Quote:
Originally Posted by adschantz
In an attempt to avoid a generator and a separate 110v ac unit, what about allowing the van to idle all night and run the ac? This would keep a charge on the batteries and run the ac, all without the purchase cost and separate maintenance of the generator and second ac unit. I am looking at vans with the 5.4l engine. Except for the fuel bill, will an 8-10 hour period of idling damage the engine?
I'm in the southeast, ac is a part of life. Would like to simplify the setup as much as possible.
Thanks for the help.
Adam
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nothing is gonna like idling that long... some engines will tolerate it longer than others.
don't even think about doing it with a diesel. that will destroy a 6.0, even on high idle.
an EU 2000 honda genset and a 50' cord would draw minimal fuel, and unless placed
in a parking structure, would be almost unnoticeable. it'll also give you continuous power
without running full tilt boogie to do it. on minimal load, it'll run 24 hours on a filling,
and it's hard to hear 25' away.
having someone run a V-8 all night next to me, unless it's in a truck stop, would probably
lead to a can of "great stuff" into the intake horn behind the grill.... did i say that out loud?
good batteries, and a good alternator would be a solution, but won't run an a/c.
best batteries other than golf cart batteries, would be Oddesy batteries, with a
DC Power 270 amp alternator replacing the OEM. ford OEM alternators, imho, suck.
that alternator produces 200 amps of clean power at 600 rpm idle, and a smidge over
300 amps at 2,000 engine rpm... it's very conservatively rated.