York_install

A lot of people are discovering the York A/C compressor as a great candidate for an onboard air compressor for their trail rigs. The York is much cheaper than most 12 Volt units and is much stronger. This write up will take you through the installation on my Toyota.

When combing the junkyard look for units from late 70's to early 80's Volvo's, these are the best candidates. I've heard Yorks also come on some Fords and AMC cars but I haven't researched any of those. I got this one from an '83' Volvo wagon, and paid $35 at the local Pick and Pull. I also managed to grab the stock Toyota belt tensioner pulley at the same time (you will need this if your truck does not currently have A/C). When looking for the York look for the unit resembling the picture in the top left. Use the ID tag info at right, to find a good unit. Generally speaking look for a unit with the flange head, and the 10 cfm capacity. If you can only find the smaller 9 and 6 cfm units that's fine, they will still outperform any 12 volt compressor. The ID tag can be found on the front of the unit (pulley side) and looks like the tag in the photo on the right. Click on the ID tag thumbnail at right for a full size view. (and also most of the pics in this article.)

Below is a list of the parts I used for the install. I did this as cheap as I could, but you may feel free to sustitute parts as you see fit. A lot of the other articles I've seen had custom teflon hoses and the like. They also went so far in some cases as to change the fittings on the compressor. In this install I managed to retain the factory suction and discharge ports, thereby keeping the costs down. In most cases I put the source as well as the price (when I could remeber..)

York air compressor                     Pick and Pull                               $35.00
25 feet of 3/8 air hose                  Harbor Freight                             $7.00
Brass junction block (4-way)         Harbor Freight                            $2.00
assorted barbed hose fittings       Harbor freight                              $5.00
1/4" poly air line (for guage)         Home Depot                                $7.00
Assorted brass fittings                  Home Depot                                $10.00
Pressure switch                            Air Tool Store                              $ 25.00 **
One way check valve                    Air Tool Store                             $ 17.00 **
5 gal air tank                                Wal Mart                                      $ 20.00
Fan Belt                                       any auto parts store                    $ 6~12.00
4 10mm X 20mm bolts                  Home Depot, Osh, Lowes...         $ 5.00
Fram crankcase filter                   any auto parts store                     $ 3.00

Along with the tools you bring to the junkyard you will also need a 12 volt battery. A cordless drill battery in the 9.6 to 14 volt range also works fine for our purposes. The battery is to test the electric pulley clutch on the unit. Once out of the car, (or while in the car..) touch the negative tab of the battery to the case of the York (you may need a short section of wire). Now touch the positive tab to the small black wire coming from behind the pulley. You should hear a click in the pulley, and if you rotate the pulley by the outside, the inner section should rotate as well. If all is well you can progress to the next test. Grasping the inner section of the pulley, give the pulley a few turns while placing your finger over the discharge port on top of the york. (one is labeled "suction" and one is labeled "discharge) If all is well you should feel air pressure building on your finger tip. Just a quick note, the York will pump in either clockwise, or counterclockwise rotation. If both tests appear ok, It's time to prep the unit for install.