Air Conditioner System Upgrades: Hoses, condenser, etc.

[korfmach]

Upgraded my non-functioning factory system this past spring and summer. I decided to commit to R134a as it's still widely available and shops don't immediately turn you down if you need a recharge.

The old R12 compressor was roached--leaking from the main seal and making a lot of racket. I got a Sanden 4434, same as the one advertised by GoWesty and others, but purchased from a truck supplier for about half the price.

OEM condenser went out, new parallel flow condenser from GoWesty went in. Also replaced the air drier.

I kept the OEM evaporator and expansion valve as they seemed to be in good shape. Cleaned out both with some magic AC solvent from AutoZone.

The hoses proved to be the most challenging part. The OEM R12 hoses are not thought to be compatible with R134a, so I took 'em all down to the local Parker Hanafin store for duplication as they've done (unrelated) work for me in the past. This was a mistake. They needed a month and several trips by me to return non-fitting or incorrectly configured hoses; they finally had to outshop the HP line from the drier to the evaporator because they couldn't find the right fitting for the pressure sensor. $700 later I finally had the right items...I recommend just taking the hoses to a specialist AC shop as it will be faster and less expensive. Sourced the O-rings from NAPA.

All the other components (relays, wiring, thermocouple, pressure sensor) were OK and I re-used them.

I put it all together a few weeks ago and charged it with cans of R134a from a FLAPS. After all that effort and $, it works well. We have had a VERY hot summer here in the Front Range, and the 45-50 deg (F) delta has made a middday trip through downtown Denver tolerable if not actually enjoyable.

A few observations: this is not a project for those with limited time or financial resources. There's nothing super complicated or technical, but it takes a lot of time and attention to detail...and if you take shortcuts, it won't work. Get the best quality components you can find, research the procedure, acquire the right tools (especially a 19mm open-end wrench). Keep everything as clean as possible. Take photos and document as you disassemble the system as it's not necessarily obvious how it all goes back together. This is particularly true of the headbanger box with the evaporator and fans.

The hose attachments on the compressor head of the 4434 I bought were 90 degrees off of the OEM. This was not consequential as there's still plenty of clearance to attach the LP (inlet) hose. I re-used the OEM hard line to attach the LP hose; this fitting required a little filing, as did the compressor mounting lugs. Kind of a PITA but not a big deal.

Even though it would be expensive, I would probably farm this out to a shop if I had it to do over. It's a lot of work, there are many opportunities for inobvious mistakes that can bugger the project, and it consumed several weekends for which I had better uses. I'm very happy with the result though--do it if you have the time and (fairly modest) skills needed.
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1989 Westy, "La Barchetta Rosa" (Rosy)
2022 ID.4, "Ivy"

Gone, but not forgotten:
2016 Golf TSI
1974 Dorper Baywindow, "The Bleeding Trout"
1998 Jetta TDI, "Trixie"
1987 GTI, "Heike"
1974 Thing, "The Luftwaffel"
1974 Ghia
1966 Ghia

[26kick]

[CoolVan]

If you can find the Climaparts 16x24 CNF1624 (not CNF1624RD) it snuggles in between the radiator tanks much better than the 16x22. You do need to trim the mounting strip a little on the bottom to allow clearance for the radiator temperature sensor, but overall I found it to be the best fit and the extra size is a bonus.