Yeah, I knew about the downside to R134a.� They also say it does not cool as well as other refrigerants, but that was part of my "nothing to lose" rationale.
�
The hose process is pretty well documented in a couple of Samba threads.� One guy did his whole '87 Westy system (wish it had been mine) by removing all hoses and having new barrier hose with the old connections made up, then reinstalled.� Inspirational, and I think the hose work cost was about $300, plus whatever else he did.� Sure beats the two grand estimates for repair reported by me and some others.
�
Stephen
 

________________________________
 From: JRodgers <jrodgers113@gmail.com>
To: Stephen Grisanti <bike2vcu@YAHOO.COM> 
Cc: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM 
Sent: Wednesday, October 2, 2013 11:31 PM
Subject: Re: Vanagon AC
  

As I understand it, if you convert to R134a refrigerant the system will 
leak because the 134a molecules are smaller and find their way through 
the hoses.It's a slow process and if all the connections are up to date 
with the right kind of seals - an annual refill is about all you will 
need. The only way around that problem is to replaces the hoses - which 
is rather pricey.

John

On 10/2/2013 8:41 AM, Stephen Grisanti wrote:
> Here in Virginia the A/C is essential.� My '87 Westy had a complete system but it blew hot.� The pile of receipts from the two POs showed a lot of money spent on service and repair.� I figured I had nothing to lose by playing with it so tried one of the cheapo R134a conversion kits from an auto parts store. That worked to cool things down.� I suspect a leak somewhere since I must recharge annually, but that is very little trouble for the real benefit it provides.
>
> My new-to-me '91 Westy, on the other hand, is missing the belt and the PO (the original owner) told me it never worked reliably, so I do not know what I will discover when I begin tinkering with that system but I think that work can wait for spring with other jobs having priority.� Good luck!
>
> Stephen
>
>
> ________________________________
>�  From: Alain Thibault <alainthibault@TELUS.NET>
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Sent: Wednesday, October 2, 2013 12:20 AM
> Subject: Vanagon AC
>
>
> Allo
> My 86 comes with AC but the belt is not there... I presume since AC is not a necessity here in Vancouver BC that it was left unrepaired. Any idea if the AC in a Vanagon is something prone to break and not worth the expenses? What is the reputation of the AC system in the 1986-1991vanagons?
> Alain
> Westy 1986
>
> Sent from my iPad 2
>