Another Air Con thread

[sawood12]

I've started a new thread on Air con since I did not want to hijack 'Private Pile's' air con thread. Air con systems have come on a very long way over the last 18 yrs or so. Although the configuration and elements of the systems are pretty much the same the actual components, e.g the compressors and condensors, have been refined and as a result are smaller, lighter, cheaper and much more efficient. I was wondering what the compatability of a more modern compressor - say from an Audi/BMW/VW/Merc, would be like? Apart from the need to manufacture a bracket to account for the physical size differences is it feasible to fit a more modern component? At the end of the day a compressor is a compressor.

Just thinking from the point of view that 944 air con components are pretty rare and very expensive so if other parts are retrofittable there will be much more choice and cheaper prices in the event of anything going wrong.

 

[Fen]

You'd want the OE evaporator as it fits neatly in the heater intake. Similarly the OE pipes can not easily be bettered. If you can get a comprssor, condenser and receiver drier to mount up then that would be fine. Even the OE Nippon Denso compressor which is used by loads of manufacturers appears to have a 944 specific housing though and there isn't a lot of room down there...

 

[944Turbo]

I am not certain but I believe the kit on this page http://www.944online.com/cgi-local/ASI_Store.cgi?Category+climatecontrol-944turbo+944turbo uses a more modern compressor with adaptors for our cars,
Tony

 

[skendrick]

Hi,

Iv'e just had the wifes 406 re-gassed at a reasonable £49 and I asked the question about converting my 1988 944 Turbo to a more modern system, he quoted me £75 and and said that the earlier gasses used in air con systems were not that good and technology has moved on in air con gas.
This falls into place as my car was re-gassed in 2001 and on full power I still need the windows down because the car doesn't get cold enough, whereas the wifes car you don't go below 17deg as it gets too cold.

Is anyone else's similar and has anyone done the change and is it better?

Regards

Steve

 

[Fen]

The mate who eventually bought my air-con compressor (not condenser as I said elsewhere) reports that it is now very cold whereas before it was rubbish. All of this on R134a which I understand to be less efficient than the R12 that the 944 system was designed for. The fact is not that air-con gas has moved on, rather that they old system was deemed to use a gas that was outlawed due to the harmful effects it has on the atmosphere when released and it has been very difficult to make a less harmful alternative that is as efficient. It's exactly the same as halon and fire systems if you are familiar with that - old gas outlawed, new gas much less efficient so (in that case of fire systems) you need 7 times as much of it.

 

[Fen]

The point of my above post (that I completely failed to make) is that the compressor could be the problem, not the gas. It should work better on R12 than anything else as that was what it was optimised for.