Posted In: PA-28
Hi Ian.
Michelle from Arctic Air Cooler https://www.arcticaircooler.com has this recomendation for your Arrow.
“I would recommend either the PAC38, 21w/14h/15d or PAC52, 26w/18h/15d.
Michelle Smith
Turton Enterprises
229-271-7905
michelle@aacooler.com
They have great products and are inexpensive to operate and easy to get parts when needed. 🙂
Thanks a lot Jen & Steve for this valuable information.
I will give it a try.
Regards
Ian
Here’s what Steve Ells has to say:
Hi Ian;
You need to find the best air conditioner service expert in town and get him to: 1) find the leak—I can email you the procedure but a good AC service person should know how to find leaks; 2) seal the leak; 3) evacuate the system to clean it out—this is done with a vacuum pump; 4) install a new receiver-dehydrator unit (Piper part number 456 615) since it will lose the dehydrating power if exposed to outside air; 5) add the proper amount of oil to the compressor; 6) service the system with refrigerant.
Since you already know the location of one of the leaks (above or forward of the pedals) you’re can start by looking at the hoses in that area to check for deterioration, wear, abrasion etc. I don’t have the exact parts book for your Arrow II but the Arrow III parts book I have seems to show flexible hoses installed between the rigid hoses. It may be that all you need to do is change the flexible hoses.
There’s nothing that’s abnormal about this system; it’s the same as any other small A C system.
One thing we have to deal with here is the fact that the original refrigerant was R-12. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) here is the States ruled that R-12 Freon was toxic and after 1995 new cars had to use R-134a. This created problems when older cars needed servicing because the market for R-12 lessened and in accordance with the law of supply and demand the price started climbing.
It’s possible to convert a R-12 system to use R-134 but modifications have to be made. If you can still get R-12 use it.
If you can’t get R-12 then there are less efficient refrigerants on the market—you’ll have to talk to the best AC guy in town to find out which one to use.
I’ve found that many airframe and powerplant (A & P) technicians here are not familiar with servicing AC systems. That’s the reason I suggest you find an experienced auto or truck AC mechanic. BUT you’ll need to be sure your A&P is willing to sign off on the work.
Best,
Steve
I have a 1976 Arrow II in Tasmania, Australia, air con has never worked since I purchased plane in 2010. Believed problem was failed compressor so replaced this as part of engine replacement in 2011. Have recharged with refrigerant twice found that there appears to be a refrigerant leak somewhere near the px side pedals as carpets gets soaked with oily liquid. Have given up on getting it fixed as assume repairing this leak would be a very expensive exercise. Any suggestions?
Ian
I had a flight instructor that had an Arrow with air conditioning. He had a continuous problem where belt would come off often within 15-20 hours of replacement. This was very expensive because an A&P had to remove the prop to install a new belt. He was not able to find a permanent fix for the problem. He eventually removed his.
Grant,
I own a 1974 Arrow II with PiperAire since 2007. I think it is the greatest thing since sliced bread. When I bought my airplane, the air had been disabled by removing the belt but not removed. I opted to have it repaired back to functioning condition. It required a new compressor and a hose the rest of the system has worked well. The system was an R12 system which made it a bit pricey to refill with refrigerant but not impossible as many older jets still have R12 systems. Even living in Michigan it is awfully nice on a hot and muggy day to be able to turn on the system which cools the cockpit quickly. I have used it in flight when flying down south in Mississippi at low altitude. It only cost about 3 knots when the condenser door is open. The only aggravation has been on the A/C equipped Arrows, the alternator belt is a 1/4″ section belt that is not too robust as I am on my third belt since 2007 which is around 450 hours. Pulley alignment is super critical as the belt is as tight as a guitar string and with the slightest misalignment the belt will roll over and invert and then fail. Changing the belt requires removal of the prop. The other thing for your mechanic to watch is the compressor is fastened to the bracket using the lower compressor case screws and they must use sealant because if they are removed the Freon will leak out which is costly to replace. In my view, it is all worth it.
Jim
I have a 2002 Archer III with Piper factory air conditioning. I’m the third owner of this plane, and I love it.
I have a slow leak of refrigerant requiring that I recharge the system every 12-18 months. I have resisted suggestions that I replace the compressor, preferring instead to recharge periodically. That works fine, and I still have very cold air this year from last summer’s recharge Other than that I’ve had no problem.
I live in Alabama, and our summer this year has been very hot and humid.
I risk the ire of my pilot buddies saying so, but if it was between a 430 and the AC, I might take the AC right now!
One note: If you get an air conditioned plane, watch the difference in weight and balance calculations from “generic” weight figures for Pipers posted on some sites. It adds some weight reducung available payload, but again is worth it.
I am in the market for a Piper Arrow III (my first airplane!), and one of the planes I’m considering has air conditioning. Living in Texas, air conditioning is near and dear to our hearts, and having it in a plane would be a huge plus. However, it seems that a lot of planes have had their air conditioning systems either deactivated or removed entirely. Is this typically done to gain useful load and/or reduce maintenance expenses? What are your experiences with the air conditioning systems installed in the Arrows (and other PA-28s to the extent they are the same)? Are air conditioning parts hard to come by (one owner told me that the compressor belt for his Arrow was on backorder)?
Thanks,
Grant
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