A/C Condensers ? Can I run just one?

I about to take my bumper off to add a center rad, clean and replace my a/c condensers, when it got me thinking. Can I completely remove one A/C condenser and have the system operate with just the other? My driver is that it will reduce weight and improve engine cooling as there will not be a condenser sat in front of the rad. I assume that the a/c performance will be less, however in principle would the system still work? And has anyone done it? Thanks

It isn't going to help the engine cooling as much as you think - the remaining condenser will get quite a bit hotter and it sits in front of the other radiator. One condenser isn't very heavy and a healthy 996 cooling system, especially with a third radiator, works well under most conditions. If you are a track person, an additional oil cooler will be more effective. Because the oil temperature is hotter than coolant, a smaller radiator can still get rid of lots of heat.

i concur with ditto. In theory it would still technically work, but it would be much less efficient. from other threads Ive read either go all in or all out with the AC. I see you live in the UK where it is relatively cool climate so I doubt that cooling the motor will be an issue for you especially with a 3rd radiator. I used to drive my n/a 996 aggressively and would sometimes come to a stop on the way home in traffic in 100+ degs F heat and never had any issue with cooling the motor. 212 was the top I ever saw.

Mr Rabbit, The reason they used 2 condensers is because of the: 1) The location where they were placed, 2) The limitation in foot print in that place, 3) The efficiency of a condenser of that design and size, 4) Air flow across the condenser. You might be able to 'live' with one stock condenser in your climate area, all depends upon how hot and humid it will be, color of car, number of occupants, coupe vs. a cabriolet, your personal cooling needs. You could attempt to delete one condenser, you'd need to locate the outlet port on the condenser (vs. in the inlet port), route the outlet to the receiver drier. Charge the system by Pressures and Temperatures (P&T) method; meaning if the stock system used, say for example 36 oz (weight) of R134a you would start of with say 26 oz and adjust the weight charge based upon P&T. And then decide if you had adequate AC cooling at your vents and defrost for your situation. How effective 1 or 2 condensers can be is relative to the outside air temperature. As that temperature rises the need for more condenser function increases. The 996 condenser receives a good amount of air flow (compared to early air cooled 911's) because the condensers are in the front of the car getting 'ram' air, and because of the condensers cooling fan. Hence on warmer days, with 1 condenser, you might find the cooling fan runs more often or you need to maintain a minimum speed for the ram air effect. Depending upon the footprint you have to work with in front of the condenser you might be able to increase the cooling fan function by using a larger diameter fan or 'deeper' fan (one that delivers more cfm) such as an earlier 964/993 fan; recall that the early air cooled 964/993 used a smaller condenser however it was twice the thickness as your current condenser. The earlier air cooled version was a serpentine core design whereas your present 996 condenser is a parallel flow. So, in summary, is it possible to use 1 stock condenser or 1 better condenser with additional air flow, possibly. Weight wise, deleting one 996 condenser would be equal to driving around with 3 pints of Guinness in the trunk vs. 6 pints. Long live Wales. Griffiths AC

Zero percent chance I would want to reduce my A/C efficiency, but I do like the idea of 6 pints of Guinness in my trunk

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Said like a true Texan !

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Mr. Bunny, You're hoppin' on a fool's errand my friend. Your Porsche condenser only weighs about 2.5 pounds. You're better offer skippin' that weekly Big Mac trip to McDonalds... That will do more to reduce weight than removing one of the condensers. Plus, your system will have to be re-piped and recharged... you'll be throwing a nice chunk of change out the window to save just a couple of pounds. Be a *smart* evil Bunny and leave the system alone. OCD gets you nowhere but deeper in trouble AND the only thing that will be getting *lighter* is your bank account!!!! Cheers!