Air Conditioning De-commisioning

[Larmo63]

Is there any harm in taking the air-conditioning belt off of my Carrera 3.2 motor?

The air conditioning doesn't work anyway, (cracked hoses) and I may ditch it altogether eventually.

[carrera30]

Originally Posted by Larmo63

Is there any harm in taking the air-conditioning belt off of my Carrera 3.2 motor?



The air conditioning doesn't work anyway, (cracked hoses) and I may ditch it altogether eventually.

Tale the whole freakin system out & lighten Ur can by ~50#

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[Peter M]

No problem with removing the belt.

However the AC compressor pulley is just free wheeling anyway so there is no extra power to be gained by removing the belt.

[trippmann]

Originally Posted by Peter M

No problem with removing the belt.

However the AC compressor pulley is just free wheeling anyway so there is no extra power to be gained by removing the belt.

What...?

The engine drives the compressor with the belt "compressor clutch engaged or not". Whatever miniscule gain the engine finds, by decreasing the parasitic loss by removing the belt, will still exist.

OP, remove the system entirely, convert it to 134a, or use the current aftermarket A/C system that is popular on this forum.

Good luck, god speed, everyone here has an opinion on the chemical make up of what o-rings you should use.

[GH85Carrera]

The belt removed certainly will not hurt if the AC is non functional. If you remove the entire system, keep the brackets, and fan housings for the next owner. No need to pass on the condensers, hoses, compressor, receiver dryer, and those parts. Just the had to find brackets and blowers is something the next owner will want.

The weigh savings is likely something 98% of drivers on the street will ever notice.

Bottom line, it is your car, do to it what you want. It is just a car.

[87maniac]

Ask yourself, if you were in the market for a 3.2,
and could choose between two cars:
-- one with (weak) factory AC.
-- and one with AC completely removed.

which one would you choose?
For resale alone, consider future buyers,
thiry-somethings. They want AC.

Yes, retrofit / upgraded AC is an great option,
a very costly option. For many, enhancing the
stock AC may be adequate for cooler climates.

I live in the central valley of CA.
AC is not an option, it's a requirement.

[Larmo63]

My system has been converted to 134A already, but the hoses are cracked and iffy.

I don't really feel like replacing the long hoses.

[Quasimoto]

Horses for courses…

I turned down deals on a couple of nice 911’s because the AC system had been completely removed. I chose a car with a non-functioning system because I knew I could fix it easier and less costly than recreating from scratch.

I get it why some hot rod builds delete it, and if I could own more than one 911, that’s the route I’d go too…but we loved touring in ours, so it needed to function.

[Sajan]

When I first got my 3.2, AC didn't do much. So I could only drive the car in the evening with the windows down.....or during the fall/winter months.

Since I got the Grifiths AC....I don't think twice about driving it any day of the year. I can't imagine owning another car without a working AC.

[blucille]

Agree with a lot of the above.

1-as long as the compressor clutch isn’t engaged, the clutch in the compressor simple free-wheels, no significant load on the motor.

2-I’d much rather buy a car with working AC

3-on my 83 SC I retrofitted a griffiths ac system and now I have no concerns driving on the hottest and most humid days of the summer. The added weight and load on the motor don’t really matter much.

4- on my 72 it had factory AC- long abandoned but all the bits were there. I upgraded the compressor to a modern rotary type and sourced some R12. It’s been blowing cold for 6 years now without a recharge. Running the 50 year old rubber hoses.

I see a few options.

1- remove the compressor and the belt and leave everything else in place so you can later install a rotary compressor and upgrade the lines.

2-do the upgrade now, enjoy life with AC, spend a few bucks and increase the value and enjoyment of car

[famoroso]

Vent temp on my '87 with barrier hoses and R134a...



Kickass AC is the ULTIMATE luxury on a G Body 911. Thankfully, some PO did the upgrade. That's for the wife friendly car though.

Per this thread, http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/423361-438-lbs-gone-5-days-my-build-story.html, the entirety of the AC system weighs 58.08 lbs.

On my wife unfriendly '89, I pulled the AC. Looks and feels good to be rid of that crap (heater delete too). I may go the electric AC route down the road.



Consider...

A) Bringing the car to Steve's D&S Auto Air in Costa Mesa and getting an estimate for a killer AC system. My guess is it'll be ~$5,000.

B) Pull everything out, but the AC evaporator fan. That can still be used as a fresh air fan for the dash vents.

