AC Keep it or remove it?

[RSWiser]

I have my 1980 911 SC Targa with factory air.

I have only owned the car a month. The fans work great, good airflow but not cold.

Looking at the condenser in the engine bay lid, there is some damage. Not sure it there is a puncture or not.

The basically sat for the 4 years before I purchased it.

Is the AC worth saving? Can you legally recharge these old systems. What do they take R12 or something like that.

How do I test for leaks?

Thanks in advance for all the great info I receive from this forum.

[Zef]

Targa wise...Remove.

[snbush67]

I removed mine. I installed a left and right speed controlled cabin air induction system.

[Scott R]

Even if you get it fixed you'll be disappointed with it, and it's going to cost a small fortune to fix it. If you really want AC just get one of these kits that our hosts sell and be done with it.

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

I removed every bit of mine--'83 SC that lives in New York, extreme heat rarely a problem--and there's tons of junk to take out throughout the car, from the evaporator in the nose, all the hoses, the stuff in the smuggler's box, and everything in the engine compartment. It's a huge weight-savings, and you're losing a junk air conditioner that Porsche should have been embarrassed to have installed in the first place. It's the a/c equivalent of an AM radio, and they were selling it at a time when a Chevrolet's a/c could make a tray of ice in half an hour...

[Barrpete]

Not a simple question actually. First the easy answers. Factory air would be R12 and yes you can still get it recharged. Although not DIY without a license.

Now the tough part. Factory systems were marginal at best and there could be many things causing lack of cold air from simply being low on Freon to a major leak. The hoses in the old systems even when new were not 100% refrigerant tight so some amount of leakage is 'normal'. Sitting for 4 years could lose a significant amount of refrigerant and cause the system not to work. Or it could have leak at any of the connections or condensor or evaporator or the compressor. No way to tell really without having it checked for leaks by someone with the proper equipment.

Assuming that its simply low on freon you could have it recharged and it may work OK. Depending on how badly you want AC there are also all kinds of available upgrades, but to do it properly is not cheap.

[GBStu]

Ripped mine out of my 79SC after trying for a couple of months trying to get it to blow cold.

I sold the whole set up on ebay for $425 last year (it weighed a total of 75lbs).

Stu

[Jetjockey]

There are some very hot places in Utah, St. George comes to mind. I don't know if Orem fits into this category. There are many posts about upgrading the A/C. Count on about $1500 if you are willing to do the labor yourself. I would not bother trying to get your current system back up and running unless it has some of these upgraded parts already installed. At a minimum you will need to replace the hoses with a newer "barrier hose". The old hoses will leak about 1.5 pounds of refrigerant per year. The latest and greatest thing is parallel flow condensers. They are only for R134A systems and provide a 30% or so efficiency gain. Good Luck.

[mthomas58]

As I sit here at 7:30PM in ATL it's 91 degrees in the shade. Had to come in because I can't breathe. Back out to the grill in a moment. I cannot in good conscience make a recommendation to remove A/C from anything-ever!

[porsche930dude]

Genrally if you think your going to sell it eventually its a plus to potential buyers. If you dont really care about that or using the ac and especially if its not upgraded to r134 yet you might as well loose it. The biggest plus for me was freeing up space in the engine compartment for airflow and the evaporator on the engine lid blocking flow.

[Rick V]

I removed the ac from my 82 with the exception of the front duct work and fan, from the evap box. I still have fan control and more fresh air in the car than simply by removing the ac all together. It was about 75 lbs of worthless stuff.
I say yank it, if you want to save it for later (resale or reinstall) get some of those large vac bags designed for freezing deer and such and just seal the components up. It gets hot here in Va and with a triple black car you would think I should miss the ac but the cars vent out very well.

[porschefool]

Rip it all out, throw it in a box, and fill the smugglers box with cement. Same weight/cooling output.

[wieringa@mcn.ne]

I would have someone look at it and see if it has any major issues or just needs a recharge. A recharge is pretty cheap and R12 is still available. Even working the AC isn't much but my 82 SC puts out 42 degree air with the original components. I am guessing that R12 won't be around long and when it's gone you need to decide stay or go for the system. You can convert to R134 but it doesn't cool quite as well. In my opinion the AC is a nice option and adds some value at resale. I have seen black on black 911's that had the AC stripped - too hot for me and 911's without AC are not cool.

KW

[RSTarga]

if it is cooling at all it is probably just low on freon. have someone put a vacuum on it to check for leaks a then then refill if ok. If it can't hold a vaccum and you don't want to spend the requisite amount to get it going just pull the compressor and the rear condensor and put them in a box. I wouldn't take out the evaporator and fan if you ever plan to sell it. I live in texas and we've been at 100 for a week , if I didn't have a/c the car would be unusable. And it's a Targa, but try driving around without a top in this sun.

[JMH82SC]

I live in Fl so it's mandatory to have A/C. After all the bad press on the factory A/C I was surprised on how well the stock system worked with 134A. I converted the York compressor oil and charged it up just before a trip to West Palm. The vent temp on the interstate was mid to high 30s. The charge only lasted a week but it gave me hope. I have found a local custom A/C shop and the owner is classic car friendly and easy to work with so now I'm half way through my A/C update. I'm in the process of having barrier lines made, converting to Sanden 508 compressor, and new drier. The evaporator and condensers will be checked for leaks and if all checks out will be reinstalled with a new expansion valve. Once system is reinstalled I will rent the vacuum pump and manifold gauge set from AutoZone (Free Service) and charge it up to see what happens. If all goes as expected I will have less $300 invested and if it works as good as it did for the week I had A/C I will be a happy camper.

[sailchef]

I'm 80% of the way done taking mine out. Started with the compressor last year to gain access to the right bank of plugs. Pulled the condensors, dryer, and hoses the last two weeks. Very easy to do. The only thing left is the smugglers box and electrics. next will be to back date the heating system. I' d rather drive the 911 in the fall and cooler weather anyway, it runs a lot better. When it gets hot I drive the Jeep with ice cold A/C.

[rs6er]

I removed everything except the fan in the smuggler's box from my 81 SC. I use the fan on damp days.

[rpidduck]

This is a geography question foremost. If in a warm clime, functioning AC would seem to measurably enhance the 911 experience and utility. Orem qualifies. Or maybe it's an age question ... I sure want it in So. California.

[carlosR]

I removed my ac compressor then read a post from a guy in England whose windshield fogged up badly during rain. So he turned on the ac to be able to see. I put mine back in just for those rainy days.

[pozee]

Keep it. If only for the de-fogging ability.

Pro's can recharge it with 134a.