Patti,

No AC in your house?!? Ouch. I used to live in a house with no AC, but
vowed never to do it again. You can't drive a house down the road at
60 mph with the windows open to cool off! :D

I don't understand what Neil said, but I had my van's windows tinted
years ago to the maximum levels allowed in Virginia and it's a LOT
cooler than it used to be. There's still not a lot you can do when
it's 95 degrees and 90% humidity outside, particularly when you're in
slow-moving city traffic.

Good luck!
Marc

On Wed, Aug 10, 2016 at 11:29 PM, PB <pbrattan@gmail.com> wrote:
> Marc, I already DON'T have any AC at all.  Since I don't have AC in my
> home, no AC in a car is not acceptable!  I did get an estimate for making
> the stock AC work, and had planned to get it done, but other repairs took
> priority.  Then I started wondering about AC under the dash.  Glad to know
> about the huge expense of AC under the dash.  Now I can put that idea to
> rest.
>
> I also intend to have the windows tinted with the best material for keeping
> the heat out, and am now in the process of making new curtains, as well.
> Patti
> 90 Westy Automatic
>
> On Wed, Aug 10, 2016 at 6:44 PM, Neil2 <vidublu@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Consider White, 70/30 perf on your windows and more importantly Llumar
>> ceramic film on your cockpit glass for glare AND heat.  If you do add AC
>> later it will work better with both.
>>
>> On Wed, Aug 10, 2016 at 6:23 PM, Jack R <jack007@comcast.net> wrote:
>>
>> > Ten years after an engine upgrade to a 2.1 in my 84 Westy, I decided to
>> > finally fix my AC.
>> > Pulled the radiator / condenser, and ALL the lines.  Replaced all AC
>> > lines, flushed rust out of the condenser and pressure checked it, flushed
>> > rust out of the compressor and evaporator.  Basically removed everything
>> to
>> > start fresh.
>> > Lines and flushing, with new ends ran $550.  And about 8 to 10 hours
>> labor
>> > removing everything.  If a system is properly balanced per the specs in
>> the
>> > technical bulletin, cold AC is possible. http://faculty.ccp.edu/
>> > faculty/dreed/Campingart/vanagon/vwretrofit.pdf
>> >
>> > Figure at least 20 hours to do the entire job, minimum for an experienced
>> > mechanic who knows Vanagons.
>> >
>> > Replacing coolant, good airflow across condenser / radiator and knowing
>> > how to shut off all airflow in the front, can result in a cool Vanagon
>> with
>> > air coming from the rear.
>> >
>> > While I was at it, I cleaned up some electrical issues and created an
>> > issue in the process.  Better "perfect" grounds and cleaned multiple
>> > connections, replacing wires and spades.
>> > Started it back up, ran for 3 minutes until a stall and smoke from the
>> > dash.  Melt down of wire from ignition switch (black wire) to coil in
>> > rear.  Hard short in that wire!  Must have done too much.  Replaced with
>> > fresh wire run to the coil, running perfect now.
>> >
>> > QUESTION on two unknown wires in the fuse panel of my 84 Westy (Double
>> Red
>> > with White Stripe wire unplugged, from who knows where?) into a relay
>> high
>> > in the dash and not seen in the Bentley?
>> > Anyone have a clue what this is for? https://1drv.ms/f/s!
>> > AmdSy8lvr2gKt0g5w9wa_3JDZc6k
>> >
>> > Lots to do to get the AC going, but the final phase of my total restore
>> of
>> > the 84 Westy I've owned since 87!
>> >
>> > Thanks for any help provided on the wires and wishing for a cool ride in
>> > the future.
>> >
>> > If anyone needs specific questions answered on the AC repair I'm going
>> > through... all is very fresh, a I near completion of this project.
>> >
>> > Jack R.
>> > 84 Westy
>> > N. of Detroit
>> >
>> >
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
>> > Of Marc Perdue
>> > Sent: Wednesday, August 10, 2016 9:02 PM
>> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>> > Subject: Re: Install Front AC or Keep Stock Unit???
>> >
>> > What if you had no AC at all to begin with? I've often been frustrated
>> > with the fact that my van never had AC, particularly this past week when
>> I
>> > was driving to a festival and it was 95 degrees and 90% humidity outside
>> .
>> > . . It's not usually a problem once I get where I'm going, since I'm
>> > usually going to festivals up in the mountains where it's cooler, or
>> there
>> > are shady spots where I can camp. It would be nice to be able to get
>> there
>> > in air-conditioned comfort though.
>> >
>> > Marc, in central Virginia
>> >
>> > On Wed, Aug 10, 2016 at 7:40 PM, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@hotmail.com>
>> > wrote:
>> > > With few exceptions the lowest cost option is to make what you work as
>> > it should. Yes, being in the rear cooling effect up front is limited
>> > especially when driving facing the sun and getting that afternoon heat
>> > hitting you in the face while getting some cold air blowing at the back
>> of
>> > your head and neck. Working properly though that AC should be able to
>> cool
>> > off the van.
>> > >
>> > > Front units are nice to get that relief up front. The small car unit is
>> > nice as it is a heat and cool package. It would be nicer if it also
>> offered
>> > the ability to blend outside air. I have seen some other aftermarket dash
>> > AC installations and many suffer from insufficient capacity. Most are
>> > designed for coupes and sedans, not vans.
>> > >
>> > > If I lived in a hot all the time climate and was willing to spend I
>> > would look for a solution to have both the original and dash AC. This is
>> > very common in newer vehicles. A good custom AC shop should be able to
>> put
>> > together a dual evaporator system for you.  You will likely need a larger
>> > compressor and more condenser capacity to support it but it can be done.
>> > >
>> > > Dennis
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > -----Original Message-----
>> > > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
>> > > Behalf Of PB
>> > > Sent: Wednesday, August 10, 2016 4:08 PM
>> > > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>> > > Subject: Install Front AC or Keep Stock Unit???
>> > >
>> > > Can a stock AC unit (90 Westy automatic) be replaced with a front AC?
>> > > Would there be any advantage price-wise, reliability, use of space, and
>> > physical comfort? In my case, rear passengers are a rarity, so I would
>> keep
>> > the cool air in the front by putting a curtain behind seats.
>> > >
>> > > Patti
>> > > 90 Westy Automatic
>> > >
>> > > --
>> > >
>> > > *♪♫**♥**♫♪♪♫**♥**♫♪♪♫**♥**♫♪♪♫**♥**♫♪*
>> > > If it's not on my iPhone, it doesn't exist...
>> > > ●▬▬▬▬▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬▬▬▬●
>> >
>> >
>> > ---
>> > This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
>> > https://www.avast.com/antivirus
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Neil2
>> '82 Diesel Westfalia (Ducky)
>> '86 Vanagon (SaVannah)
>> '08 170" 2500 Mega Roof Sprinter (Moby)
>> '90 Westfalia Subagon
>> Fulltiming since August 2008
>> Nunquam Pendite Divendium
>>
>
>
>
> --
>
> *♪♫**♥**♫♪♪♫**♥**♫♪♪♫**♥**♫♪♪♫**♥**♫♪*
> If it's not on my iPhone, it doesn't exist...
> ●▬▬▬▬▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬▬▬▬●