Aircon recomendations?

Guest · Jul 30, 2003

I am considering/pricing overhauling my aircon in my 89 Coupe, barrier hoses, new compressor, dryer, repositioning condensor etc...

I am pretty aware of the various options I have but would like to find uk expertise and suppliers if possible.

Has anyone got any experienced (UK) 911 aircon contacts who can help with supply of parts or services if I wimp out and want to get it all done by someone else?

Cheers

Andy

Mark_Bennett · Jul 30, 2003

There is an article in this months 911 & Porsche World that might help.
Some UK specialists were the focus of the article.

Guest · Jul 30, 2003

I use AutoAudio, in west London (W12) , whom I heartily recommend.

Tel - 020-8743-9662

I know, their name is not obvious, but they are a major dealer in ICE and air-con (no pun intended) - they do work for RR etc., and have been doing mine for a long time (and my audio even longer). Last time I heard, one of the a/c guys (Simon) owned a Boxster.

What is even more useful, in my case, is that I can walk to them.

Guest · Jul 30, 2003

Dude,
I pulled my air-con out, have a few parts.. most was removed by previous owner.
Parts included the fan in boot front for the condenser.
Be aware the drier receiver mounted in the front left guard is a great spot for breeding ferous oxide....rust[

]
Perhaps my car was a poor example, but what I have seen of retro air-con fitting (porsche dealer?) the layout/installation is pretty poor. I really believe the 3.2 is not really designed for a/c; unless the plumbing was incorporated into the body shell at time of car build. ie, installing metal pipes up through the tunnel, etc, instead of 5 miles of rubber hoses strapped to the outside, which trap dirt and rust[:-][:-]
But hey, that' s my opinion[&:]

Guest · Jul 30, 2003

You will always find some drivers who like the wind in their hair/gently sweating style, and some who like to be cool, refreshed, relaxed and awake.

We all chose which one - I know I have.

Guest · Jul 31, 2003

Thanks your your responses. This is not a retro fit. The car has aircon but at somepoint I am going to overhaul it as it doesnt hold a charge for long, the compresor/clutch sometimes makes odd noises, the receiver/dryer has never been replaced and the evaporator has been kicked to hell. Even when its working at best it is only ok not great just ok.

As I am going to sort it out when time and cash allow and because of the points in previous posts about the 3.2 and earlier aircon being less than ideal I want to examine options for improving it. There are a lot of options and experience out there but most of it originates in the US.

Possibilities include...

Replacing all hoses with new barrier hoses.
Underbody condensor
Condensor in the rear left wing
Using a 964/993 condensor in the front left wing
New, more efficient compressor

Of the above changing the hoses, compressor and receiver/dryer plus overhauling the evaporator are the most likely things I will do. I think the capability of the standard system is probably ok for the UK climate. Changing the condensor system is probably overkill for the uk.

The main thing I would like to get done is the making of barrier hoses. In theory you should be able to take the oringinals off and then have someone make up a new set of hoses using originals as a template and the existing fittings where servicable.

If I can find expertise and parts sources in the UK then hopefully it will cut down on the time and costs involved. I' m not optomistic but if you don' t ask...!!

The benefits of this will be that hopefully the aircon will work adequatly and reliably and I will also be able to switch to R134 which you can get replenished just about anywhere. You can' t use freon now (CFC) and the drop in replacements maybe fine but many aircon places dont want anything to do with your system if you have used one.

Enough already...[

]

Cheers

Andy

Guest · Jul 31, 2003

I have fitted fans under my rear-mounted condensor, which come on when the a/c is on (which, in my case, is all the time), which seems to help. I have had slots incorporated in the lower part of the seat backs, and installed small fans to blow air into the seat back, just to improve the flow a bit - yet again, it seems to work.

I assume that mine has the new gas, as it gets replaced on a reasonably regular basis, as does the drier (same time, in fact).

My dash vent plumbing has been modified, so that most of the air comes out the middle and on the drivers side, leaving the poor passenger with less of a draft - mind you, as she normally wears, in winter, a coat in the car, and me in just a tee-shirt, with the a/c on low ....!

I am curious to know what some of the modifications that you mention are; I saw one in the Demon Tweeks catalogue, but it did seem a bit expensive, and, as it was aimed at American cars, I didn' t know if it would work over here.

The evaporator is a rather expensive item, and I wonder why it got so badly damaged - I assume that the ' kick-plate' on the passenger side is faulty.

Jamie Summers · Jul 31, 2003

John,
I didn' t know Auto Audio did aircon too - they look after the sound side of things for my car. It' s a bit of a bore that they' ve moved as they were walking distance from me !

Guest · Aug 3, 2003

If the cost is too high to fully repair I might just refill regularly

How ? You need specialist equipment to refil air-con systems (an high pressure system/' exotic' gases etc.).

It is always worth having it checked by a professional - when set up properly, it really does work on a 3.2 carrera.

Guest · Aug 4, 2003

Don' t want to risk freezing to death in winter with a working aircon...

You could always.... no, I won' t say it !
And anyway, just think of the instant demisting with a/c on.

Whilst on the subject, if I try to use the hot-air blower on the screen to demist, and drive through a deep puddle, then I get instant fog on the screen - is this a feature ?
(If you can' t fix it, feature it)

Guest · Aug 4, 2003

John...

Modifications I have seen (mostly read about on the Pelican Parts Forum)..

Barrier Hoses
This seems to be the most recommended option. Original hoses are fail in a predictable fashion by having pinholes in them. Apparently this means they will leak over period of time and R134a will leak more quickly than the original freon (r12). By using barrier hoses the aircon keeps the gas in for longer and therefore works at its optimum for longer. Worth doing but a lot of work. Costs can be reduced if you can get someone to make up the hoses using fittings from the old ones but where in UK?

Keule Condensor
Mounts in left rear wing. Has its own fan. Used in addition to standard front and rear condensors. Supposedly makes quite a difference. Some hove voiced concerns about having a device intended to remove heat mounted so close to the engine/exhaust. Overkill for UK?

Underbody Condensor
Mounts under the body of the car. Exposed to the elements but it is a specially toughened coil so can withstand a good bashing from road debris. Again supposedly works well but not so great when stationary as no fan. Overkill for UK?

964/993 Condensor
One or even two of the 964/993 condensors mounted in left and right front wings. Bit sketchy on this but I think they have fans so should work well. A lot of work though with quite a bit of relocating of existing parts and fabrication involved. No kit for this that I know of. Again, overkill for UK?

Various replacment compressors
More effiecient compressors available. Not sure that any real benefit to the aircon but they take less power and are quieter.

Receiver/Dryer
Should allways be changed when system has been exposed to air. Possibly everytime you recharge. There is a version called the Procooler which claims to improve the performance of the system. Some debate over its effectiveness.

Evaporator
Have seen a drop in replacement for the evaporator on US models (with eveporator in the smugglers box). Claims to be more efficient due to different coil design. No idea what model evaporator is in the UK versions. I think its a Behr of some sort.

One of the features of the condsensor mods is that they add additional airflow by using fans. Sounds like you allready found that out. Obviously all the mods add additional condensor area but most of the guys that have fitted these seem to live in areas with much hotter temperatures than the UK.[

] - How' s your' s coping today!

Cheers

Andy