Probably won't put the A/C compressor back in

1)The AC never worked that well, even with a full recharge. it was OK, but not great.*

2) The recharges never lasted more than 6 months.

3) R12 is damn expensive now.

4) I see either the liquid line or vapor line, not sure which, is almost worn through above the inner fender well, probably why it leaked. Lord knows what herculean effort is required to change a refrigerant line from the front to the rear of the car.

5) The compressor is really in the way for everything.

6)Compressor probably needs rebuilt.

7)I would probably never use the AC. If I want refrigerated luxury, I will drive my Chev pickup.

8) Ferraris are meant for Targa top off, windows down cruising.

9) I want a lean clean performance machine, with the motor rebuild later this year, all that excess AC weight doesn't help.

10) Did I mention the AC unit is ugly and in the way?


I will put button head allen bolts in any AC related cam cover spots where studs and tensioner bolts used to go, so it doesn't look like something is missing.

Maybe I will even move the alternator to where the AC compressor was, so it will be almost like a normal car that has an accessible alternator. What a concept.

* Ex wife, long time ago, was *****ing about how hot it was. She said turn the air on. I said it doesn't work. She said that i just didn't want to turn it on. So she rolls up her window, cranks the AC knob up and asks that I roll up my window, which I do. About 10 minutes later, when sweat was running down her face, she finally rolled her window down again.

Doug

 

Same here mate ditched my A/C 5 years ago about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike....... my GF always naggin it's to hot in this car so now in summer she wont even get in the car..... perfect just me and the sound of engine in my ears i'm in heaven.........

 

Same here, removed it a while ago, it weights a ton!
On top I'm a convinced follower of the saying "whatever you don't have can't break".

 

Good list of reasons to leave it off

Mine wasn't put back in after the last belt change. It's in the basement, probably making a dent in the concrete with it's ~35lb bulk.

 

This means you have a problem with your system

$30 per 12 oz. can and it takes about two cans. Evacuating and recharging every two years = $60 every two years.

Yep, the fuel tank strap chaffs it. Mine was worn through. Getting the tank out is the hardest part. After that, feeding the line out with a string attached and having a new hose made at Car Quest for $50 and feeding it back through was a breeze (surprisingly).

Other than changing the belts on the front bank, what else?

$50 in parts from NAPA and it's a really simple job that takes about 20 minutes.

I use it all the time. The car is unbearable without it.

I have a hardtop, so....not necessarily.

Once you pull the A/C compressor out, you'll be surprised how light it really is, and it's mounted on an aluminum bracket.

An alternator isn't any prettier and will be just as in the way as the compressor was.

Bottom line, it's not that hard to get a properly working A/C system. With the top on you should be able to ride in comfort. Since you live 3 feet from the sun out in AZ (good god it's hot out there!), there are probably days you don't drive because it's too hot to take the top off and you don't have A/C. Plus, when/if you try and sell the car, good luck without an A/C system. Then you're going to have to go through all this anyway. Why not do it now and reap the rewards.

Just something to think about. I spent some time getting mine sorted this spring and now it blows ice cubes.

 

According to the York manual, it weighs about 15 lbs. You need to hit the gym. ;-)

 

I'll take it, please...the YORK compressor is the same as on the early 911s, but the single groove clutch itself is a Ferrari only part, and worth several hundred dollars..

I sent mine to friend for a reed kit, and the shop found it and threw it into the dumpster, he felt bad, but #22127 has been "warm" ever since!!! LOL!

I tell the babes to just shed their blouse.....try that on yours....

I suspect the reed valves 'tiring out' is the main cause of all the complaints actually, the unit is in a VERY warm environment.

 

Make me an offer I can't refuse Tex

Sorry but no way does that lump of pig iron weigh 15lbs.

 

my wife always complains that its to hot in the car and I never enjoy the ride when she's in it,the a/c never works as will as the one in my truck,hell its a sports car not a limo

 

I won't throw anything away, I can always put it back in at my leisure, as it is teh last thing to go back in anyway, but don't see the point right now.

At least in AZ it isn't humid like it is in Alabama, even at 105 F out, a moving breeze cools you down. At 110 F here, the heat index is about 90-92, in "Bamy, at 92F, the heat index is about 110.

Doug

 

No..it is 35 pounds...I weighed it when I took mine out. He may need to hit the gym, but you may need to work on your estimation skills.

 

The entire mess of a/c parts probably weighs close to 100lbs. The compressor weighs better part of 40lbs on its own. I have to agree with others here that even with a full charge the a/c works so so at best. In 110+ weather here in Vegas it works crappy and almost any a/c system is put to the test in this sort of summer climate. I am not entirely anyone removing that stuff.

Come to think of it, anyone with a US car can dump a hell of a lot of weight by removing the a/c stuff and replacing the US bumpers with Euro. I would think shedding 150lbs+ makes a noticable difference.

