The Crystal Cool (CC) air conditioning kit that was a feature component of "Workhorse Parts" is no longer a SKU and not being sold or supported by the company.
The primary reasons for this was the initial cost, the installation time which can extend to an all day affair (mine did) and the lack of dealer interest and field support. The kit is comprised of a different compressor which I am told is better than the stock OEM unit but I can't verify that, a secondary condenser with 2 more cooling fans, a new fan belt for the different size pulley, additional high pressure components and sensors and the CC computer control module.
The CC computer is accessed by a special cable which is also difficult to obtain which interfaces I believe to the CC computer via an RJ45 or RJ12 modular plug and or a serial or USB connector to a laptop. Using Windows Hyper Terminal you can observe in real time what the CC computer is doing and how efficiently the system is cooling. This I believe is unique feature in automotive air conditioning systems. The CC computer monitors the system temperatures and pressures and initiates the process when the compressor is required to clutch up and begin operations.
The unit runs using 134a refrigerant. It is serviced using conventional air conditioning equipment that you would find in a competent AC service center. I would not recommend attempting to install this system at home unless you're an AC Geek and a pretty fair mechanic.
I have been running the CC unit for about 1 year with mixed results. Depending on the outside temperature the unit can provide too much output where you can practically hang meat all the way to a whisper or a suggestion of cool air when the outside temperatures range from 95 degrees and above. The 43 degree claim at the registers in my opinion was never achieved. On day one on my way home from Terry LaBonte Chevrolet in Greensboro, NC the unit blew hot air all the way home back to the beach. For the investment in our time and money, we were very disappointed in the performance of the unit from the onset. I just want to add that I did not pay for the unit since it was a promotional item.
Here is my initial review of the product:
08/31/2006
Mike Pelchat
THIMC; (I know who! - not WCC parts)
Could you please send me a diagnostic cable for the CC computer? I would like to get into HyperTerminal and observe the data and let you know what I find.
From day one returning home, I remain unconvinced that the Crystal Air is doing what it is billed as in its promotional materials. The unit does not cool well when standing still. The billing on this is that it'll replace the need for supplemental coach air and I just can't see it.
I am expecting cold crisp air and I'm just not getting that. The air coming from the registers is slightly if at all better than the stock unit and it almost feels damp at times. This is very uncomfortable since most A/C units wring out the air lowering the relative humidity. I am observing condensate fall from the evaporator box.
I have noticed that when the auxiliary cooling fans kick in, the registers will flow cooler dryer air. If the system doesn't call for the fans to operate the A/C is equivalent to a stock unit.
The unit seems to operate within acceptable levels when the temperatures outside are in the mid-and lower 80s.
Please help me understand how the horizontally mounted condenser on the bottom of the radiator mount improves the A/C system since the end of the condenser unit is parallel to the air flow. The way I see it, unless the fans kick in, the lower unit doesn't get much flow.
Regarding the promotional copy in the brochure, "need to feel the freeze", that's not happening.
In the on-line copy, "We have tested this system, under best case scenarios, and have measured air coming out of the vents at 48F while the outside temperature was 118F a difference of 70F! You will quickly and easily feel the cold with Crystal Air." This is not my experience with this unit and I can't provide incite with confidence to customers.
As of this report, I have been mute regarding the promotion of the Crystal Air Kit. My readers continue to ask me for my evaluation and recommendation however the only thing that I can say is that I am continuing to evaluate the system and that I will report my findings when I have something conclusive to say.
I have approximately 400 brochures and I can not in good conscious promote this unit to the public as it stands because I am not confident that the product delivers what it promises. I can't as well recommend to my readers on iRV2 that they go out and spend close to $2,000 for the CC and labor to get a system that falls short of its promotional materials because I will get raked over the coals.
In the over 1500 miles that I have accumulated, my observation is that the air conditioning system is not as remarkable as I would have liked to believe it to be and the unit falls short in expectation.
Regards, Me
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OK folks! Am I really dead set against the CC Unit? Short answer is no not yet. With this amount of air conditioning hardware there just has to be a small engineering omission that is keeping this thing from realizing its full potential. I'm thinking if the fans ran "all the time" on the lower unit that the registers would provide cooler air. I know this because I just posted that while climbing mountains under a heavy load (towing, full gas, etc), 90 degree day, I was observing the coolant temperature going down on my Scan Gauge and enjoying colder air coming from the dash registers. You would think that as the load increases the heat increases but not on my Workhorse. The harder it works the cooler it gets. Consequently I have observed that the only way the temps go down is because both the main engine fan and all the auxiliary cooling fans begin spooling up.
About the 400 brochures, they went into recycling!
And that's the rests of the story .....
Have a good one!
#14997
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