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jbcollier



Member Since: 29 Apr 2024
Location: Edmonton AB
Posts: 68

Canada 2009 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 SW Alpine White
Rear AC
Has anyone got one of the rear AC in the cubby kits? How do you like it? Worth the $$$?

Any better alternatives out there?
Post #1039751 12th Jul 2024 4:20am
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Tjhappel



Member Since: 08 Aug 2012
Location: Southern California
Posts: 32

United States 2010 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 XS CSW Santorini Black
Anyone please??? This car has the worst AC of all time and living in a desert it just bakes.
Post #1040140 17th Jul 2024 4:39am
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HardCharger



Member Since: 03 Mar 2013
Location: Manila
Posts: 729

Philippines 2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 SW Stornoway Grey
Cool Air Logan has the kit you're looking for.

https://www.coolairlogan.co.uk/land-rover-air-con

Not affiliated. Heard good things about them. Will get rear AC from them when I have the funds saved up.
Post #1040143 17th Jul 2024 5:30am
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jbcollier



Member Since: 29 Apr 2024
Location: Edmonton AB
Posts: 68

Canada 2009 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 SW Alpine White
Thanks. The pdf below was useful. Does anyone have personal experience? Think I would want to fit an uprated condenser and fan assembly at the same time.

https://89ebf70c-36a4-4d4b-a820-1ec3978e4e...e9f32b.pdf
Post #1040146 17th Jul 2024 5:44am
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TexasRover



Member Since: 24 Nov 2022
Location: Paris
Posts: 1005

France 2002 Defender 110 Td5 DCPU Chawton White
Tjhappel wrote:
Anyone please??? This car has the worst AC of all time and living in a desert it just bakes.


This car comes from a time in Europe where people never heard of AC and nobody thought they needed it. Come model Puma only then the AC became something resembling modern. Are Pumas allowed to be imported in the US yet, don't think so.

I owned a Series in Texas and it was not all that useable in summer.
Post #1040150 17th Jul 2024 7:09am
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Race.it



Member Since: 27 Aug 2019
Location: Algeciras
Posts: 812

Spain 2010 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 SW Alaska White
by the flag he is in Canada, which have the 15 year rule, not 25 like US, so yep pumas can get into Canada now. Searching for my first Defender...and started just as Covid hit, so talk about timing.

5 months after starting the search I found it, and here is the details
Post #1040167 17th Jul 2024 10:41am
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jbcollier



Member Since: 29 Apr 2024
Location: Edmonton AB
Posts: 68

Canada 2009 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 SW Alpine White
Yup, bought my 2009 Puma in Canada last year. Came from a very dry climate, not even a smidge of corrosion. Rode hard and put away wet though. I have spent a small fortune catching up with deferred maintenance and updates: clutch, head micro-cracks, three torsen diffs, bumpers, racks, etc. Love it though. The 110 rear compartment can easily swallow more than one medium sized elephant. And, 30 mpg …unless you are carrying two canoes with the AC on.
Post #1040179 17th Jul 2024 2:15pm
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TexasRover



Member Since: 24 Nov 2022
Location: Paris
Posts: 1005

France 2002 Defender 110 Td5 DCPU Chawton White
Race.it wrote:
by the flag he is in Canada, which have the 15 year rule, not 25 like US, so yep pumas can get into Canada now.


Tjhappel however lives in Southern California, he/she seemed to be in more pressing need for proper AC
Post #1040202 18th Jul 2024 4:59am
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jbcollier



Member Since: 29 Apr 2024
Location: Edmonton AB
Posts: 68

Canada 2009 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 SW Alpine White
You can get a larger condenser which helps. Condenser fans need to be powerful. If a PO has fitted a cheap replacement, that would limit AC temps. Condensers also can age poorly with the fins corroding and falling out. That’s where I would start if your charge level is fine.