 

It's not that bad in North Alabama where I'm at, but yes, the humidity even here can get annoying at times. However, I came here from Houston. This place has NOTHING on Houston. Concrete and steam. As far as AZ though, it's the only place I've been where it hurt to breathe. I swear I thought my lungs were on fire. Then a few hours later, as the sun began to set, I was freezing to death. That was in the southern part of the state (around Tucson I believe) in August.

 

I assumed the 328 and 308 shared the same or similar York compressor. Maybe that is an incorrect assumption. While my estimation skills may indeed suck, my reading skills remain intact. The weight of the actual compressor is about 15 lbs. The solenoid/clutch assembly is a different part completely, but if you include that weight, then yes, the combination of the two probably does weigh 35 lbs. Even with the two combined, I was still surprised at how much lighter it felt once I had it out of the car. When you're hanging over the side of the car into the engine bay holding that thing out of the way while your friend is trying to get the cam belt cover off, it felt like it weighed twice that much.

The point remains though, that the COMPRESSOR only weighs 15 lbs. Don't blame York. Blame Ferrari for the weight of the clutch and solenoid, which is THEIR doing.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

there is a direct drop in replacement for r-12 that's cheap I forget the # did it for a friends 66 mustang works fine

 

Actually, much of it is made from aluminum (much to my surprise).

From the manual:
• Crankcase — Light weight die cast noncorrosive aluminum.
• Cylinder Liners — Cast iron, permanently cast into crankcase body. Precision honed finish.
• Head — Die cast aluminum.
• Base — Die cast aluminum.
• Piston — Die cast aluminum fitted with cast iron piston rings for optimum wear.
• Connecting Rods — Die cast aluminum, heavy cross section, super-finished surfaces, assembly doweled for positive alignment.
• Crankshaft — Cast ductile iron. Large connecting rod and main bearing areas.
• Bearings — High load capacity ball type bearings for longer life at heavy loads and high speed.
• Valves — Swedish steel suction and discharge valves mounted on ground valve plate.
• Shaft Seal — Carbon face seal specially designed for high speed operation.

Tex is Houston. Ask him how much he wants A/C in his stable of 308's. When I lived in Houston, I had an Alfa Romeo with the exact same York compressor as my 328. When the A/C went Tango Uniform for like the 3rd time in a year, I parked it. It was not drivable. When it would rain, I would have to roll up the windows. Once I did that, the car fogged up. The only way to see out the windshield then was to turn on the heat. No thanks!

 

How much does it weigh?

 

The consensus is always either the AC is not good enough or it’s not needed at all.

A good debater can take the same data and argue either side, and win. Hey sounds like my job

Personally I just topped off my R12 system myself. It took 20 min and cost $10 (1/2 can). This was only the second service (if you can call it that) that has been done on the car since new. I use it on a hot day to keep the windshield and my right knee cool. The top is never on so I have no data on its ability to cool the cabin.

 

There are better compressors for the 308 out there than the York, and are more-efficient, too. I have been in 308s with properly set-up stock A/C units that worked, and I was pleasantly surprised. My A/C unit will probably go back-in once my 30K is completed, but I'd be interested in reading some posts from folks who have found improvements to the stock system.

 

I agree.... I'm looking to update/improve my A/C system. If possible I'd like to keep it as stock as possible but might be interested in a trunk mounted unit if they work good with our application.

 

I'm not a big fan of AC either, and have removed it from a couple of my sports cars accordingly. One thing you can be sure of however, if you want to sell the car sometime a prospective purchaser will likely make a big deal of the missing equipment and ask for a couple thousand bucks off. Just handing him a box full of the bits won't improve things much either...

 

ps. saving 35lbs in a car that was relatively slow and heavy when brand new isn't going to make much of a performance difference anyway...

 

Resale isn't really a concern for me. I never sell anything that I originally bought because I wanted it.

Have had the Ferrari 26 years, the Corvette 36 years, and the Harley 18 years. Not likely I will be selling them anytime soon.

Doug

 

If you're doing a 30k service, it takes an extra 20-minutes to remove the fuel tank, and an extra 10 to put in new AC lines.

Cut the fittings off the old lines, thread them down thru the fender well (they're behind some bracing behind that fuel tank you'll need to remove).

Use an in-line coupler to splice the old and new lines together. Dissconnect up front and remove fender well up front. Coat new lines with liquid soap. Have friend pull from the front and you feed from the back. It litterly took my brother and I all of 2-minutes to get the new lines in.

Yes, you have to take that gas tank out, but you might as well replace those fuel connector lines anyway.

 

Yeah, you can save time removing the AC during the belt service and also save the cost of recharge it after the belt job. Here's in northern CA, lack of AC isn't too bad, my first car in college had no AC, I went mountain biking during the weekend, it was right around 90s and just make sure you drink enough sport drinks and look for signs of heat stroke.