[earossi]

[quote name='J.C.' post='57329' date='Aug 4 2008, 06:05 PM']OK, so my A/C has gone caput. And when I was in AZ, I really didn't mind much, b/c I had a three minute drive to work and it rains like 4 days a year there, so windows down was ok.



But now that I am in Georgiabama, the humidity has gone up quite a bit, and the commute has grown to 45 minutes. OK in the AM, but at 4PM, it's brutal.



First off, I need to check with my old mechanic, b/c he supposedly replaced the Schraeder (?) valve in April, but it was never really ice-cold... but not working at all now... I need to see if he will pay for the re-repair. Which brings me to my question:



The nearest 968 guys are probably AutoAtlanta, about 90 minutes from me. So for an A/C job do I need Porsche expertise, or should a local reputable import place or general A/C 'specialist' know enough to do well enough? I don't know how 'specialized' our A/C units are. There's not a Porsche dealer here... and I don't know if I'd trust them anyways. Better yet, any recommendations for the job? I'd love to avoid two 3-4 round trips for this repair (one for diagnosis one for repair), but if I have to, I have to.



Thanks in advance, guys![/quote]



I agree....A/C is A/C. Porsche purchases components from other manufacturers and assembles them almost exactly as they are in my Toyota. The system design of an A/C system is essentially the same for all cars. Your only "advantage" to taking it to Porsche is about a X4 price tag for the work. And, you might find that some dealerships actually sub the work out anyway!

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[Gotter]

Thanks guys!

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[BBZ 968]

I have just had my 92' coupe 's Air-con overhauled as it was not blowing any cold air even though it had recently been re-gassed with R134. The condensor had several leaks. ( 16 years old ).

So a new condenser and drier has been fitted using the original pipework but with new o-rings.

The specialist company ( Porsche / Ferrari ) recharged the system with R416A + Ester oil as this is their preferred option on 964 / 968 and some other Porsche models.

Has anyone 'over there ' come across this R416A gas ?



The drive back from the specialist was really 'COOl '



cheers Shaun ( UK )

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[unknown4u]

Is this R416A gas friendly? tot the enviroment?? Does anybody know that?

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[PorscheDude]

I think it is similar to r134a but may have some extra oils for the compressor bearings when converting from R12.



They do sell it here stateside.

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[asefi944]

[quote name='Larry Currie' post='55565' date='Jun 29 2008, 04:57 AM']My 92 has never been real chilly at temps above 90.[/quote]







No its not just you, i have a 92 coupe and it gets cold but not chilly.......spoke to a couple a/c techs and they said the early prosches dont really have the greatest a/c systems.....

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[apex]

[quote name='asefi944' post='57871' date='Aug 14 2008, 05:02 PM']No its not just you, i have a 92 coupe and it gets cold but not chilly.......spoke to a couple a/c techs and they said the early prosches dont really have the greatest a/c systems.....[/quote]



Two points - lots of AC techs associate "porsche" with "911" - it is true that 911's are challenged in the AC department.



Not so with our series cars - I think people who know the series will say they have pretty good AC. Whether it's due to recent new parts, or system design, I don't know, but my '92 black coupe is ice-cold even when the ambient temps are over 90.

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[BBZ 968]

[quote name='unknown4u' post='57861' date='Aug 14 2008, 07:15 PM']Is this R416A gas friendly? tot the enviroment?? Does anybody know that?[/quote]



according to the manufacturer B.O.C " no known ecological damage is caused by this product ".

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[Kim]

always a twist - new system then needed new compressor after about 3 days. Waited 2 weeks, got new compressor, next day compressor clutch failed, pulley wouldn't turn and fried belt. needed to get towed. picking up car again tomorrow. Always fun.

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[Scott Collins]

I just finished recharging my a/c in my 1992 968. I had it converted from R12 to R134a two summers ago. Obviously I must have some small leak because the air temp grew warmer and warmer until now, basically same as outside air. Not pleasant with a back leather interior and dash that seems to never cool down.



Here is a report on the procedure I used. If anyone sees something wrong, please respond because I don't want to

lead anyone astray.



A/C recharging procedure for 1992 Porsche 968

(previously converted from R12 to R134a)



Went to AutoZone and bought:



1. connector hoses with pressure guage.

2. adaptor kit to go from threaded port at a/c compressor to new "quick release" style on hose.

For my '92, I needed this adaptor because the "off the shelf" systems all come with the "quick release"

style of fitting.

3. two cans of R134a



Procedure:



Loosen left front wheel lug nuts.

Jack left front, supported securely on a jack stand with rear wheels chocked and car in neutral

with e-brake on.

