Another boring AC thread - installing a 993 condenser in a 3.2 Carrera

[NathanR]

on the other hand, it does have the factory-style plastic plug on the blower motor that is shaped so that it can't be plugged in backwards. I did not touch the wiring on this unit, so it's not likely to be wrong. (if I had, all bets would be off) Still the test takes less than a minute to do... so I'll probably do it anyway. I like eliminating variables in the equation up front so if everything isn't perfect, I'm not starting from scratch on diagnostics.

[Ronnie's.930]

Looks like you made some serious progress, Nathan!

I forgot to mention previously that I ran the power wire up & next to the refrigerant hose on the right side of the engine bay, since it is fairly near the starter, and then went down the right side & back pannels of the engine bay - wire routing is neat and tidy that way (doubt you needed a suggestion regarding wire routing, however).

Also, using the starter lug as a power source was first suggested to me by another member, JFairman. He's a really knowledgeable and helpful guy that posts primarily in the Turbo forum, but sometimes in the a/c threads over here - I had originally taken power from the rear fuse panel, was having phantom electrical problem with my K-Jet Lambda, and he noted that pulling amperage from that fuse block to power the fan could be contributing to the problem and suggested I move it to the starter (where he wired his umpteen years ago).

[SilberUrS6]

Originally Posted by NathanR

How does one contact The Moderator of this board? I'd like to report a hijacked thread...

If you have the stomach for it, a small search on AC in this forum will show you that wwest hijacks every single AC thread with his nonsense and offering of solutions to problems that don't exist, while actively attempting to steer folks away from stuff that just plain works.

Do contact the moderators to report his behavior.

[wwest]

Originally Posted by NathanR

Good point.

I had that misfortune when replacing the heater blower fan (engine compartment) a few years ago. It was exactly as you described -- working, but not really. Had me scratching my head for a bit. RDM was the one who helped me figure it out (Thanks Again Dru!)

I have a setup for bench testing -- super easy to do. Great suggestion.

Bench testing....sure, but...

Plugged into the car wiring harness to be sure.

[NathanR]

Originally Posted by Ronnie's.930

Looks like you made some serious progress, Nathan!

I forgot to mention previously that I ran the power wire up & next to the refrigerant hose on the right side of the engine bay, since it is fairly near the starter, and then went down the right side & back pannels of the engine bay - wire routing is neat and tidy that way (doubt you needed a suggestion regarding wire routing, however).

Also, using the starter lug as a power source was first suggested to me by another member, JFairman. He's a really knowledgeable and helpful guy that posts primarily in the Turbo forum, but sometimes in the a/c threads over here - I had originally taken power from the rear fuse panel, was having phantom electrical problem with my K-Jet Lambda, and he noted that pulling amperage from that fuse block to power the fan could be contributing to the problem and suggested I move it to the starter (where he wired his umpteen years ago).

Props to JFairman as well. Not to completely side track, but sometimes my heater blower shuts off when I turn on the headlights. Similar problem in the same area, and yes, I've read about the reed switch (if I recall the term correctly) in the heater relay. Maybe I'll fix that when it's cold as s#!t this winter.

[NathanR]

Tonight my last bit of hose arrived in the mail so I promptly went out and cut it to length and crimped fittings on the ends. Also installed replacement flex duct that will connect the Evap Box to the rest of the ducting. Next step is to is run the hose and install the Evap box.

[NathanR]

Originally Posted by SilberUrS6

If you have the stomach for it, a small search on AC in this forum will show you that wwest hijacks every single AC thread with his nonsense and offering of solutions to problems that don't exist, while actively attempting to steer folks away from stuff that just plain works.

Do contact the moderators to report his behavior.

I noticed. I've been thinking about this project for years and have read all the posts. I'm Not taking it too seriously. One has to know how to separate the wheat from the chaff, right?

[wwest]

If the voltage getting to the blower motor drops to low the motor current flow will not be high enough to activate the reed relay.

Check the fuse/wire connections for excessive voltage drop, middle fuse in the engine compartment. A weak cell in the battery will often have this effect but usually only at low RPMs

Make sure your charging system is in good order and if the battery is past its prime....

[NathanR]

It's only a problem in the winter, and when it's dark.

[NathanR]

Yesterday I installed my last hose From the evaporator to the compressor while reinstalling the evaporator box. There she is, snug as a bug in a rug.

[NathanR]

Today I reinstalled the compressor and connected everything. I'm still waiting for nostalgic ac to send me the correct hi side 134a service port adapter. I thought I should try using the low side port to draw a vacuum to check for gross leaks.



