A/C-How bad is it '80-'89 911?

[jaxon]

I know it's cold out in many areas...but here is a question for those hot days ahead...

How bad is the A/C in the SC's and in the '84's to 89's?

I've read so many bad things about the A/C in those years that I wanted an opinion from those who live in over '95 degree temps during the summer....day after day of over '95 degrees.

Does the A/C work....at all?

Can't test it in this cold winter weather here!

Thanks

Jaxon

[masraum]

hmm, you need to break that down to pre '86 and post '86. They improved the vents on the cars in '86 or maybe 87 and that made a big difference. If your fan is in good shape and the rest of the system is up to snuff then it is adequate in the summer. The problem is that it is seldom in good shape. Also, I wouldn't expect it to freeze you out of the car in the peak of the summer, and I wouldn't want to wear a 3 piece suit in one in the summer. You can make them really crank with an extra condenser.

[89911]

With a lot of work and frequent maintenance, they can be made to function poorly. I never used mine and have taken a major portion of it out. One area that GM beats the Germans I'm afraid to admit

[BlueSkyJaunte]

My '81 is a sweatbox in the Arizona summertime. In fact, it won't get driven much at all from May through October. Really.

[jaxon]

BlueSkyJaunte

WOW! Knew it was bad...but had no idea how bad. Suspect all-in-all your summers are like ours...yours are hotter and ours are more humid.

I own an '83 Mercedes Turbo Diesel, which my teens drive. I thought it might perform like that...which would have been ok. Guess I'll have to rethink that one. Especially with a Black on Black

[gchappel]

I live if Florida, and have had several people work on the AC in my 85 carrera. It now successfully blows cold air- but only in the winter. In the summer- forget it.
Actually, if the car is in a cool garage the AC can keep the interior cool and comfortable for several hours. If the car is hot before I start it, like sitting out in the sun in a parking lot, the AC just can never catch up.
Gary

Mine was inoperable when I bought the car. At the time I thought it probably just needed a recharge, but now figure that to make it worthwhile it would be necessary to replace all the original lines etc. etc... the cost vs. benefit equation probably wouldn't make it worthwhile. So I'll probably just remove it & bag it up.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Well, keep in mind that it peaks out at 120 here sometimes, although not in the past 2-3 years IIRC. But it can stay above 100 degrees for days on end. Once it passes 110 it's not worth leaving the house.

Humidity is also on the increase here (surprisingly)--too much non-native plantlife, golf courses, etc. as the population explodes.

[Emission]

It is best after the car has been on the highway (3000 rpm) for at least ten minutes. Then, it feels nice. I would never call it cold.

Let me add, I need to run it on "High" to stay comfortable (lower settings just don't cut it). It is loud. All of my windows are tinted to help.

[Don Plumley]

I think Gary's analysis is spot on. Mine blows pretty cold air (like 40-45F at 85F ambient) and can keep the cabin comfortable. But if the car is hot, it does not have the cooling capacity to bring it down to comfortable levels. Fortunately, I live near the coast and can usually just roll down the windows and drive faster.

Check out Griffiths "Mr. Ice Project" for an idea of what it takes to get functional AC in a 911.

[weber92037]

Similar comments. Mine blows cold air and enough of it to keep the car cool, but it's noisey and not very efficient compared to most other autos. If you are buying a car for AC, forget these. On the other hand, I leave my targa top in the house most of the time and enjoy the natural air conditioning.

[jtratza]

I second Chucks response. I live in Houston (aka Humidity Capitol of the World) and have replaced lots of the system to keep it as close to 100% effective as possible. I've replaced every component except the hoses from the compressor to the condenser in front and I'll be replacing the hoses this spring (they leak enonugh to need recharge after 6 to 8 months) but anticipate still only marginal cooling. I hear another condenser will help. The compressor is large enough but the condenser is small and there is only one fan to blow air into the cabin. I find taking the roof off works best.

[turbo6bar]

Anyone who is considering modifying or refurbishing their A/C should look up posts by 'SeaDweller." I just bought his Euro SC, and he said the A/C will freeze your gumballs solid. I have no reason to doubt that statement.

Look at it this way. Engines, trannies, and mechanical bits wear out over time and use. Why is the A/C system any different? Albeit, the capacity of the system might not be up to today's standards, but there are upgrades available.

It just takes time and money. How cold do you want to be???

Jurgen

[gr8fl4porsche]

I also agree with the overall sentiment of this thread.

In my '87, if I start out with the car in the cool garage then its not too bad. Park it in the sun for an hour (triple black car), you can barely tell you have A/C, much better to roll em down, take the top off and head for the highway!

[CrossT]

The '84 - '85 cars has the small vents on the sides. The '86 - '89 cars had 'normal' sized vent on the sides.

When I got my '86, the PO had re-routed the air from the center vents to a vent under the dash (a new vent drilled in). This was not satisfactory. I could not direct the air to either me of passenger bodies -- just the knees. I've since corrected to orig.

Seems much better now, but will have to wait a few more monts to really assess. My system has a Performance Air underbelly condensor added to the other two stock ones. It shoud be good, but we'll see . . .

It still won't be as good as my POS Olds minivan I'm sure.

todd
=-=-=-=-=-=-
86 cpe

[masraum]

I can tell you guys that my evaporator fan went bad, and I have replaced it which made a big difference in the amount of noise that is made and the amount of air that is pumped out.

[jaxon]

You've set my expectation level. I know its hot here in the summer... in this area, you simply can't ignore air conditioning....or you will be sorry!

Thanks for the input!

[APKhaos]

Steve's right, and I live in the DC area where Jaxon is situated [which may rival Huston as the humidity capital].

When I first had the car, the AC was useless. A little refresh involvong cleaning the condensors and evaporator, new fans all round, and the bowtie vent mod really made a difference. Not 2000 + GM icemaker performance, but good enough to bring the cabin down after sitting in 90 - 100 for hours.

The need seasonal recharging, which is no big burden. Some of the earlier cars had some fairly pathetic compressors, but the middle 80s model years were better.

Now, the 964 [90 +] cars have really decent AC, and are really decent buy in the current market. Just a thought.

[speeder]

I plan on a 964 compressor, R-134, huge underbelly condensor, and get rid of my rear decklid condensor. Jack Olsen has the underbelly condensor w/ this set-up, kept a black car cool in very hot weather, I believe. The decklid condensor sucks, IMO, blocks/restricts cooling air to motor+ preheats same air+ gets heated constantly by motor. Other than that, it's a great design.

With a huge condensor+ front condensor in cool locations w/ great air flow and all other components in top working order there is no reason on earth that it should not be able to cool a tiny space like a 911 interior.

[mm86911]

. . . just buy a Targa, remove the top in the summer, and strip the AC to save the weight. . . and if you absolutely, positively must have AC check out some setups like Speeder notes above