Hi all,
I am posting this to gauge interest for the 944 owners who want to keep AC on their cars but have been forced to convert to R134a. The stock AC condenser is a fine unit but designed for R12 instead of R134a so doesn't work quite so efficiently. There is also the ~20-30 years of rocks and birds stuck in the fins on the outside, and dirt and slime on the inside reducing cooling efficiency.
A stock replacement for the AC condenser for a late car is $400, early is NLA. There is a made-to-fit serpentine style condenser available for the 944 but it runs around $500.
Modern cars with R134a from the factory use a parallel-flow type of condenser - rather than a tube-and-fin style the gas flows into the end tanks and makes several passes across the heat exchange surface before being expelled as a liquid. More distance to travel through the condenser means more time to cool, and the passages are designed with R134a in mind.
I have modified an aftermarket parallel flow condenser to bolt-up to a 944 using factory bracketry. It worked so well for my customer's 944S that I am offering this as a service to Pelicanites. Send me your factory condenser and I will send you back a bolt-on parallel-flow replacement - I need the factory piece for its bracketry. I am offering for
$325 all-in, including parts, my time, and shipping. I can also build one for you beforehand, then swap for your old part on an exchange basis.
If you would be interested in this, let me know here or PM me. It should be mentioned that AC hoses will need to be modified to make this fit, but they were likely overdue for replacement anyways. If you want me to make the hoses for you it would be another $50, or I can give you the appropriate measurements to do yourself.
