A/C Question

[AllPorsche944]

Hello All:

I purchased the A/C Upgrade kit from 944online. It came with the Sanden compressor. Question is, compressor was shipped "dry". From what I understand I am supposed to put aprox. 8oz oil into the compressor..can anyone verify if this is correct? Also is there suppose to be any ester oil put into the ac drier?

Thanks as always...

[Lawrence Coppari]

I did the conversion on my car a couple of years ago. Can't recall how much oil but 5-6 ounces comes to mind. There was paperwork with the kit saying how much oil to put in compressor. I put no oil in the dryer. I think my compressor came with oil for an R134 system so it had to abe drained and refilled with oil compatible for R12.

[bazar01]

A/C compressor should come with R134A compatible oil and recommended qty. If not, at least you they should provide you with a spec sheet about the compressor and recommended oil qty.
If it's empty, do not attempt to rotate the clutch driving pulley or risk scouring compressor cylinder.

Also is there suppose to be any ester oil put into the ac drier?

No, the drier does not have to be filled with oil.

If you are planning to do this yourself, you will need a vacuum pump and an a/c gauge manifold set to evacuate the system after installing all the components in order to properly test the system. Vacuum should be at least 29.5" Hg. A gauge manifold will be very handy for vacuum evacuation and charging. If you have a gauge, you can leave the system in vacuum overnight and check it following day if you lost vacuum. If you don't have one you are taking a chance not to have a leak and you cannot properly charge the system. Otherwise take it to a reputable shop to have the system vacuumed and leak tested after putting all the upgrade components in.

[AllPorsche944]

Thanks Gents...Not to keen on the whole A/C system...think I will leave it up to a shop that is comfortable with the process you described.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Not true. I went through this with 944online also; they ship an "r-12" compressor. The compressor "block" is identical to the one Sanden manufactures for 134a applications but there are a couple of minor differences in terms of the seals and such between the two models. If you don't believe me, check Sanden's web site and the model number of your compressor.

FWIW I asked them the question you did - they told me the compressor is loaded with "shipping" oil but I drained it completely and just had the shop pull vaccum on the entire system and then fill it from point zero with the proper amount of r12 refrigerant and oil amount; at least that way you know what you're starting with. Obviously if you drain out the oil it's shipped with, make sure whomever is charging the system knows this and DON'T TURN THE COMPRESSOR, even by hand if you can help it.

Their "134a Conversion Kit" isn't. It does not include the fittings for 134a and technically the compressor is for r-12, although I suspect if you completely drained it it'd probably work just fine with 134a (and the proper oil) as well.

[AllPorsche944]

Thanks Porsche-O-Phile...to be quite frank, I was pretty disappointed with the whole thing from the time I recived it and did call them about the fact that the compressor does state "R12"...they told me it is ok to go with 134...I then called Griffiths in NJ and asked them about some A/C hoses and why and they basically told me the Sanden unit is junk...I guess time will tell.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I would disagree with that assessment; I've been told that the Sanden compressors are excellent units - vastly superior to the Nippondenso ones that come with our cars. In my own experiences the Nippondensos are decent, but are very prone to leakage. Some of this might be due to their age, but they are VERY delicate compared to the Sandens; I recently replaced the pulley / clutch assembly on my 951's Nippondenso and just that small job was enough to cause the front seal to fail and vent all my refrigerant. Needless to say, I was less than thrilled about this and I was very gentle on the compressor assembly as I was doing the replacement. A replacement seal for the Nippondenso runs about $180-$200 where a brand new in-the-box Sanden can be had for about $350 or so. As such, I doubt I'll be running the Nippondenso again.

I have also been looking at a product called "freeze 12"; it's basically a synthetic r-12 replacement that's legal and compatible with r-12 based systems (like ours) and the r-12 oils. I'm probably going to use this product in my 944 based on a number of endorsements I've received by other people. It is also FAR less expensive than "pure" r-12.

While you probably CAN use the 944Online compressor with r134a, it isn't the one "intended" for use with r134a. This fact alone got me a little miffed at them and I doubt they'll be getting any more of my business. FWIW, Paragon products sells Sanden compressors for less anyway as I discovered after the fact.

Best of luck to you.

[AllPorsche944]

Thanks again...that certainly makes me feel as though things will work out better than I expected, however, I have to agree about 944online...a bit of a stretch on their advertisment

[Lawrence Coppari]

My Sanden has worked nicely for 2 years. Moreover, I use an R12 substitute in it. I'm not paying 30 bucks or more per pound for refrigerant.

Ditto the remarks about the seals on the Nippon. I changed my clutch very gingerly and my Nippon leaked immediately. Sandens are good compressors in my opinion.

My Sanden was purchased from Zim's.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Zims is a good outfit; they know about "freeze-12" also in fact I think they're an authorized dealer / reseller of the stuff so ask 'em about it.

[Zero10]

I run Red Tek in mine, it's R12A. No complaints yet, well, except my expansion valve is buggered up, so it doesn't always work so nicely =)

I still have the original nippondenso compressor in mine, but being in Canada, we sure don't use the A/C much.