Your expansion valve may be stuck, or the receiver/filter dryer may be
clogged, or you may have too little oil in the system. Have an A/C guy put
gauges to it and check it out. Doesn't cost much, and a good AC guy can
tell you EXACTLY what's up by reading the vacuum and pressure in the
system.

If any of the problems I mentioned are the difficulty, it is a fairly low
cost solution, less than $200. If any of these problems are allowed to
continue for long, however, you may be shelling out the cabbage for a
new/rebuilt compressor, etc.

G. Matthew Bulley
Bulley-Hewlett & Associates
Cary, NC     USA
www.bulley-hewlett.com
(888) 468-4880 toll free

-----Original Message-----
From:   Steve Frisbee [SMTP:frisbee@ROCKETMAIL.COM]
Sent:   Friday, March 05, 1999 9:59 AM
To:     vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject:        Re: noisy A/C compressor

Jason,
I'd say if A/C cooling is good, and you haven't noticed an increase in
noise level, just leave it alone.  It might be worthwhile to measure
the temperature difference at the A/C inlet and outlet occasionally to
see if its performance is degrading over time.

My '85 Westy had a compressor that got noisier and eventually died.
As for noise level, I could hear it from driver's seat with window
down, over the engine sound.

For better cooling up front, do two things:

1. Remove entire A/C louver assembly from front of blower, as it
restricts flow (the result will be noisier and uglier, but much cooler)

2. Install a JC Whitney-type "trucker fan" onto ceiling right behind
passenger headrest, pointed towards front, to move air forward.

Steve

---Jason Yasment <jyasmen1@NYCAP.RR.COM> wrote:
>
> I have an '84 Westfalia with A/C.  Has anyone ever noticed how noisy
the
> compressor was?  It sounds like a low speed turbine when it is on.
Sorta
> reminds me of the engine noise a transit bus makes.  Is this normal or
> should I shop for a new compressor and in the mean time switch to
R-134a?
> The system cools the van fine in the back but I can't feel anything
when I'm
> in the pilot seat.   A small fan should cure that problem.
>
> Jason
>

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