1980 911SC a/c condensor

wadesbrain · wadesbrain's Garage

How much clearance should there be with the a/c condenser when the engine lid is closed. I opened it today and the condenser had a hole in it from hitting the ignition coil and there is wear on the heater hose that sits just behind the fan. The cooling fins are also mashed by the heater hose.
I found that I am missing a mounting bolt on the left bracket and the foam is missing on the center bracket. are these two things really enough to give the proper clearance or is there something else that isnt right? It seems like the condenser doesn't move that much when I line them up to their proper position.

fred cook · fred cook's Garage

Not much clearance there even with everything bolted into place! The condenser that came in my SC had a mashed spot for the same reasons. I just put a new condenser in my car, making certain that all of the mounting bolts were in place. Now the lid will close without the condenser hitting anything but it's very, very close! You could add a wing and move the condenser up into the wing area. That way you would have room for a cooling fan or two.

pete3799 · pete3799's Garage

I removed mine.....it hit the coil,heater hose and also the compressor.
I've got an aftermarket tail (early turbo) on it.
Can't believe that some are able to fit a fan on theirs.

mthomas58 · 09-15-2011, 04:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pete3799

.......Can't believe that some are able to fit a fan on theirs.

I've got three aftermarket fans on my rear condenser. The clearance issues are towards the front edge of the condenser. Things tend to open up as you move back towards the back edge of the rear deck. My clearance is tight. If fact, I have a little wear mark on the top of the A/C compressor where the screw head at 12 o'clock in the pic on the large fan rubs a little (done so for 2 years + and no issues).