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Fri May 04, 2012 9:47 am

Hi folks

Looking to buy a westy. Either around 1986 or 1990. Wife wants A/C and yes I know that the A/C in westies is poor in general. My question, and looking at various pictures,is that the A/C in the 86 etc was in the overhead cupboard whereas in the newer westies (1990) it seems to be a stand-a-lone unit.
My question is there a difference in the effeciency between the 1986 and 1990 A/C units. In other words if it came down to it, and A/C was the only difference between the two ages, would I be better going with the 1990. My plan is also to have a 2.5 subie installed so I'm not sure if that factors in.

Any feedback or advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated

Cheers
Al Gilliland
Calgary

Fri May 04, 2012 10:01 am

No Gain in the operation of the two different model years--

Fri May 04, 2012 10:18 am

The 86 Westy A/C is usually of the older type used in earlier Westys. The 87+ Westy A/C is much improved from this. Get the newer type if the A/C needs to work long term.

(the earlier type Westy A/C is also not properly documented in the Bentley)

Mark

Al Gilliland wrote: ........ My question, and looking at various pictures,is that the A/C in the 86 etc was in the overhead cupboard whereas in the newer westies (1990) it seems to be a stand-a-lone unit.
My question is there a difference in the effeciency between the 1986 and 1990 A/C units.........

Fri May 04, 2012 11:56 am

great to know..thanks Mark

Cheers
Al

Fri May 04, 2012 12:44 pm

If both systems are up to snuff & operating properly With the correct refridgerant in them both--there is zero difference in output.

They both are too small for the area they are intended to cool from the get go--
That's How it was made, this is how it is.

Fri May 04, 2012 2:11 pm

With respect to the refrigerant loop hardware, the systems are pretty much the same as Terry Kay says. There were some small changes, but nothing dramatic. The biggest differences are in the electrical bits and the ducting.

From what I understand, the early Westy AC was a dealer-installed unit, which may explain its absence from the Bentley manual and its poor electrical engineering and integration. I have this kind in my Westy, and I've been through it pretty thoroughly, so here are the differences I've noticed:

The evaporator coil is in exactly the same location and looks to be pretty much the same size/construction as the later models. The difference is that instead of replacing the storage cabinet door with a huge vent plate, the later models run a duct from a smaller opening in the cabinet up to the front of the upper bunk floor. This looks a bit nicer, in my opinion, but it reduces the headroom for the rear seat passengers and you can find some threads here where people remove the duct for various reasons.

The later models have a wiring junction in the back behind the side cabinet with relays (and fuses, I think, but I'm not sure at the moment) to drive the high-powered fans. The early models drive all the fan current through the switch up front and its associated fuse. This was a bad idea that has only got worse as the wires and motors have aged. I have a melted fuse block extension in my fuse bank to back me up on this.

The later models have better radiator fan integration with the electronics, though this setup varies a bit from year to year. The early ones have a relay that kicks the low-speed fan on when the AC fan is on, and that's about it. I think you'll probably get better idle and low-speed air conditioning performance out of a later model for this reason, though I don't know enough about the actual performance differences of the fan system to say for sure.

The early models have no refrigerant pressure switches. The only thing in the control box that will cut out the compressor when the fan is on is the thermostat, which runs back to the evaporator. If it never gets cold enough, it will keep the compressor clutch engaged even if there's insufficient refrigerant (and thus the suspended lubrication oil) to keep the compressor from self-destructing or too much pressure from a blockage that will blow out one of your lines. I think the later models include at least a low pressure sensor/switch to protect the compressor, which you should definitely add one to the system if you get an early model and do any service on it. Pressure switches are cheap, compressors are expensive!

I have a 2.5l Subaru engine in mine as well, though the air conditioning system was not hooked up during the conversion process. I later picked up a compressor and re-did all the lines with modern barrier hose and an upsized parallel-flow condenser unit and added a trinary pressure switch in the process. It works pretty well, though I have a persistent problem with one of the compressor fittings not sealing well. Although even when it works well it's insufficient to fight the heat soak that occurs on really hot days, it's definitely nice to have cool air blowing on the back of your neck. When you get to conversion time, be sure to check out the air conditioning info in the subaruvanagon Yahoo group, as there are some pretty good ideas there for AC performance upgrades.

Sat May 05, 2012 7:03 am

An aftermarket AC can be added. We installed a Vintage Air Unit behind the dash board. When done right, looks factory. As stated, it is a big box to cool in the hot summer sun. The dash air keeps the front passengers cool, but not so much for the back of the van. If you come across a Vanagon you like without AC, this might be an option for you. Do a Google search for Blake Heinlein. He documented this install. mark

Ours:

Sat May 05, 2012 8:56 am

My late model '86 has the '87 a/c venting and seems to work fine for cooling the van if it is fully charged.

I remember a trip we did from Salt Lake City to LA in August in the early '90's. We were very comfortable driving with the a/c on, but when we stopped for lunch in Las Vegas we were greeted by a wall of heat when we opened the van door. It was 117 degrees outside.