AZ Rich

Hello all,

I am thinking about buying an 86.5 slate gray/black (My preferrence - as black is so hard to keep looking good).

I found one that does not have rear a/c, but has low mileage.

Anyway, I searched the archives and read several opinions about whether having the rear a/c makes a big difference.

Taking into account those opinions, and the fact that I will likely live in hot areas I wanted to know how difficult or expensive it would be to add it.

I anticipate that many of you will say it is cost prohibitive...but please humor me with just how costly it would be. (its all relative, I guess)

Thanks a lot ,

Rich

RyanPerrella

how costly, well just buy a wrecked car with it and use the spares. You can do that for $3000 or less then sell the rest of the car in parts for probably more then $3000 so there you get all the parts you need for free.

But its really useless. I live in humid as hell Austin and i really never use the rear AC. Its not important, and not at all an option that would leave you to pick one car over another. If the car has rear ac cool, if it dosent, cool.

Again, I NEVER use mine, occasionally i turn it on to make sure it still works and thats it.

dr bob

The rear AC is of very limited value as far as cooling the car; It's really there for that gaggle of friends that's always clamoring to ride in the spacious rear seats in your 928.

The limiting factors in the AC system seem to be condenser and compressor capacity. Evaporator size and airflow capacity are not, so adding more o that at the rear doesn't really improve the total heat transfer capability much if at all. Rear AC on my car (black S4 in Los Angeles) is just never used at all, since it steals "cool" from the front unit when it's running. IMHO, rear air is probably low or never makes it to my list of things that need to be an a 928 I might buy. If you did a poll here, you'd likely find a bigger group that's trying to get rid of the rear air on their cars, with the complexity and leaks that seem to go along with it.

JWise

I concur with Sterling and Dr. Bob. IMO, a PROPERLY FUNCTIONING front A/C is more than adequate to cool the car. Primarily, this means no heater valve problems, vacuum leaks, low refrigerant, or debris clog issues. Assuming this, the front A/C will blow a surprisingly large volume of cold air. And if you do have any of these issues, rear air won't be the solution.

I speak from experience, summers in Oklahoma have routine 100+ degree heat and high humidity. Nothing the 928's A/C system can't overcome.

F4GIB

Adding sun blocking tint to the rear window does wonders.

Nicole

... and get those window shades from 928 specialists! Those are on my wish list...

Abby Normal

If you have a proper working AC, you do not need the rear one. I would actually like to remove therear unit in my turbo car because it never gets used and is a bunch of dead weight.

ROG100

I have a black on black GTS here in TX and my rear A/C is always in use and I am glad I have it. My air is ice cold from both A/C's. Really cools the car down faaaaast.

Mrmerlin

I like the rear air in mine as well , BUT remember the rear evaporator will eventually start to leak at the swages for the copper to aluminim, this part can be fixed with fesh sealant i used PRC Flamemaster jet fuel tank sealant. To run the lines you will have to pull the engine, and hope that the parts you have are not damaged IE somtimes the end fittings get corroded, Anyway if the front air is in good conditon I would not let this be a deciding factor on the car purchase, If you like the car and it drives well then get it

SteveG

Could you elaborate on this for those of us who need to permantly seal the rear. I believe mine is leaking at the point where the lines connect and enter under the rear pass seat area. I've replaced the o-rings there but no joy, just oily residue. Can the PRC be applied directly to the flanges and the allen head that closes the joint? Where do I get PRC?

Ninespub

Hi Rich!
I live in central Michigan where the the sun shines, but it only occasionaly get near or above the 100 degree mark. I am planning a rear seat AND rear air delete in the immediate near future; and if you do choose to add rear air to some vehical, I will have just about everything you will need to do it availlable and will let it go pretty cheap. That includes the rear console housing and vent covers, rear condensor, lines (to a point) AND front center console trim piece with the rear fan controls mounted (but not the clock). If you are interested, give me a private message and we can talk.

Paul Barrera
'91 $4 A/T Black (undergoing MAJOR refurbishment)
'03 BMW 325ci Coupe 5sp Silver/Blk (My Daily Driver)
'01 Audi 225 TT Coupe (turbo) 6sp Silver/Blk (Her daily Driver)

PorKen

My '86.5 came with rear air, but it was removed at some point in the car's life, and replaced with no-A/C interior pieces. The refrigerant lines are there, but capped off under the passenger seat. The wiring is still there, too.

My intention is to restore it -I have collected most of the parts - but if it didn't come with it, I wouldn't bother.
...

Speaking of rear air, BMW 635s also had rear air in the mid-80's, plus a little fridge compartment.



I knew about the rear air on the BMW, but I found this pic recently. The lower, main unit including the fan and evaporator, looks identical to the 928's!

928ntslow

If it was an easy de-install, I would give you my rear AC out of my GTS. I freekin' HATE that thing! It is useless and I think it's primary purpose in my car is to make annoying rattles, buzzes and just be prone to scratches when you load things in the back of the car if you don't cover it...so I carry a piece of foam. This IS a project for me down the road. I may not remove the rest of the trash attached to it, but that visible rear thing with the vents is going!!! *&^$#!@!^&*!!!!!!!!!!

AZ Rich

Amigos,

I just wanted to thank everyone who responded to my question. Excellent info, greatly appreciated, and...priceless.


Many thanks,

Rich