AC compressor bracket

[Hisham Amaral]

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Eric Perplies" wrote:
>Eric

Did you have the machine shop make a new bushing and increase the bolt dia. to
next size? If so please advise, my plans are to machine the brackets and remake
the bushing to mate with the overisze brackets thus removeing the side play and
also to add a stiffer washer at each end to eleminate the axial inboard rotation
and eleminate the ege shop that we end up with.
The design intent is to allow rotation but they did not understand the amount of
vibration diesels can input on loose bushing.

Hisham Amaral
97 Wanderlodge
W. Bloomfield MI.
dukeflyer@...
> To fix my a/c bracket I took it to a machine shop that bored the engine
bracket holes and the a/c bracket holes to a size that would clean up the hole
(so they were round once again.) They then built a new center shaft to fit the
new, over sized holes. They also made two thick washers for the end of the
shaft. If I remember right it cost me $120 a couple of years ago.
>
> Some discussion about the design of the bracket. I believe BB designed this
massive bracket and expected the massive size of the shaft to withstand the
vibration wear of the engine. It did not work on my rig. After less than 40k
miles the bearings were out on the compressor. At 50k I did the repair. I too
found all the holes and shaft egg shaped.
>
> I believe that the an improvement would be to tighten the "ears" on the
bracket by tightening the bolts at the end of the shaft. (Maybe that was the
intention of the design???) In any case when I reassembled my repaired bracket
I tighten the ear as firmly as I could so that the clamping action of the ears
on the engine bracket would minimize the wear on the shaft. If it could be
tightened enough, after adjusting the belt tension, there would be no relative
motion between the two brackets and the shaft, eliminating wear.
>
> One comment: I wish I had removed the gusset from under the two "ears". That
way I could have more easily tighten the bolts at the end of the shaft that
would have clamp the "ears" on the bracket to the engine side bracket. I didn't
remove that (approx. 5/16" x 3/4") gusset. I had to stand on a wrench to
tighten the ears after I got the a/c bracket adjusted. I imagine a significant
portion of the clamping force is going into bending the ears around the gusset
rather than clamping the ears to the engine bracket. Now, I believe the bracket
is tightened as if it were one piece, rather than one support and one pivot.
>
> Sorry for the long soliloquy. It's a complicated issue relating to what I
think was either a design problem or an incorrect BB fabrication/installation on
my bus.
>
> Eric Perplies
> 96' 42' WBWL
> currently in Lolo, MT
>