the grille temperature but the water temperature indicator does not differ to that of driving the vehicle without the A/C. Unfortunately there are no absolute temperature graduations on the meter but it is about 1/3 up from the lowest indication.
7. Cab temperature is bearable (avoids the sweat but is not cold) in the afternoon sun with no insulation but in the evenings the compressor is thermostatically being cycled (cut off) even in this hot summer weather. Hence the cooling is adequate. Just need insulation on the body and it will be cool even in extreme summer afternoons.
8. The mileage is 10+ just short of 11. Without A/C I was getting 13 in town.
9. The Condensor is still a bit above the lowest part of the Thar's mechanicals. It is not dangerous in normal use, just for extreme off roading. I climbed an 8" curb the other day to park with no damage. I am confident it is not dangerous for normal usage. After market additions are often only a compromise.
10. The condensor fan switches on with the compressor and cycles with the Compressor.

I appreciate that this is not the ideal setup but it works without the constant fear of overheating the engine as I read on one of the other posts where a dealer fitted an A/C. When the condensor is changed to fit it within the chassis and body ie to raise it by 4" the arrangement will be well protected. The condensor only needs a wash once in a while to clean, say every 3-4 weeks and takes 2 minute with a power wash and the A/C remains effective.

Condensor below the body has been normal setup on the Gypsy for years atleast since the MFPI was introduced. I had an earlier Gypsy (1000 cc) with a condensor fitted in front of the radiator with additional cooling fans. That was a nightmare.

[Jaggu]

Thanks nnn for sharing the details, though am not a big fan of underbody grill for this overheating jeep, this seems to be the best set up. If its just front cabin set up cooling would be better.

How about keeping the grill at the rear area with fan set up on a front cabin only set up? Safe and secure, just wild thinking

[gotzuk]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

the condenser has been specifically developed for use in Thar. The specifications mentioned herein have been arrived at after considering all possible conditions, static as well as dynamic. Hence, it is very important that the technician sticks to these guidelines during the installation. Remove the deflector assembly along with the intercooler, intercooler pipes from the vehicle. The condenser contains a dual fan arrangement. The condenser comes with brackets which provide mounting provisions with the deflector box assembly.

Are there any part numbers for ordering the condenser and the fan from the dealer?

[AWD]

For the people who definitely need an A.C. in the Thar, would do good waiting till the Company comes up with a viable solution(properly tried & tested) instead of the present one that looks nothing less than a Jugaad.

[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

Originally Posted by headers

Unless we see the pics, i dont think it is DANGEROUS.

Not needed, atleast for me. . Yes, it depends on what the usage will be like.

Originally Posted by nnn

1. The condensor is about 20" long and 16" wide. The fan is about 16" diameter.

16" fan is a good enough size for the condenser, which model uses this condenser and what is its cost?

I agree for normal use the set up "may" be just fine, try and position it in the front, nothing like it.

Spike

[nnn]

spike,

Will let you known in a couple of days the make of the vehicle which uses condensor fitted in my Thar. I need to visit the guys who fitted the A/c and check from them.

Maybe the condensor mounted a couple of inches ahead of the radiator grill behind the bull bar or attached to the bull bar may be a better solution. One could lower it by removing the cover on the chassis and slip it down a bit and let it protrude up a bit. As I said earlier with the summer in full swing we adopted a quick fix which we were sure would work and was possible with no discussions immediately. I am going to investigate that alternative. What are your views?

The cost of the condensor was Rs. 3000 and the fan Rs. 2000 from what I remember when the owner of the shop estimated and made a quote. I did not bother to ask after the job was completed.

Good Luck

nnn

[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

Originally Posted by nnn

spike,

Will let you known in a couple of days the make of the vehicle which uses condensor fitted in my Thar.

Ok.

Maybe the condensor mounted a couple of inches ahead of the radiator grill behind the bull bar or attached to the bull bar may be a better solution. One could lower it by removing the cover on the chassis and slip it down a bit and let it protrude up a bit. I am going to investigate that alternative. What are your views?

Two things to be kept in mind while deciding the position:-

1. Good air flow
2. Sufficient working clearances with the "environment".

As I said earlier with the summer in full swing we adopted a quick fix which we were sure would work and was possible with no discussions immediately.

Understandable.

The cost of the condensor was Rs. 3000 and the fan Rs. 2000 from what I remember when the owner of the shop estimated and made a quote.

I feel 2000 is on the higher side, doesn't matter now.

Spike

[nnn]

Spike,

The 16" fan is from a Safari (I am told). The condenser is what they fit on the Gypsy as an after market A/C fitting (I am told).

I got a Travera Condenser today. We will be removing the cover over the chassis between the bumper and the radiator grill, and slipping in the condenser down to the horns and letting it come just over the bumper. The width is just about 2 mm short of the chassis opening. If required, maybe we re-locate the horn to give it just that extra space. The fan will be fitted on top of the condenser. If what we plan gets done, Hurrah the condenser will be out of harms way as the Torsion bar is there to protect the Condenser from the front. I could also put a guard below the condenser to make it good for most off-road use.

I will keep you updated. This may take time as I am away for a couple of weeks on business.

Good Luck.

nnn



Quick refrigeration have done another couple of Thar's in the meantime.

[wanderhermit]

A friend of mine bought Thar Crde this Monday from Swami Automobiles, Chandigarh. I had gone through this thread and got an impression that M&M would have given sufficient instructions to the dealers to fit an ac. So I also suggested him to get it fitted from the dealership itself.

The dealer told us that he would fit the original ac that also comes with Scorpio and if my friend gets ac fitted from the dealership, the warranty on the vehicle will not be void. My friend readily agreed since it will be difficult to drive Thar in this heat during current month.

He left the Vehicle at the dealership the next morning for ac fitting. Cost quoted was 27k which he did not negotiate at all. And after the ac was fitted (same evening) the executive very casually tells us that they outsource all the ac fitment to local ac mechanic outside the dealership, in his case, it was ,Binda AC', in sector 28.



Also the compressor that is fitted is Sanden 507. And that too, i am not sure is original Japanese. The ac is grossly in-adequate and not cooling properly. And when my friend mentioned this to the dealership they told us that it will be like this only, since the vehicle has soft top.

Disgusted, my friend is fitting Thar with a wooden plywood separation between the front and rear seats.

I seriously suggest all Thar owners to be wary of such traps laid by rogue Mahindra dealers who lie to their customers. And they must make sure of all the components that go into their vehicles before getting the job done. And also be sure to be present during the job is being done.

And I not going to even think or suggest buying a Thar unless it comes with factory ac. Period.

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by wanderhermit

And I not going to even think or suggest buying a Thar unless it comes with factory ac. Period.

I agree a 101% with this. I understand the complexities of providing hard top. But it is shameful that Mahindra cannot offer a company AC option. Many buyers may buy this vehicle in haste seeing the bra and lipstick but try using a jeep in most parts of India without AC and you will regret falling for the bra and lipstick.

I am sorry to hear what happened to your friend. This shouldn't happen to someone who has just spend 7 Lakhs OTR for a "Life Style" vehicle.

[maverick56]

BD sir/ Spike
AC fitment to Thar
am i to infer that the factory fitted HT is coming
Plz say yes, a customer awaits