A/C Compressor for power, can it be done?

blueroo

Well-known member
So our 89 Ranger bit the dust, head cracked. To make it easy to get the head off, I took the A/C compressor off since the A/C never worked in that truck.

I went to spin the pulley thinking it was probably seized. It wasn't. It spins very nicely.

So I started thinking about what it could be used for. At first I thought of using it for its original intended use of course.

But then I started wondering if I could possibly set it up to gain power somehow, sort of like a rudimentary supercharger or whatever



So can it be done or would the power the compressor would steal outstrip the power it would add. Would changing pulleys work?
 
8) while the compressor could be made to compress air for rudimentary supercharging, it wont flow enough air to have any effect. a better idea would be to use the a/c system as an intercooler by running the incoming air through the evaporator core to lower the incoming air to the intake manifold, but even then i doubt you will gain enough power to overcome the power loss from running the compressor. about the only other use for a/c compressors is for an on board air supply system for airing up tires, and running air tools.
 
Unless they have changed something on newer compressors, part of the lubrication duties of the system is performed by the freon carrying a soluable oil. If you were to pump air, you would burn up the compressor due to lack of lubrication.
And as mentioned, the compressor is not a high volume compressor. It is designed more as a low volume, high pressure compressor.
Doug
 
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