So how miserable is a 308 without air conditioning?

I am quite close to finishing my cam belts and major service work. However, this afternoon I found the a/c compressor is leaking some oil and there appears to be no freon in the system. I don't want to reinstall without addressing those problems. Dang, I am anxious to start driving my 308.

Is it crazy to just leave the compressor off for now, take my time to research getting a new compressor, a new dryer, etc.? Is a 308 GTS bearable without air at least in the spring?

Thanks, Jeff

 

I haven't had A/C in my car since I've owned it. It's fine except on extremely hot days.

 

Drive fast with the windows open and you'll be okay. They do get pretty stuffy inside though.

 

I drive my GTSi QV almost all of the time with the targa top off here in Central Florida. My A/C works but I rarely use it.

 

My A/C cools fine up to about 85F, beyond that might as well not have it.

 

My A/C works just fine - better than most I have been told, BUT I rarely ever use it. I like to take the top off and roll the windows down - thats MY kind of driving fun.




PDG

 

Same here.

I rarely drive in weather that requires the targa top. The AC is useless without the top on and the windows up.

 

never use it. but when i do it is somewhat like a mouse breathing with a mouth full of ice chips. jon s

 

That's pretty good.

 

Mine works pretty well - got it recharged when I picked it up. I dont know what the difference might be - but honestly I have never tried the A/C on another Ferrari.




PDG

 

Thanks guys. That settles it....I'm going to button it back up without the a/c compressor (and leave that project for another day).

The cam belt work looks so much simpler without the compressor, doesn't it? Almost easier than doing the belts on the riding mower!

Jeff

 

+1. I think mine is good to 90F. Beyond that no way. I totally understand why lots of owners just give up and remove it all.

 

Hey jcinflorida. Where in Florida do you live? I'm in Port Saint Lucie.

 

It depends on the color of a re-dyed interior and your shirt. For example: red seats + white shirt x really hot day = miserable

 

It gets hot down here. I really only use mine driving back and forth to Atlanta otherwise the top is off.

You will actually think it is not working - until you turn it off, if that tells you anything.

 

I have no air in my Mondial. I never worry on the open road, city traffic is ugly, and it really makes the nighttime, spring and fall driving special, but I do drive it year round.

 

A mechanic I had when I first purchased the 308 in 1997 took off my A/C and put in a bigger radiator, never had any overheating problems but I would have preferred to have left the A/C in the car, it gets hot here in the San Fernando Valley. I remeber driving back from Monterey one summer after Pebble Beach I believe the temperatures varied from 105 to 50, I have a GTS and I have had the top on it twice when I got caught in heavy rain. Purchased a 355 berlinetta in 2005 and kept the 308. I really now have the best of both worlds.

 

I is a sports car.


Sports Car = fast, loud, smelly, greasy, uncomfortable, HOT......


and COOL.



The "cool" is looking from the outside.











BTW, My AC works VERY, VERY well but I have only used it once, the minute it was changed over to R4(?) from freon to see if it worked. Never used it again even in standing temps over 100 degrees F.

 

that`s that

I took my a/c compressor off of my car years ago...
sure, I could use it maybe 5 days a year...but then again...I`d put up with cooking in my own juice for a little while

on the plus side, timing belt change is a lot easier and a lot faster when the a/c compressor as a source of fault is eliminated...
and the car is 30 pounds lighter

 

The AC works as well as the cruise control and the heated seats, if that helps any!

 

I have a GTB here in NJ/NYC area.
In summer with humidity - it can be brutal. Especially if you get stuck in traffic.
I've recorded where the A/C is blowing 55 and the cabin temp is 110 (at the sun visors)
But 90 degrees is very common. I have a thread on here somewhere assorted samplings of inside, outside, A/C temps and humidity.

BTW: last year at the major I had a new expansion valve & drier put in for R134. Same York compressor. See the parts thread for replacement components.

But if your moving at 40mph or better the smile of driving should override any innate body complaint of summer heat.

 

We don't see many sunny days here in the Pittsburgh area, but it does get hot and very muggy. Almost anytime between late June and mid September involves arriving soaked in sweat.

 

I gotta say, the heated seats in my TR3 work worlds better than in my 308! I gotta give the nod to the 308 on the cruise control though. I can't quite figure out how to get the mat to stick like that on the Triumph.

 

If you park out in the sun without a car cover, you may need the AC to make the interior tolerable -- especially if it's black leather.

(I used to park my 328 with the top off for a few hours in MA in summer. The tan seats weren't bad, but I had to use driving gloves to handle the black steering wheel. )

In NoVA, I drive the 328 with the top off and the AC off most of the time.

As long as you're moving, you're fine. But when I sit at the overly-long traffic lights in Alexandria or Arlington, all that 190F heat from the engine bay drifts forward into the cabin.

But, according to Google maps, Waynesboro is a bit out in the boonies, compared to Xtal City, so it may depend on whether your local lights are set like the ones here: (not for 25 MPH, but for 5 MPG).

 

Not sure.
I've owned my 308 for over 10 years and it never occured to me to check the AC. Since the car has 102K miles I'm assuming NOT.
Maybe I should go outside and check?
NAAAH