Subject: AC Dryer: To Clamp or Not to Clamp?

[Christopher Ritchie]

Al Powell wrote:

I'm finishing up the AC work on my 1990 200 and I have a
question about the
dryer (mounted in very little room under the plastic cover near
the
firewall.)

Getting the old dryer out was a PITA due to the fact that the
hose clamp held
it in place, but the metal hose fitting coming in from the
evaporator
(passenger side fitting) was not flexible and required the dryer
to be moved
over before it would clear the fitting.  Much tugging and
pulling was
involved.

I'm real tempted to replace the dryer but leave that damn hose
clamp off it -
in other words, not to clamp it down using the hose clamp at
all.  The
fitting from the evaporator is so stiff that the dryer can't go
anywhere, so
I don't see that this would cause damage.

HOWEVER - any BTDT's?  if the dryer heavy enough when the system
is full that
it would flex the evaporator side fitting and cause cracks?


When I did mine, I had the same problem.  I was also tempted.  What always 
gets me in the end when I consider these things is that I don't have 
confidence in my automotive engineering judgement.  I figure if Audi, with 
all its engineering resources, decided that it was necessary, then it must 
be.  I also hate rattles.  It seemed to me that the thing would bang around 
in there.  Your probably right about the flexing weakening connections over 
time.

I had an awful time getting the old one off.  But when I put the new one on, 
I oriented it so that I could get a 1/4" drive socket on it to tighten it.  
I think the size was 8mm.


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