Zims AC Upgrade

[ruby911]

I bought my 84 Carrera last October and with temps hitting the 80s this week in GA, I have had my first chance to try out the AC. By reading posts here, I new in advance I was not going be satisfied with the AC, but I did not want to invest until I actually tried it first. So, I gave it a shot on Friday during my evening commute in +80 degree weather. It was not uncomfortable, but we are only days/weeks away from +90 degree weather and I can tell there is no way it will be sufficient.

So, from reading all the posts here, the one somewhat common thread is I need added condenser space, so I decided to start here. I ordered the Zims upgrade kit and am curious if anyone has any lessons learned with the upgrade - either in the install process or the results of the upgrade itself. Where exactly do the hoses in the kit tie into the current system.

Thanks for any feedback,
Farrell

[Porsche-O-Phile]

If it's the "134a upgrade kit" with the Sanden compressor, I'd highly recommend it. I bought that kit (about $600) for my 944 and it's worked flawlessly.

[ruby911]

I already have a 134 upgrade. The kit I got was an additional condenser for the left rear fender.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Probably a different product specific to the 911 then. Can't comment on that. All I can say is the quality of the Sanden units is very good - not sure if the kit you're mentioning includes that or not.

911 air conditioning systems are a bit quirky (I'm glad my car doesn't have it, to be honest).

A good resource for a/c knowledge/parts/information is Griffith's if you haven't looked there already too (just another one I've used in my 944 ownership tenure).

http://www.griffiths.com/porsche/

[mthomas58]

Check with JFairman who has installed this kit. You are definitely on the right track increasing condenser capacity. Sounds like the kit comes with the hose you will need. If you find you need to fabricate a hose, I have a crimping tool you can borrow. You can find fittings at ADKits.com Good luck with your project. Please follow-up and let us know how it turns out.

JFairman's comments from another A/C thread.....

"It's a really well fabricated kit with an aluminum debris/splash guard and everything including the correct length mounting screws and a barrier hose to go to the rear deck lid condenser that I didn't use comes with the kit.
Instead I spliced into the 19.5' long high pressure barrier hose using the supplied fittings in the kit, into the Rennaire hose that I already had installed.
I used two wide all stainless USA made name brand hose clamps and tightened them real tight on each fitting for peace of mind and less chance of R134 leakage.
Professionally made crimped on fittings on custom length hoses is better but this was way cheaper and it's not leaking"

[scottb]

Mark: Is there any reason the Zims kit wouldn't work on an R12 system?

[ruby911]

Thanks Mark - I may take you up on borrowing the tool. Let me receive the kit and take stock of what is in it and what the project entails. I searched for an AC thread with JFairman in it and was unable to find the one with the quote you provided. I sent him a PM though, so thanks for the pointer.

I will let you know how the install goes and the results.

Thanks, Farrell

[mthomas58]

Last post this thread:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/397009-c-upgrade-project-starts-tomorrow-post4102626.html?highlight=project+starts+tomorrow#post4102626

[ruby911]

Thanks Mark

[88911coupe]

Mark, sorry if this is a dumb question but can you tell me exactly where I am looking in your picture above? It looks like the view is looking forward into the driver's side wheelwell but I don't see how the unit would fit over the torsion tube cover...or am I not picturing this correctly?
TIA

[Tigerrat]

There are two models. For a Carerra the unit is a bit smaller and fits above the TB cover. I installed one on my 88 a few years ago and got the wrong one to start with. I can't tell in this pic whether the condenser is on top or to the outside of the TB cover.