Date: Fri, 9 Aug 2019 02:52:01 +0000
Reply-To: Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject: Re: Fixing Vanagon Air Conditioning....trying at least
In-Reply-To: <CACvdLxPK9c0vAi87S0wPcKB-FXka6Rs=DMX+qMj+mT_FmeHrWg@mail.gmail.com>
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Good one Dave, about the size of R-12 molecules versus that of R-134A molecules. Hmmmm... I have considered this, even to the extent of considering stainless steel "bellows tubes" as a replacement for the standard rubber hoses. Good idea. To solve this problem once and for all. But...with a potential leak in evaporator (as already determined by sniffing by my A/C shop) I don't think that's a good option. Hoses leak...but so do components like evaporators, and I think they leak far faster than hoses. O-rings are pretty easy. But, attacking an evaporator leak, not to mention likely damage to to all the brittle plastic housing (that's why my A/C expert did NOT want to go there). Plus, super duper expensive to replace an evaporator with no longer available parts. We are talking mucho bucks, even if lucky enough to find one (evaporator in pristine condition). Nope. Empty beverage can to hold open front wind windows (as seen on Facebook Vanagon Owners Group) seems like a pretty good option. Dang...when I was young, I traveled 15,000 miles in summer of 1974 all across the USA in my aircooled '70 bus....no A/C...no nothing. My luxury item was an old Coleman stove that I bought for $3 at a swapmeet. But yeah...I was 20 years old back then.
Rich
San Diego
On Thursday, August 8, 2019, 7:01:49 PM PDT, David McNeely <davmcneely40@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
My 1991 Volkswagen Vanagon GL Campmobile with 2.1l original waterboxer at
185k miles has factory air converted to R-134a in 2010 that currently does
not work. Every year since 2010 I have had competent VW AC mechanics
ferret out problems (leaky valves, bad o-rings, and so on, unending). When
it works, it cools magnificently, but I have decided that pumping more
R-134a into the atmosphere is NOT being a good citizen. Most recently, I
have been told by several including some on this list that the R-134a
molecule is smaller than the R-12 molecule, and that the factory hoses
actually seep R134a through their walls. How true that is, I have no
idea. I have not replaced the hoses, nor have I even priced R&R for the
hoses. At my advanced age, and being fairly heat tolerant anyway, I am not
sure additional money on this problem is justified. But a buyer would
probably want working AC, and I am not one to get it "serviced" in order to
sell it when that time comes.
On Thu, Aug 8, 2019 at 6:28 PM Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net>
wrote:
> Jeff, GoWesty has a very good writeup about the issues with getting
> satisfactory performance on Vanagon Air Conditioning. As for me, mine is
> an 85 tintop....and thus has the evaporator hanging from the ceiling just
> behind the front seats. I also have a Subie 2.2 conversion; when the
> conversion was done, with a Subie A/C compressor, I requested that they try
> to get the A/C working again. They did. But I had leaks. So took it to a
> knowledgeable shop here in San Diego. They replaced O-rings and
> stuff...but with sniffer determined that I had a small leak in the
> evaporator. So....by law...they could NOT refill with R-12 freon
> (incredibly expensive anyway). They converted system to R-134A. So far so
> good. But stuff leaked out. So I bought a Stop-Leak can (available for
> R-134A but NOT available for R-12). It worked mostly; I followed
> instructions exactly with regard to putting in the Stop-Leak and then
> immediately following up with R-134A refrigerant. Now, one year later, A/C
> was still "sorta" working...but not icy cold. Still must have a little
> leak. I did the routine of adding R-134A. I carefully monitored low side
> pressure to hold it at about 35 PSI. But I think I overfilled. On recent
> trip through deserts of Arizona at 106 F, my A/C worked fine for about 20
> minutes....but then seemed to give up. I think the problem is overfill of
> freon (causing icing up of expansion valve, so maybe also need evacuation
> to get rid of even a tiny bit of water in system). Also...per the GoWesty
> writeup, R-134A is only about 80% efficient compared to original R-12.
> Also, GoWesty recommends a "parallel" condenser up front as apposed to the
> original "serpentine" condenser...I wish I had done that. Anyway, like
> GoWesty says.....it's a very tough and expensive problem to solve. So much
> air volume in van...so much sun exposure...and old technology. Heck....any
> modern car can do the job just fine! Good luck...I'm still struggling too
> with the issue.
>
> Rich
> San Diego
>
> On Monday, August 5, 2019, 3:06:57 PM PDT, Jeff Palmer <
> w.jeff.palmer@ICLOUD.COM> wrote:
>
> With my advancing age and borderline health :) I am finding it hard to
> handle heat these days. My 85 does not have AC. Thinking about selling and
> finding one with AC - if it actually works? And is AC the same in every
> year?
>
> So does Westfalia AC actually cool or is it the 1985 version of cooling?
>
> Thanks
> Jeff
>
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