Remove left front wheel. I did not need to remove any of the under belly panels for this job.





IMPORTANT: use only the LOW side port to install refrigerant. It is located near the left

front tire at the a/c compressor. On my '92 968, it faces straight down and is covered by

a black screw cap. (The danger in accidentally hooking up to the HIGH port is that it can

over-pressurize the can of refrigerant and cause it to explode. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/ohmy.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> )



1. purge system - push in valve stem and release pressure until no hiss is heard.

2. install threaded to "quick release" adaptor to a/c compressor port - connect hoses to a/c compressor

port and new can of regrigerant

3. run car and a/c at full

4. turn screw to puncture R134a can then retract screw to release R134a. System pulled in two cans.

5. (also, I had the cans in a tub of hot tap water to speed up the process)





Result:



A/c is very cold, for now. Eventually I will have to locate the leak(s) and probably replace some

seals, etc. Total cost: about $40.

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[flash]

snap a couple of pics of the areas involved, and put it together in a PDF for the DIY section

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[Scott Collins]

[quote name='flash' post='58175' date='Aug 21 2008, 06:56 AM']snap a couple of pics of the areas involved, and put it together in a PDF for the DIY section[/quote]

you bet

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[flash]

cool - that will be a good one

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[perbal]

I have been having a problem too. I replaced equipment two years ago and now it does not cool. It is in the shop now. They tell me that they recharged but that it was still blowing warm. My mechanic thinks that it is the expansion valve because he keeps getting high pressure readings. He says that in order to replace the expansion valve, he has to pull the dashboard, more than a day's work. Based upon Apex's post on 8/2/08, he says the expansion valve can be reached under the hood, under the shroud, under the blower cover. Is this correct, as it'll save me a fortune? Need a reply ASAP as I have travel plans on Sunday. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/huh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Perbal

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[apex]

It's true... <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/biggrin.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> Did you see my post with pics?

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[Kim]

And another twist, since clearly there have not been enough twists yet. Chubby Checker himself could not keep up with this.



The second replacement compressor was defective upon arrival so a third was ordered. It was installed this week and picked up yesterday. After about an hour of driving the belt was howling so much again that I had to shut off the A/C. No sure yet if the belt was just loose or if the new (third) compressor is toast. I may need to bite the bull0te and buy the Porsche part ($2200) rather than these after market rebuilt pieces of crap. Anyway, back to the Porsche dealer this week for another evaluation. At some point, they are probably going to tell me to take this car elsewhere for service. At that point is will be for sale. I haven't found out yet if any of this is covered under warranty. If not, there likely will be another post.

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[Lim Yong]

Try griffiths.com, they have good stuff. IMO



I am having similar problems with a recycle compressor.

Luck..

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[apex]

Repeating failures make me think something other than the compressor is at fault. when I did my job I was warned that replacement compressors *will* fail if a) the system is not squeaky-clean inside - i.e. residue and bits from previous failed compressors are not purged from the system or <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> the new compressor was not charged with the correct amount and type of oil.



Just sayin: I'm sure you guys followed protocol! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[Kim]

Update - The belt tightening assembly had not been reattached on one side. It was wedged up into the alternator side and attached via the bolt through the hole at the compressor side. It was about 2 cm too long to fit where it belonged so it was like that either during this installation or a previous one. It did not simply fall loose because the bolt broke or backed out. It would have been the correct length if that had happened. It must have wiggled loose a bit and then the belt became very loose. Had it reattached and problem went away. I am now left to wonder if this might not have been the problem with the first compressor that failed when the belt started to turn on the pulley. A mystery.

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[Gotter]

OK, to add to the A/C saga.

I've been needing to repair or upgrade my A/C for a long time coming, but timing belts and such seemed to be of higher priority. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif[/img] At any rate, I went to the A/C guy on post and he seemed very confident that there have been advances in the R12-to-R134 conversion where some of the concerns and issues laid out here on this thread are now obsolete. *Supposedly* they are more compatible so that the hoses, seals, compressor, et al are not necessary to replace (unless of course they are faulty...).

What does this mean? According to him, the whole conversion costs between $125-175. All in. New valves, new gas, system flushed twice before the new gas goes in, compression re-calibration, performance check once the conversion is complete. That's a far cry from the prices some guys have given on here... $800-1200! Of course, that $150 figure could go up with the addition of a compressor or anything else that's faulty getting replaced. It *IS* an 18-year old car after all. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img] But a straight up conversion for $150? So I told him I had a collection of guys I wanted to run this info by JUUUUUST to be sure.

So, what say thee? Thanks ahead of time!

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