rosco28

I am going to have my A/C fixed. My mechanic tells me that it'll run about $800 to get her back to the way she was in '79. He uses only original Porsche parts.

Is it worthwhile to go this route, or to upgrade to another A/C system altogether? Any recomendations?

Thanks all

rosco28
1979 911sc coupe

scottb

1. The stock compressor is a York. It's junk.
2. The original hoses were non-barrier hoses. This means they were designed to leak (30 years ago R12 was cheap and nobody was concerned about the environment).

For these two reasons, alone, going back to stock and spending $800 in the process makes no sense. Do some research here and on the Pelican board. There are a bunch of people who have successfully upgraded their systems. If you want to do it right, you should replace the York with a Sanden compressor and install barrier hoses, at a minimum. Check out www.rennaire.com for kits that include compressors (and mounting brackets), hoses, evaporators, etc.

Another excellent source of Porsche a/c equipment and information is www.griffiths.com. Charlie Griffiths really knows his stuff when it comes to 911 a/c.

Updating your a/c system is a very DIY-able project, even if you have to have a shop ultimately do the evacuation and recharging. You might consider doing some of the labor yourself and spend the money on a new system rather than paying the shop to fix the stock system.

Cold air in a 911 is a very slippery slope. Have fun!

rosco28

scottb -
my understanding is that a full upgrade could cost up to $2,000. Whereas a re-ramp to the 1979 factory system is only $800. Is a working factory system that terrible? I am thinking of adding the 3 vents from Griffin.

Thanks

mthomas44

What specifically is your mechanic proposing to restore your system for $800?

A bone stock system on your car in perfect working condition will probably perform OK up to about 85 degrees ambient and will function poorly above that due to poor air flow and condenser area. There are nuerous upgrade options to improve the performance of a stock system including higher efficiency components.

Here's the deal. If your system is stock/original, your components are all beyond their life expectancy and subject to failure at any time. Often, an older system repair leads to a series of component failures and repeated fixes.

I've been down both paths now. Bought car with A/C not working. One hose replacement led to a condenser replacement that led to a front blower motor replacement, new drier and multiple costly R-12 recharges. After $1,900 in shop repairs my evaporator subsequently sprung a leak. After that ordeal, I decided to rip the entire system out and do a Griffiths duel condenser and ProCooler upgrade on a DIY basis and now have an efficient and reliable system.

Lots of options. Budget and system decisions are yours. Plenty of advice here for the asking. Cold A/C is great - sweating sucks!

rosco28

Thomas- thanks for the advise. I'm looking at Griffiths too, and am awaiting their suggestion to get cold ari in my car.

Up until now, i have never tinkered with cars, but do plan on getting more hands-on with my Porsche. Do you think that i, a novice, will succeed in a DIY a/c job? How much did your griffiths system cost you? Did you add the additional vents?

thanks again
rosco28

mthomas44

Rosco, system was not cheap, but neither were my band-aid fixes to an old system. My advice do it right and do it once. It's a very doable and rewarding DIY project and you'll get all the support you need from Charlie or whoever you go with.

No vent upgrade - I've got the larger side vents in a 1987.

PM sent

Mark

rosco28

give me a ball park for not cheap. I understand that i'll just be sinking money into a bottomless pit by repairing instead of replacing/upgrading.

Are you still running a R12 or have you upgraded to the R134a?

mthomas44

I would say $1,200 on the low side for a full replacement kit to $2,000+ with up-grades and addl condensers.

Mark

rosco28

thanks, mark.

BTW - I'm from ATL and get there pretty often. Does your a/c keep you cool in the humid summer? Israel isn't humid, it's dry, but hot! You have an '87?

Brads911sc

I upgraded to the Sanden Compressor, Pro-Cooler, Dessert Duty Condensor, new Barrier Hoses, Kuel Evaporator, Kuel Vents, New rear deck Consensor... about 2k spent... I run R134a... 32 degrees at the vent, with ambient temps at 92 degrees. Im in Houston... I wouldnt spend 800 on a half job if you live in Atlanta... That might be ok in Boston or a cooler place... you will spend 2k... one way or the other if you want cool air in the south... mine is an 83 SC Targa... I did all the work myself... really wasnt that hard... Putting SSI's and Dansk Sport Muffler on the car was much harder.. good luck...

rosco28

Brad - This would be my first project. I've never tooled with cars, but with my Porsche i want to be more on-hands. Would this be too difficult for a first timer, even if I have all the directions, and plenty of on-line help?
How long should the upgrade take to complete? Does the engine have to be removed?
btw, i live in Jerusalem, Israel, but came from ATL...
rosco28

mthomas44

Actually this will be my first summer with the new system after 2 miserable summers. I just completed the project a couple of weeks ago. Performance is night and day difference as I am getting vent temps in the high 20's & low 30's with 70 degree ambients. At 85 I'm getting low to mid 40's but the system is capable of better performance with correct oil level and refridgerant charge which I will be tweaking soon.

Yesterday my glassed fogged up when I got out of the car!

Mark

scottb

The $800 would be a waste, IMHO. If it were me, I'd save the $800 until I could afford to do it right. To answer your question, yes, a working system with a York compressor and non-barrier hoses is terrible. It won't hold a charge for more than a season or so, and you'll constantly be running to the shop to have it evacuated and recharged (and least every season or two). Given that you're from Atlanta, you know that you want COLD air, not cool.

Brads911sc

Rosco, it wasnt too hard... dirty and a pain at times, but not hard. id buy the rennaire kit and add the dessert duty and add he kuel middle vent... Took me about 2-3 days or so... but i tend to take my time, enjoy it, drink a few beers, etc. hardest part was working with the hoses at the front of the car... but it wasnt too bad... had to take off the plate covering the steering and fuel pump... had to fight abit with the hoses in the front wheel area, and had to drill new holes in the rear trans area because with the procooler both hoses run along the driver side. would be a fine first project in my estimation...

rosco28

Thanks for the advice. Why do you suggest only the Kuel middle vent, and not the side vents also?