My question was about if the rear AC units add cooling ability. If your AC doesn’t blow cold then adding more evaporator capacity will not improve things!
Post #1040229 18th Jul 2024 12:29pm
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Grenadier



Member Since: 23 Jul 2014
Location: The foot of Mont Blanc...
Posts: 5804

France 2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 DCPU Corris Grey
I was thinking about this just today.

First, about the cool air logan kit. I've heard somewhere that they can adapt them to order, to have front facing vents. Regardless, for me with a small, well insulated double cab, I think the kit could make a huge difference.

But in the interim, I think there might be other measures to take. First to block the two central, louvred ports (using a sponge or similar, so the air directs to the adjustable ports. Second to put some ducting insulation around the ducting that goes to those two ports, as the ducting sits very close to the dash/bulkhead and I noticed that it was considerably warmer than the central ducts. So, I suspect the plastic tubing will be heating the cooler air on its way up.

Further, have you checked the heater controller valve (inside the engine bay) that it is fully closed? The valve does not always fully close when using just the Hot/Cold dial in the cabin. Check its fully shut and it might improve the cool air you have.

Finally, and I have no idea if this is true - so any others with an answer would be great, but I've heard that the compressor can be adjusted, to make it even cooler? Not sure if/how that's possible, but someone might know. Thumbs Up Monsieur Le Grenadier

I've not been everywhere, but it's on my list.....

2011 Puma 110DC - Corris Grey
Post #1041487 31st Jul 2024 3:06pm
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Matt110



Member Since: 29 Jun 2014
Location: UK
Posts: 677

United Kingdom 
Has anyone considered adding one of the 12V completely stand alone compressor/evapourator/blower kits that now seem to be available? There are ones for trucks which are packaged in a truck specific white case, but there are also 12V kits that are simply the component parts, ready for you to fit. The evapourator comes in a "kit car" style bolt on blower unit with controls. Seems to come in about £500 from Ebay.... They would draw roughly 50a on full which would make your charge balance borderline if you ran it all the time and the alternator would work very hard, but to get the temp down for half an hour or used with thought - it might just be the boost required. With a big charger you could also run it on "shore power" in a camp site to keep the vehicle cool.
Post #1043277 20th Aug 2024 8:28am
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jbcollier



Member Since: 29 Apr 2024
Location: Edmonton AB
Posts: 68

Canada 2009 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 SW Alpine White
The Defender is a big, leaky, tin shed. You need a fair amount of excess capacity to properly cool it. I have been doing a lot of reading and have found that:

- there is excess compressor capacity,
- you can add another evaporator unit as long as it has its own expansion valve,
- there are "higher capacity" condensers available.

So I'm going to upgrade the condenser but I'm not going to spend a fortune for the stand-alone evaporator unit built into a cubby. Instead, I bought this unit:

https://www.southernrods.com/southern-air-...-only.html

With some minor finagling, it will fit inside a standard cubby and costs 1/20th of the price. The other issue with the $$$$ unit is that the outlet vents are not positioned very well for doing anything other than cooling the back seat passenger's knees. I'm going to use the Terrafirma storage compartment for the back of cubbies as a duct so I can have the vent outlets higher up and pointed in the right direction.
Post #1043294 20th Aug 2024 12:22pm
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Matt110



Member Since: 29 Jun 2014
Location: UK
Posts: 677

United Kingdom 
That's really interesting. Thanks for sharing. What compressors are you specifically referring to as having excess capacity or is it fairly general?

Is it as simple as fitting a T in the existing Evaporator feed line (somehow) and then you add more gas when you fill? Or how do you then fit this unit?
Post #1043325 20th Aug 2024 4:21pm
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jbcollier



Member Since: 29 Apr 2024
Location: Edmonton AB
Posts: 68

Canada 2009 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 SW Alpine White
Yes, compressed capacity normally exceeds requirements.

And, yes, tee fittings are all you need though they are not commonly available.

Charging the system will have to be done by an experienced tech as there are no specs and they will have to charge just using pressure gauges.
Post #1043347 20th Aug 2024 6:41pm
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