Original Air conditioning recharge ?

[991gts6s]

I have 1977 930 and it's has it original air conditioning still, It has been sitting for 40 yrs +..
Total douche cleaning restore is almost complete..., but now the Air condition system?
ALL the bitz are nice shape and still new condition the A/C compressor,Red hoses air dryer and all the radiators are almost perfect original condition!


So ... How does one recharge a old school AC system once the lines have been opened and drained of the red juice>????

[86 911 Targa]

Originally Posted by 991gts6s

I have 1977 930 and it's has it original air conditioning still, It has been sitting for 40 yrs +..
Total douche cleaning restore is almost complete..., but now the Air condition system?
ALL the bitz are nice shape and still new condition the A/C compressor,Red hoses air dryer and all the radiators are almost perfect original condition!


So ... How does one recharge a old school AC system once the lines have been opened and drained of the red juice>????

If original, your system is R12,
and, must be serviced by an R12 servicer.

Gerry

[991gts6s]

Thanks Gerry for the point in the right direction .

[964TargaC2]

Assuming it will hold vacuum you will need to replace the receiver drier and if yuou are a DIY you will need to source R12 (craigslist)

Autozone has the vacuum pump and maybe the gauges

[hienz]

I got some cans of R12 if you needed them. I am in San Jose and do not know if I can ship them.

[86 911 Targa]

Originally Posted by hienz

I got some cans of R12 if you needed them. I am in San Jose and do not know if I can ship them.

Last I heard, no-can-ship R12.

Gerry

[GH85Carrera]

As already said, R-12 is what your car came with. If it really sat for 40+ years, I would be surprised if there is any R-12 left in the system. The original hoses were not barrier hoses, and they leaked and Porsche knew it, but the hoses were cheaper and R-12 was 30 cents per pound, so they did not care.

First, off determine if you have any charge left. It will take some digging to find a pro that will service an R-12 system. Like finding a paint shop to do single stage paint, it is thing of the past.

If you don't mind reading and like to learn, you can buy some decent gauges, a vacuum pump, and do a lot of it yourself. Determine if there is really any R-12 left in the system first. If the gauges show nothing, or almost nothing, you really will want to replace the receiver-dryer, (not much money) and vacuum the system and I would advise adding few oz of oil. Vacuum the system for a couple of hours and if you can find some R-12 recharge. It will likely leak down by next summer, so you will have to recharge each spring.

The cure for the leaks is replace all the hoses, and that is not a hard job but it is a but dirty job.

At best the stock system is OK to dehumidify the cabin, and cool things down some, but it will never make you cold in hot weather. To have it working is a positive thing for resale value if the car is mostly stock. You can make it work great with upgrade parts, and several thousand dollars in parts and labor.

[Mocker]

First question you need to ask yourself: Do you want a functional A/C system, or do you want to stay "all original." They are mutually exclusive.

[darrin]

Originally Posted by Mocker

First question you need to ask yourself: Do you want a functional A/C system, or do you want to stay "all original." They are mutually exclusive.

This -- assuming your current system simply needs an r12 recharge to get it back to as-delivered status, the porous hoses used on our cars (and the minor leaks generally found on stock systems) will require annual r12 top-offs/recharges to keep it "cooling" -- as referenced above, the factory ac was not particularly good in the first place.

OTOH, if you want a good, functional AC system, you should plan on following the upgrade path laid out by keuhl (griffiths.com) and replace your hoses with non-porous barrier hoses, upgrade to a more modern compressor, replace the condenser, evaporator, etc. and, after converting to r134a, end up with a system that still looks stock from the outside, but will actually cool your 930 on hot days.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by Mocker

First question you need to ask yourself: Do you want a functional A/C system, or do you want to stay "all original." They are mutually exclusive.

Kind of.

Replacing the AC hoses is no different than the tires, windshield wipers, fan belts or vacuum lines. Rubber parts don't last forever. For a driver, fresh rubber parts are a real bonus and make the car usable. The next step is to start upgrading parts, and that can usually be reversed with no issues.

Suspension bushings will deteriorate if used or not. It would be a big undertaking to replace all the suspension bushings, rubber and plastic fuel lines, engine and transmission mounts, and vacuum lines. Over the years, I have replaced all of mine, but I drive mine a lot and prefer a reliable driver to a museum piece. It all comes down to what the owner wants to do with the car.

[darrin]

thinking out loud, if one's goal was to have the car judged at a concours, would non-factory/original barrier hoses cause it to lose points?

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by 86 911 Targa

Last I heard, no-can-ship R12.

You can ship R12 unless I am behind the times.

Ebay ads will say you have to have an EPA 609 certificate or sign a paper that says that you are buying for reselling.

EPA 609 is pretty easy to obtain. Some grunt work but it puts it to bed once you have the certification. Higher level certifications include evacuation/recovery of the system content. Not sure what you have to demonstrate to obtain this but it's more than what I got.

[Jgordon]

I have an 89. I refilled my system at the beginning of each summer for a few years, and it would function, poorly, and be empty by the end of the year. Worked for a while and satisfied, but I went with the griffiths kuehl system in 2007 or so. Mistake I made was to leave the old condenser in place. It was fine in the leaking old system, but when the load of a properly sealed system hit it, the compressor imploded. Which meant that I needed to flush out my brand new system. Not fun.

My advice would be to get a good replacement system, from stem to stern, and replace the entire thing.

[Mocker]

Originally Posted by Jgordon

My advice would be to get a good replacement system, from stem to stern, and replace the entire thing.

Yep, and get at least one additional condenser (w/ fan) installed in the right rear wheel well.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by darrin

thinking out loud, if one's goal was to have the car judged at a concours, would non-factory/original barrier hoses cause it to lose points?

I guess that really depends on the level of the Concours. For PCA national events, I really don't think it would, as it is no different than changing the tires or brake pads. Adding condensers might, but all of those question could be asked of a concours judge before anything is changed.

At some event where 100% originality is the goal, yea, likely.

If he wants a car he can actually enjoy and drive to the events and not bring it on a trailer, it will be up to the owner.

The new barrier hoses don't look any different than OEM hoses and only the text the manufacturer prints on the side of the hose is any different. The OP mentions red hoses. I have never seen red AC hoses, but I certainly have not seen everything.

[darrin]

thx glen!