Kuehl AC thermostat replacement. Great!!!

[Nick Triesch]

A few weeks ago I broke my capillary tube in the smugglers box. I ordered a replacement from Griffiths for 84-89 cars. I just finished the job and it works great. I would just like to say that the unit is very high quality and even came with and extra plastic sheath to protect the tube. Also came with a brass tube to protect the end of the probe. Instructions were very clear and there was no modifying at all, just went right in.

[GH85Carrera]

Griff sets the bar very high for his instructions. They are in a class by themselves. He products are top quality as well.

If all instructions we as good as his, the do-it-yourself guys would have an easier life.

[hdrockerroller]

I couldn't agree more. I put the Griffith's AC on my 911 too. All instructions were clear and easy to follow. And honestly updating the evaporator is not exactly straightforward, but really it was with the step by step instructions.

[shinrai]

A quick note to say I recently installed the Kuehl evap fan on my '87 911 and the roughly 30% increase in airflow makes a world of difference. Highly recommend this product. Our host supplies it as does Griffith's obviously. I wish I knew about this sooner.

[carreradpt]

shinrai, did you add the variable speed controller as well? If so did you need to modify the console to fit the switch?

[shinrai]

Originally Posted by carreradpt

shinrai, did you add the variable speed controller as well? If so did you need to modify the console to fit the switch?

Did not add a variable speed controller. The stock one (for an '87) worked without issue. Cheers!

[pavegeno]

Originally Posted by shinrai

A quick note to say I recently installed the Kuehl evap fan on my '87 911 and the roughly 30% increase in airflow makes a world of difference. Highly recommend this product. Our host supplies it as does Griffith's obviously. I wish I knew about this sooner.

I agree, the increased airflow makes a big difference. My '88 Cab arrived back in the USA (Alabama) early August from Stuttgart and my A/C easily cooled my car down in the hot and humid south.

My Kuehl A/C system is in its 10th year and humming along nicely.

[renato]

Hi guys,

I realize it's an old thread but I'm facing the issue now. I have a Nippondenso Compressor (see pic - not sure if it's the original or the upgrade from Griffith's) and the system has been converted to 134A by a previous owner. It has a Kuehl Receiver Drier (bill from 4/2009). It runs in principle, but it's barely cold. It seems to be fully charged though I'm not sure since I read conflicting statements about how to check a converted system. I need a new condenser fan and a new thermostat. My old thermostat had been disconnected from the control knob and connected directly to ground. I have a few questions and hope someone can help me:

1) Did anybody buy the Griffiths Kuehl Thermostat on Pelican b/c I can't find it in the catalog. I ordered the Ranco (911-613-121-01) that needs mods but I'd like to have one that doesn't need mods and after ordering I discovered the Griffith's Kuehl one on Griffith's Website.

2) How do you get the thermostat cable from the inside the passenger compartment to the smugglers box. I can't find any instructions for that.
I still have the old cable (see white cable on smuggler box pics) in there but I can hardly move it. There is a rubber gasket in the channel that is quite tight. Did you have to disconnect the evaporator hose in the smuggler's box?

3) How is the thermostat hooked up electrically? I can't find any info on that either.
I found mine connected to ground behind the passenger side bulkhead. I guess that keeps the compressor going all time when I turn on the AC? I have a blue led light button (see pic) in the console in the center b/w the emergency light and the rear window heater ( funny, b/c I have a 1986 Cab). To turn on the AC, I press the button and turn on the blower. Since there is no thermostat hooked up, I can't regulate the temperature.
4) When I opened the smuggler's box, I found a lot of sticky semi-soft black matter (see pics) around the pipes. Is this normal, is this bad?

Thank you,
Renato.

