Woody

The air conditioning on my 1988 944 has not been putting out that great recently and finally gave blowing cool air all together. Everything seemed to be ‘working’ just no cold air. The sight gage showed lots of little bubbles in the system so I took it to the corner garage to be checked and recharged.

The garage looked at it and found the compressor is leaking and thought the whole system was over the hill. They recommended a new compressor and to also have the system flushed to clean contamination that may be in the lines. They also said the dash would have to be removed to get to some of the parts that would need changed. I am guessing it’s the expansion valve they were thinking of. The garage said they were not up to doing this repair because of the dash removal.

I have looked over several past posts with the search engine and have learned enough to be dangerous. Now I am looking for recommendations and options on what I should do to get the air conditioning up and running.
The Kuehl compressor kit looks interesting?
A Rebuilt compressor, Drier, and whatever else I would need?

At his point I am planning to install the parts myself and take it to an AC shop for the flush and charging. I guess this is a good time to fix the cracks in the dash too
Woody

MAGK944

Just fitted the Kuehl from www.griffiths.com on my road car also fitted thier Kuehl Super II condensor. I have nothing but praise for these products and the service from Griffiths. The kit comes with everything you need for the conversion but not the expansion valve. My EV did not need changing but I was told it was a PITA, though I think you can get to it without removing the dash, just the glovebox and then contort yourself like Houdini.

75ohm

Do you hear any rattling when the compressor kicks on or what?

Does it just need a recharge? Is it 134 or 12?

Over the hill? That's anecdotal.

Jeremy Himsel

The Dash does not have to be removed to change the expansion valve. In fact you can service the entire system without going in the interior. The expansion valve can be replaced by removing the blower assembly under the hood (6 bolts). The expansion valve is located to the passenger's side of the evaporator. Again, there is no need to remove the dash and it is a 30 minute job to replace it.

Woody

75ohm, the system is leaking so a recharge is not going to work. It still has the R12 at this time.

Not having to remove the dash IS good news, thanks for the information. It sounded like the EV needs to be removed before the lines can be flushed, is this correct? What about the hoses, are they ok if they look fine or should some of them be changed anyway?
Woody

75ohm

Is it not working because it's low on freon or because the compressor bailed? If it is leaking at the compressor, maybe just needs new seals? Does the compressor clutch engage when you turn the AC on?

Zero10

It is common to have the 4 O-rings under the manifold plate ontop of the compressor fail. This will cause it to lose refrigerant and leak air conditioning oil all over the compressor, making it very hard to tell where the leak is.

Unless you have had a compressor failure there is no need to replace anything other than the dryer (which should be changed each time the system is opened).

I would get somebody with a sniffer or UV dye to find where exactly the leak is, then consider your options. Very rarely do expansion valves fail without a compressor failure, but it is starting to sound like the shop is throwing parts at it without even throwing parts at it.

Woody

I double checked with the guy that looked at the AC on my car. He said the only leaks he found were at the compressor. He also noted that the clutch was engaging but shortly after turning it on, the high and low side of compressor had the same pressure. His estimate was the compressor was toast.

Because of the compressor being bad, he was concerned about contamination in the lines which is why he thought everything should be flushed before the new compressor and drier went in. My understanding is that the EV should be removed for the flushing or it will interfere with the cleaning?

I hope this clears up what I am trying to say.
Like I said before, I know just enough to be dangerous with a wrench and pliers.
Woody

35thSLP

My compressor went south last summer and I put in the Kuehl kit from Griffiths. I also put their improved condenser on and replaced the drier unit. I also used their new barrier hose from the new condenser to the compressor. My air blows very cold, just short of ice cubes with 134a refrigerant. very good product and the fit was perfect.

austin944

Actually you can do the charging yourself. Getting a license to buy R-12 is very, very easy:
http://www.epatest.com/

The charging process is pretty simple, and with some preparation and proper procedure, it is safe. You might save some money doing it yourself.

Zero10

And proper tooling to the tune of a few hundred dollars...

If you are doing a single system you might as well have it done. If the compressor really is shot and is not producing any pressure then I agree the entire system needs a flush, and I also agree that likely the expansion valve has accumulated some debris and should be changed.

Never hurts to get a second opinion however.

alordofchaos

I have nothing useful to add... just that the thread title and first line of the original post:

...made me think, "Dang, his air conditioner is like my wife..."

j/k, honey...

austin944

All you need for charging is just a can tap, hoses, and perhaps a gauge set. You could probably borrow those from a rennlister. It doesn't cost anywhere near a few hundred dollars for the charging tools.

Woody

...made me think, "Dang, his air conditioner is like my wife..."
You don’t talk like this at home do you?

Parts are on order now, so the project begins
Woody

Zero10

So you have never drawn a vacuum on a system then...