And, indeed, I had such a leak. Scratched my head for a bit. I went and dug out a spray bottle and filled it with soapy water. Figured out a way to connect an air line to my yellow hose. Got about 90 psi on it and commenced to squirting.

Pretty soon I noticed I could actually HEAR the leak, which lead me to the front left wheel well. There was a gale of air coming from one of the RD fittings. Ironically, I left the old RD in place because I wanted to do this check before installing the new one. When I hooked it up, I had left out an o-ring! That was easily fixed. I disconnected the compressed air and hooked up my vac pump and ran it for a minute or two. I'm going to let it sit overnight to see what happens, but so far it's held vacuum for several hours.

Hopefully I'll he a chance to work on it some more tomorrow.

[wwest]

Thermostatic switch capillary tube doesn't take kindly to being bent that tightly..

[Wavey]

You're getting there! Have you decided what to use to insulate the smuggler's box? Or age you going to do that? Hope your part arrives and you can have cold AC by next weekend!

[billybek]

Air is not a great thing to pressurize with. Moisture in the air going into the system will be drawn into PAG oil as it is very hygroscopic. The oil will not give up this moisture on pull down (evacuation).

I know that having the proper tools to leak check are not widely available and leak checking with refrigerant is not legal. O2 to pressurize would lead to an explosive situation and compressed air could do as well.

Perhaps a good solution is to have a portable air tank filled with nitrogen from a tire shop.
Inert and hopefully dry. Much safer.

A small amount of trace gas in a new system and add nitrogen to pressurize. Leak check with a sniffer and/or soap.

Existing systems usually have enough residual refrigerant after service to utilize as a trace gas.

Glad you found your leak. A tight system = no snakes! Ssssssssssssssss!

[NathanR]

Originally Posted by billybek

Air is not a great thing to pressurize with. Moisture in the air going into the system will be drawn into PAG oil as it is very hygroscopic. The oil will not give up this moisture on pull down (evacuation).

I know that having the proper tools to leak check are not widely available and leak checking with refrigerant is not legal. O2 to pressurize would lead to an explosive situation and compressed air could do as well.

Perhaps a good solution is to have a portable air tank filled with nitrogen from a tire shop.
Inert and hopefully dry. Much safer.

A small amount of trace gas in a new system and add nitrogen to pressurize. Leak check with a sniffer and/or soap.

!

There can't be much of the original oil left in there. All the components were either replaced or flushed, except the compressor, which was allowed to drain into a pan while exposed to air for several weeks already. Not worrying about it.

Compressed air was available to this DIYer, no spare N cylinders laying around.

RD was replaced after the blow out.

[NathanR]

Originally Posted by wwest

Thermostatic switch capillary tube doesn't take kindly to being bent that tightly..

It's not bent that tightly. It was aligned that way when I found it, btw. And, bonus, it appears to still be working! Not worrying about it.

[NathanR]

Originally Posted by Wavey

You're getting there! Have you decided what to use to insulate the smuggler's box? Or age you going to do that? Hope your part arrives and you can have cold AC by next weekend!

I still want do this, but today I got on a roll putting things in order, and I reinstalled the stereo amp that blocks access to the smugglers box. Doh!

Chances are, I'll be back in there soon, then I'll insulate it. Something's bound to go wrong when I charge the system.

Btw, thanks for the positive comments!

[NathanR]

Today's work: system held vacuum overnight. Applied slight charge of 134a to bring up to slight positive pressure, then installed new RD from our host.

Lesson learned, to remove RD completely release hose clamps. DO NOT remove flat bar bracket instead, as screws were held in by loose bolts behind tub panel and promptly fell out when screws were backed out. Resolved with mollies and oversized sheet metal screws.

Once RD installed, drew a vacuum and disconnected gauges.

Also ops-checked new fans. The new griffiths Evap blower motor is, indeed, noticeably stronger than the factory unit. Sorry no CFM measurements.

At first my new condenser fan didn't come on. Had to scratch my head and poke around with my meter For a while before I realized what I had done. The new relay harness had the same wire colors that the wiring diagram and I ASSUMED the wires had the same terminal connections as in the diagram. That was not the case, but figured it out and corrected it.


Once that was sorted, I set about to put things back in order. Here a pic of my new condenser fan relay.

[NathanR]

Also, I painted and installed my patented NathanAir Stoneguard.

[NathanR]

In place



Your probably wondering if I powder coated that myself...