Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

In my daily cars I wouldn't be without aircon. Never used it in my turbo and have thought about removing the compressor and rad.

A friend has had aircon retro fitted to a 968

£2.5k

All my cars have AC, just as important as the wheels to me Now I'm keen on buying an S2 classic & finding it difficult to find one with it

Would really like to find a supplier of at least the gobbins behind the dash & hopefully the plumbing going in/out of the dash to the engine bay. The rest might be available as used or new.

As explained by another forum member, on enjoyable days without AC is quite messy & uncomfortable, especially here in Malta.

Most 944's have a brilliant air conditioning system, the air comes in through the windows and out of the huge hole in the roof.

Many years ago, there was an issue showing how an enthusiast retro fitted AC into a 911 & a 944. Unfortunately I cannot get a hold of it & am willing to buy the issue

If anyone on here could manage to point us in the right direction as to where to get a hold of this issue; that would be a great start

Worth noting the S2 very rarely came with air con in UK spec, whereas every turbo I've seen has it, including the cab. Also the 2 systems are different. On a turbo you will see 2 pipes heading down the passenger side from the bulkhead but only one if you find an S2 with a/c fitted.

Most a/c systems are inop in 944's but I was able to re-commission mine with a nearly new condenser, nearly new compressor a new receiver/dryer, all associated seals and a knowledgeable mate who has it running on R134a now. The system is actually very good. Ice cold when needed and a great help demisting in poor weather.

Stuart

Very true. I have read that once in good order, they are effective.

Can you tell me where you bought the compressor & condenser?

In the meantime, I bought a 1989 S2 & also managed to source a complete AC system taken off an S2 which after testing, has the previous mentioned defective.

By the end of the month, I will strip the car for bodywork & full respray. So, when I put all back together, the AC will be going in.

Where did you buy the compressor; was it a re manufactured unit & what brand? Is all still going still going well?

Had my last s2 for many years but didnt realize until zzcappgo had a look and told me that i had full air conditioning retro fitted... i should have know what the big shiny blue pipe was for,,lol
seems the one other owner from new had it fitted at some point,,,no clues inside the car that it had been fitted,,,
i know that company in Bournemouth [ cool it??] retro fits air con to our cars but not cheap,,,,,,,,jasonp

The compressors are probably generic, normally by one of the big manufacturers. There is a company in the USA who do upgraded bits for early 911s such as compressors etc. One issue with a system designed for R12 which the 944 was will be when you set it up with R134a it'll be less efficient. From memory (a/c is part of the day job, but not car stuff) it is 15% or so less efficient.
As I said earlier Becks Eunos has been converted to R134a, the bill was a bit painful as the condenser is NLA so they had to adapt a universal one & remake brackets & pipework. But it works well, especially for defrosting it in the winter when starting from cold.


This is the bunch I was thinking of. http://www.retroair.com/porscheairconditioning.html

I bought a Denso compressor for my 968 from Opie Oils. It's identical to the original part and they give club discount too.

If you think you've got it bad in the UK, I imported my fathers 944 cab into Sydney Aus. try being caught in traffic in 40 degrees, full sun in a convertible, For it's second summer down under I fitted AC, it's a hell of a job but completely doable up to gassing,
Things I learnt.
Wiring is there for everything
buy as much as you can 2nd hand , Compressor, lines, heater box (behind dash) compressor mount, HVAC control panel, relay,
New parts- condensor, drier, pressure switch (S2 has a dual switch for under AND over pressure cut off), box of AC o rings (off ebay), longer belt
Buy a universal parallel flow condensor, Make up brackets and get an AC firm to fabricate a hard line from top outlet (of new condensor) to where the original one used to be (at the bottom)
Things you may not realise
Alternater shroud mounted on rear needs to be changed for an AC compatible one and a longer section of duct
There is a score mark in the plastic section which separates the inner wing area from the condensor, this section is to be cut out for the lines to the condensor
The long ac line from the drier to the bulkhead goes under the brake master cylinder, I had to repair mine so I managed to rute it above the cylinder
It's very fiddly where the AC lines go through the bulkhead, especially the vacuum lines
enjoy the cold air but don't be surprised if there is a leak or two, it is a big job and we are not refrigerant engineers
Get the AC filled with UV dye to make seeing leaks easier