Date:         Fri, 21 Jun 1996 17:14:13
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         EXPRES@gnn.com (RON SALMON)
Subject:      Re: '85 Westfalia Air Conditioning



>Does anyone have an air conditioner on an '85 (or so) Westfalia 
>they are happy with? If you're sitting in the back seat, you get 
>air on the back of your head.  Anywhere else in the vehicle it is 
>non-existent.  ...  For now the compressor has locked up ...

My '85 Westy has the "factory" air and I am generally satisfied, 
though not overly impressed, with it. This is my first summer with 
this van, and it has been in the upper 80's here in Pa (and humid). 
In that climate, the AC does bring the inside temp to a fairly 
comfortable (but still slightly warm) level in roughly 15 minutes.  
Understandably, it doesn't cool as quickly as a car would (there is 
a much larger area to cool), but it is (just barely) sufficient.  
If your experience was different, perhaps the AC needs recharging, 
or there is another problem. 
By the way, when I bought my van, the compressor would not run.   
The problem turned out not to be the compressor at all, but a 
clogged expansion valve up in the overhead unit, which created a 
vacuum that the compressor could not overcome. 

-Ron Salmon