Krumville

Hello all, Im New here with an '87 911 targa. I recently bought the car and had the AC recharged(with 134a) and vac tested. It blew cold for a a about 6 non-consecutive hours then stopped. I could never get cooled air out of the side vents at all. Now I get nothing at all from the AC control. The Heater still works well as expected.
Will an OEM ac work with R134A? If not what would one expect to pay for upgrading the whole system? Thanks in advance for any advice
Ken

griffiths

First, you want to think about integrity, meaning no leaks, controls and motors work, compressor is in decent shape.
a) Stock factory hoses and o-rings leak, replace them.
b) The 86-89 factory evaporators will all leak in time due their construction, consider replacing with an upgrade.
c) Drier, you will want a new one.
d) Compressor on 84-89, typically can get 100k miles, but not all the time. So you disassemble, inspect bores, pistons, wobble plate and reed valves.
If its clean inside with no wear, under 100k, consider just a seal kit, otherwise a new Denso compressor
f) Check you evaporator blower motor, does it squeal, if so replace it.
g) Check your front condenser blower motor,does is squeal, if so replace it.
Check to see if there is an inline 7.5 to 10 amp fuse assembly connected in its wires harness, if not put one in.
h) See if you have all 3 fans speeds for the evap blower motor; RH **** in the center console.
i) Test the thermostat,LH **** in console, when the ign key is on accessory position, the evap motor turned on,
turning the thermostat to max cold (fully clockwise) you should hear the front condenser blower motor turn on,
turn the **** to warm/off (fully counter clockwise) front condenser blower motor turns off.
j) Do a visual inspection of the engine deck lid condenser and the front condenser, any signs of refrigerant oil
on the bends in the tubing or anywhere else?

Second, you think about upgrades. Most 911's do not produce cool enough vent temps whenever you start
getting above 80F outside air temps. The car needs more condenser area, and additional vents.

mike5876

Listen to this guy i have used his advice and products in several 911s and no one knows how to make an old 911 ac blow cold like he can!!

Pavegeno928

My 88 Cab blows ice cold in southern Alabama stop and go traffic. Griff will take care of you. Do it right and do it once, don't piecemeal it.

Krumville

Thanks for the replies and detailed breakdown, looks like I have a bit of work to do.. fortunately the weather is cooling off up here. 👍

Krumville

Would anyone have a ballpark idea what I should expect to pay for a comprehensive overhaul as Griff describes? Or even recommend a particular shop in the NY area?

Pavegeno928

I replaced everything and had a Florida Porsche dealer do the install who had done a few before. Mid $4s parts and labor. Did a 4 condenser system including two wheel wells replacing both front and rear stock condenser. New hurricane blower, barrier hoses, center vent, variable fan controller, new expansion valve, evaporator, rcvr/dryer, and compressor. Installed in late 2008. Have had to add freon once to tweak in the last 10 years. I don't think I kept a single original part except for the ducting.

theiceman

Get Griff to give you a quote

mstier

Another idea is just not to use the AC. The guys you've been talking with in this thread are in Albuquerque and Alabama--their choice is to have functioning AC or not to drive the car. You're in the Catskills and have a Targa. Take that top off and drive! If it's raining, leave the car in the garage and drive something else.

I've had my car, an '88 coupe, for 18 years in north Jersey, and the AC only worked for the first year. I think I used it twice. Haven't turned it on since. You can't hear the engine or the exhaust with the car closed up. Even during a miserable summer like the one we just had, it's not so hot that an open car like the ones we have isn't plenty tolerable.

dinnyin

This guy Targas

mstier

Exactly, which is why I wrote "Take that top off and drive! If it's raining, leave the car in the garage and drive something else." My understanding is that most all Targa tops leak anyway, so if it's raining you don't want to be out. And when I referred to an "open car," which I can see might have been confusing, I meant as open as it can be, like a coupe with windows open, and sunroof if you have it.

dinnyin

Ayup. My targa top hangs in my garage.
I have an A/C but no idea what it would take to get it running (assuming its not).

Pavegeno928

Just did 1000 miles round trip over the last 30 hours in the '88 911 from southern Alabama to south Florida and back. Morning temps in the 70s and afternoon temps in the mid 90s over the road. In the morning, a/c set on 25% fan and 50% max cold and interior was very cold. At hottest part of the day, fan on 75% and temp on 80% max cold, the interior was nice and cold and my interior temp gauge read 73 degrees and humidity read 25%. My engine oil never hit the first black mark (90C/194F) but instead hovered just one needle width below. Cruise control set between 65 and 80 mph and pulled an average of 23 mpg going about 415 miles when the fuel low orange light illuminated. Forgot to check the vent temps, but they have consistently been in the low 30s since I've owned the system.

I forgot how much I enjoyed going long distances in this car...the a/c rocks.

Beaky

As an alternative, have a read of this:

http://www.classicretrofit.com/produ...-conditioning/