[renato]

There were no responses but I'm replying to my own post just as fyi for others in the future:

re 1) I did buy the thermostat off the Griffith's website and will try to return the Ranco.
The Ranco didn't fit at all and I would have had to heavily modify it as mentioned by others. The Kuehl didn't fit 100% either and in order to have it completely lined up properly so that the white marker on the control knob shows the correct position you would need to modify the plastic box. I decided to insert it with the marker off since it fit w/o mods and way easier than having to cut out pieces of the plastic box as it is suggested in the instructions. I then painted the white mark black and place a new white mark at the correct position on the knob. :-)

It worked out great and my AC is finally cooling

re 2) There is a cutout hole with a rubber gasket that separates the passenger side from the luggage compartment side. It's pretty tight and it has to be pushed out towards the passenger side. Then you can pull the old thermostat cable out towards the luggage comp. side.
Insert the new thermostat cable into the same direction from the passenger side to the luggage compartment side. The way the gasket is made, you can't pull the cable into the other direction. When inserting it, make sure you have enough room left on the thermostat cable on the passenger side to reinsert the gasket in the cutout hole.

re 3) There is a green white and a green cable. Mine were connected to the non-standard on/off switch in the pics. Those go onto the 2 terminals. There is also a 3rd smaller terminal for a ground cable. I did hook that up too.

re 4) That black paste turned out to be a duct sealing compound. I bought more on Amazon and used to seal off all AC hose connections in the smuggler box.

Anyway, it all worked out. My AC now has air into the low forties coming out of the vents. Not the lowest but good enough. Before it was coming out in the 70s/!

[NathanR]

Low 40s is pretty good esp. if ambient is hot. The temp drop from ambient to cold is a better measure of effectiveness.

Thanks for sharing.

What was the amazon part no. For the black stuff?

[wrxnofx]

Originally Posted by NathanR

Low 40s is pretty good esp. if ambient is hot. The temp drop from ambient to cold is a better measure of effectiveness.

Thanks for sharing.

What was the amazon part no. For the black stuff?

Just search for “prestite tape”.

[Kraftwerk]

Thanks for following up. Good to know A.C. is not impossible. That black stuff is similar to roofing tar-tape, comes on a roll..

[renato]

Sorry I did not get to reply earlier.

This is the compound I got:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008A3UG94/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
(Rectorseal 81880 1-Pound Duct Seal Compound ) and it's grey not black. Worked out fine.

I used it to also seal the hole where the brass pipe with thermostat cable enters the evaporator box. You can see it on the pic.

I re-checked cooling temps considering also the ambient temp and it actually goes down really low. I put up the roof and let the car sit in the sun. I had over 90 in the car and within 5 min of driving with AC and blower at max I had around 63 ambient air. I almost doubt my laser thermometer. But the AC works, that's for sure.

[renato]

I attached a few pics around my AC project.
I have tons of cables in my passenger compartment. There have been a few electrical wiring mods, not just for the AC. My alarm is an aftermarket Alpine. And I have an amplifier in the luggage compartment. You see a lot of speaker cables.

The pic shows the old AC cabling with the white AC thermostat going to ground.
The cutout with the rubber gasket can be clearly seen.

If your blower works only while on max, check the resistor pack. See mark on pic.



and here the side going to the middle console:


I opted not to modify the plastic housing but paint over the mark and add a new mark



Here pics from the blower repair part of the project:

My old blower was loud and barely blowing anything. The housing was in a scary state, the motor needed replacement and the fan broke off.


I didn't want to spend the money on an all new blower assembly and became creative ...



That's it. I hope it helps whoever needs to fix his AC.

[renato]

Sorry, I have not checked the site for a while. Need to see if I have notifications off ...

I did a 2400 miles roadtrip from NYC to the Gaspe Peninsula last August after fixing the AC and doing a headlight conversion to LEDs. The AC worked great. It can be stronger when the ambient temp is really hot but it was way better than before.

Here is what I got on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008A3UG94/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I believe you could also just try a plumber's putty like this one on the German Amazon:
https://www.amazon.de/Black-Swan-054647010403-bleiben-Weich-Klempner/dp/B008J3KPF0/ref=pd_sbs_60_2/258-7829193-8822216?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B008J3KPF0&pd_rd_r=5a1a32d8-a8b6-44cd-aa6e-012397944a11&pd_rd_w=HTtgW&pd_rd_wg=oA65e&pf_rd_p=42bf0ad8-ce6f-4127-a2f0-106727020a41&pf_rd_r=RCHA06TQ9H0S0DSQ377F&psc=1&refRID=RCHA06TQ9H0S0DSQ377F