Date: Sat, 13 Aug 2005 16:18:22 -0400
Reply-To: Christopher Gronski <gronski@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Christopher Gronski <gronski@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Behr and general AC questions
In-Reply-To: <7a8db8f5fc0062af0d7d9426a5c2a29f@knology.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Go for an '86 and up condensor, see my previous post below:
From: Christopher Gronski <gronski@gmail.com>
Date: Jul 12, 2005 7:44 AM
Subject: Re: Bottom line on A/C ?
To: Vince Jahn <vljahn@sbcglobal.net>
Cc: vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com
I spent a bit of time investigating this.
VW changed the AC in our vans around 1986 or 1987. From what I can
tell '86 2WD do not have the change, but '86 syncros have a partial
upgrade (fan, condesnor, compressor), '87 and newer had even more
(this coincided with the switch to the grey interior).
In terms of the condensor, with the '86 syncro they moved from
255272413A that has two sections of fins (with none behind the
separation of lower and upper grilles) to 253260403 that basically
covers the whole rad.
Compressors were upgraded around '86 as well some got the SD510 and
some the SD709. Both were an improvement over the SD508. The first
number refers to pistons, the second to total displacement. In this
case the SD510 is about 11% more powerful than the SD709 but the SD709
is aparently much quieter and saps less power (and it is13% more
powerful than the SD508).
Both are available from Busdepot. I had the more powerful SD510 in my
syncro but its dead now and in the interest of future availability
(Sanden is no longer producing the SD510 - pity it is 25% more
powerful than the SD508 of earlier vans) I will be replacing it with
an SD709. The procedure is detailed in Bentley 87.16 and requires two
specialized refrigerant lines: 253260708E and 253260716A and two each
of these o-rings: 803260749B & 431260749.
Also around '86 fans were also upgraded from 251959455G to the more
powerful 251959455M.
The '87 and up grey interior vans got the extended AC ducting off the
rear AC as well as a larger evaporator and more powerful evaporator
fans.
So, it is possible that the other vanaagon owners who are reporting
50F at the vents have newer vans with the VW AC upgrades noted above.
I was lucky enough to already have the upgraded condensor and fan. I
am changing out the compressor and plumbing in a BEHR aftermarket AC
unit that has a second evaporator and fans up front. I am hoping to
catch a cold this summer...
Chris
On 8/13/05, Jim Felder <felder@knology.net> wrote:
> I've acquired a Behr underdash kit for my TD diesel westy.
>
> I'm confused about the instructions, which describe the installation of
> the condenser without saying whether the connectors (both face to the
> outside on my condenser) go at the top or bottom of the
> installation--in other words, which way is up? The photos are so poor
> in the manual I have that I can't make heads or tails of the direction,
> and I have no idea what kinds of brackets the instructions are talking
> about.
>
> All that said, is the Behr unit the most desirable? Would I be better
> off getting a late-model factory condenser and installing it?
>
> Are condensors "matched" to certain systems or compressors or will
> about any of them do? The reason I ask is that when looking over
> several in a junkyard, the amount of tubes and fins and the thickness
> of the units seem to vary greatly. The thickest and most robust I've
> seen is on my own 90 vanagon, the weakest and skimpiest seems to be on
> a dealer-installed model with the overhead H pattern in the front
> ceiling, with my Behr unit about in the middle.
>
> Thanks for any info,
>
> Jim
>