C) Pull everything out, including the center console. Lose over 60 pounds as a result. Sell the center console to me. ;-)

[Coastr]

Fix the AC. It’s part of the car and should function. Unless you’re tracking the car and are already a skilled driver the weight loss makes no difference compared to the inconvenience of dead AC. They are not $10k junkers anymore. The hose replacement is not the worst job on a 911 by far. The reason most don’t work is neglect by shade tree mechanics, not because they can’t or don’t.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by Coastr

Fix the AC. It’s part of the car and should function. Unless you’re tracking the car and are already a skilled driver the weight loss makes no difference compared to the inconvenience of dead AC. They are not $10k junkers anymore. The hose replacement is not the worst job on a 911 by far. The reason most don’t work is neglect by shade tree mechanics, not because they can’t or don’t.

I Agree. The AC should work. Even the poor factory AC can help on a rainy day to defog the windows, and it makes a hot summer night pleasant.

Like every man, we want to think we are great drivers and really great lovers in bed. Likely we are wrong on both counts. Yea any F1 driver can feel the difference of the 50 pounds on the track. I certainly hope no one is driving to the limits on the street.

I love my upgraded AC system. I can drive through Bakersfield and on to Needles CA and Arizona in the middle of summer and be totally comfortable, and take my wife with me on road trips. Than improve my skills as a lover and a driver in my quest to drive my 911 to all the 48 contiguous states. 41 states and Canada finished.

[Nick Triesch]

60 pound weight savings will make your air cooled 911 as fast as a Honda Civic SI hatchback! I say go for it!!

[pkabush]

I’m clearly in the minority here but, I pulled my antiquated, non functional A/C off my 930 17 years ago. Compressor, condenser, brackets, hoses etc. Like all the other parts pulled for weight savings, it was all moth balled.
911s are not the best balanced sports cars. 60# is a hell of allot of weight in the worst place on the car. To say it’s insignificant or not noticeable is completely contradictory to my experience.
So is being as slow as Honda Civic
Along with all the A/C components I also pulled the factory air box (mailbox), switched to a long neck innercooler, aftermarket turbo, headers and exhaust and a few others. Obviously, allot of my mods gave me HP gains but the weight savings is a huge part of the overall performance gains. The factory exhaust is also really heavy.
By the time I finished my mods my car went from Euro ride height to literally safari ride height.
Something else, I think that’s worth mention is the transformation of the engine bay. Removing and or replacing all of these components was a game changer when it came to engine work and maintenance.
Also, let’s be honest, those old compressors are fugly.
And TBF, I live in Seattle. So here’s that. There are days where A/C would be nice but I just don’t have that kind of disposable income. If I did I’d definitely go electric A/C

[Quickstep192]

My car came with what I was told was called "AC installed at the port". They cut a giant hole in the passenger side floorboard to get ducts through. The hoses sagged under the pan. Big holes in the fender well. What a hack job! I couldn't wait to pull it out. I saved everything but the hoses in case the next owner wants to re-create that mess.


And I can really feel the weight difference.

(OK, no I can't, but maybe I got a rise out of somebody

[Nick Triesch]

In denial. A 36 year old 911 is terribly slow. Take out the ac, console, rear seats, sunroof, radio, spare tire , then it is just slow. I am amazed just how quick the new cars are. A single motor Tesla 3 will blow the doors off an old 911. By seconds!!! But our cars are cute on a road trip!! My Carrera has 200 horsepower compared to the 460 in a mustang GT.

[Showdown]

Every Honda Civic ever made was faster then my ‘77. I took out over 200# from mine and you bet I can feel it.

A major delete was the factory AC that was totally inoperable and weighed over 60#. It’s being replaced by a Classic Retrofit system at about 30# and should be totally fine in Chicago.

[pkabush]

Originally Posted by Nick Triesch

In denial. A 36 year old 911 is terribly slow. Take out the ac, console, rear seats, sunroof, radio, spare tire , then it is just slow. I am amazed just how quick the new cars are. A single motor Tesla 3 will blow the doors off an old 911. By seconds!!! But our cars are cute on a road trip!! My Carrera has 200 horsepower compared to the 460 in a mustang GT.

No denial here. I haven’t weighed my 930 nor have I dynoed it.
But, I’d be surprised if it weighs more than 2700# and based on other 930s with similar mods I’m around 375 HP.
The portly Mustang weighs in at 3800#

[pkabush]

Oops. I guess I didn’t copy all of my post.
No denial here. I haven’t weighed my 930 nor have I dynoed it.
But, I’d be surprised if it weighs more than 2700# and based on other 930s with similar mods I’m around 375 HP.
The portly Mustang GT weighs in at 3800# So if my math is correct that’s 8.2 HP
per lb. Which is pretty impressive.
My “slow” 930 comes in at 7.2 HP per lb.
And yes, it’s pretty cute going down the freeway. Especially when it belches fire out the exhaust downshifting to third
Don’t get me wrong I’m not trying to say my 41 year old sled will keep up with a new hyper car. Far from it. But I certainly wouldn’t say it’s slow.