randyrap

Hi Guys.

I'm planning on removing my non functioning/heavy Air Conditioning from my 83 911SC.

Are there any tricks or surprises I need to know about?

Thanks ....................... Randy

Clipboard

Did it. Beware the spraying red stuff! I took off: compressor & belt, brackets, hoses (lots of hoses), two condensors, dryer (up inside left frt fender - just follow the hoses), everything in the smuggler's box (cut the hoses; I got two rubber sewer caps from the Depot to cover the holes left), blower for front condensor (make a cover plate), did I mention lots of hoses? When you are removing the hoses under the car, reinstall each brass screw using a new washer and some silicone seal. I didn't do it in the moment and it's a pain to go back and find each hole afterwards. I wanted to add more lightness, so I removed the extra engine blower/hoses/brackets for the heater and replaced the left side engine air deflector. I also removed the cruise control. The engine compartment is so much happier and easier to keep clean.
Good luck - the a/c removal takes two hobby days.
john 83SC 'Black Beauty'

TMH

I just did this a couple of weeks ago on the '87 we are making into a track car. To be environmentally friendly, it is best to go down to an A/C shop and let them drain/capture any freon which might still be in the system. But if your system is already empty, then just jump right in.

I wanted all of the components out for the weight, and the biggest challenge was the compressor bracket. Don't know if it is the same as on an '83, but I had to disconnect and drop the muffler to get to the bottom 3 bolts on the bracket. Not too much of an issue, but allow an overnight interruption as you have to loosen up the muffler strap bolts (PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench) becore you can do this (at least I had to).

Only other "issue" was up in the left front wing, where the receiver/drier is and where hoses go to the front condenser. I needed to take out my windshield washer reservoir to get those short hoses out. No problem for me (who needs windshield washers in a track only car?), but you'll most likely want to put yours back in.

Then pull off the pan under the steering rack to get the last hoses out from where they connect in the smuggler's box. I ran one side at a time with the long hoses. I was able to disconnect and not cut my hoses off the valve in the smuggler's box, but I left the blower and valve in there. Actually, that blower moves a pretty good amount of face-level air, and I wanted to keep that for times I might be waiting to get onto the track. Yeah, I know that it is extra weight, but some creature comforts are nice.

Good luck with the job. Give yourself most of a day to complete it. No special tools needed.

Tom

k911sc

i did most all that was mentioned above, sans the fan assembly in the smugglers box. it still is nice to have that fan that pulls fresh air into the cabin when at lights or in slow traffic.

rbuswell

Does the A/C fan draw in fresh air or recirculate interior air? I'm thinking of doing this as well and I'd rather remove the A/C fan and also figure out how to get the regular heater fan to route blown air from the vent right under the windshield to the dash level. Any way to do that?

arbeitm

I just finished this on Saturday. It is really straight forward. The only thing I got hung up on, is that you need to remove the flange located behind the passenger side footwell board to get the Evaporator/Blower out of the smugglers box. The Bentley Manual forgot to mention that step.

I thought the hoses were going to be a real PITA. (I didn't want to cut them up.) But they came out pretty easily for the most part. The worst one is the hose that goes from the dryer to the evaporator. There is a hose clamp that is located behind the brake lines which makes getting a the bolt kind of tricky. A small 8mm open end wrench and a lot of patience works.

rbuswell - The AC blower draws air from the interior. I'm trying to find out how to do this as well. There are plenty of threads on how to make this work, but I'd like to see how the factory did it first. On cars without AC, somehow the center vents are tied into the fresh air fan. (At least that's what the factory non-AC guys are telling me).

rbuswell

Plenty of wonderful info and especially the part about re-routing the fresh air directly into the cabin. Since I would guess that air conditioning is pretty rare in Germany the normal set-up must take advantage of sending the fresh air into the cabin. If there is anything I can do to help, research-wise let me know arbeitm since I'm not sure where to even start looking.

By the way, since you have a whale tail you might want to look at the Mocal oil cooler info ( http://64.202.180.37/files/kits.pdf ) on page 4. They have had customers put a big honkin' oil cooler where the A/C condensor would be. I assume that they only suggest it for whale tails because there isn't enough forced air flow with a standard decklid. The condensor is mounted to the lid brackets so if it works on one it should work on the other. That would dramatically reduce the distance between the oil tank and the cooler. Shorter hoses, more cycles ... it seems like a pretty good idea. Only issue I would think is that you channel the heat into the engine bay. You could mount a fan that may help. Fun stuff however.

arbeitm

Not to throw this thread off track...for the price, I don't know if it'd be worth it. I don't know what kind of benefit you get.

rbuswell

Many cars don't have an oil cooler up front so they run hot. Mine is one of them. Many of the top Porsche minds feel that engine and therefore oil temp is the single biggest thief of horsepower. That is why Porsche abandoned oil/air cooled in 1998 to revert to liquid because there was a ceiling on how much horsepower the oil/air cooled cars could ever reach. If I'm going to have to do it anyway, why not find the most efficient way to do it?

arbeitm

I didn't realize that.

randyrap

Wow ... I started this thread over 3 years ago. Back when I had a wife ... LOL. Wife is gone - my 911 is still around.

Randy

rbuswell

Randy, here's what happens when someone (like me) uses the search function. Old threads get resurrected.