AC/Heater LCD Kaput - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

thom4782 · 02-07-2013, 09:47 AM

If bad news comes in threes, I'm 2/3 of the way there.

This morning I noticed the display in my AC/heater control unit started to leak. A new unit is pricey (>$500) and used units seem to go for about $300. I found a refurbishment kit on the web. It costs about $70 and the instructions make it sound like an easy fix -- almost plug and play. See: Porsche Parts & Accessories.

Has anyone had experience with one of these replacement kits? If so, did it work well?

Thanks

Meir · 02-07-2013, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thom4782

If bad news comes in threes, I'm 2/3 of the way there.

This morning I noticed the display in my AC/heater control unit started to leak. A new unit is pricey (>$500) and used units seem to go for about $300. I found a refurbishment kit on the web. It costs about $70 and the instructions make it sound like an easy fix -- almost plug and play. See: Porsche Parts & Accessories.

Has anyone had experience with one of these replacement kits? If so, did it work well?

Thanks

It works great.
I didn't get to install it myself, but I understand it is pretty easy.

Bryan topping · 02-07-2013, 10:34 AM

Thom,
this is where I got mine. ModuleMaster | Services | Climate Controls
Easy fix took me about an hour including removing & reinstalling the climate control.
Just follow the instructions thoroughly step by step.

tonycarreon · 02-07-2013, 11:28 AM

i got the module master kit last year. takes no time to replace.

my only "sad" is that it no longer says "manuell"

dan.oneufer · 02-07-2013, 11:46 AM

I've replaced the LCD unit as well. It's an easy fix and comes with very clear directions. The display is not identical to what was there, for example the digits are larger, but it ends up looking very original equipment.

thom4782 · 02-07-2013, 12:33 PM

Thanks everyone. I've ordered the part from Module Master and it should arrive by Monday. $61 out the door. Now, we'll see just how good my electronic repair skills are...

Bryan topping · 02-07-2013, 12:50 PM

I was a bit nervous when I did mine since I had never really had very good luck with electronic stuff. Just be patient & go step by step. The instructions are really well written & complete.

ChrisZang · 02-07-2013, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryan topping

I was a bit nervous when I did mine since I had never really had very good luck with electronic stuff. Just be patient & go step by step. The instructions are really well written & complete.

+1 on that
Take your time and follow the instructions step by step and you can't go wrong.

ilikeching · 02-07-2013, 07:49 PM

you can find used A/C unit on ebay for resonable price.

silverboxter · 02-08-2013, 06:53 PM

i did mine. it's pretty straight forward. you'll be fine if you follow the instructions. shouldn't have any issues. great feeling after you see the display

thom4782 · 02-26-2013, 10:30 AM

I finally got around to changing out the LCD display. The new one looks great, but I think I messed something up. For those of you who have done this swap before, could you let me know if your new LCD behaves like mine.

If I leave the engine off, the snowflake never displays in the LCD screen even when I push the snowflake button itself. I didn't pay that much attention to the old display, but I would expect not to see the snowflake displayed with the engine off.

Then I started the engine. If the system is in manual mode, the snowflake LCD display comes on when I push the snowflake button. The snowflake display goes off if I push the snowflake button a second time. This I would expect too.

Here's where it get weird. If I push Auto button, the LCD will display the word Auto and the snowflake even though I did not touch the snowflake button. The snowflake is displayed so long as the system is in Auto mode. Pushing the snowflake button alone will not turn the snowflake display off.

It gets even more weird if I push the recirculate button. When I do so, the snowflake LCD displays and stays on despite my pushing on the snowflake button itself.

Seems to me like something isn't working right. What do you think?

steved0x · 02-26-2013, 11:02 AM

I was confused about that same thing when I took my test drives. Why have the snowflake on if I want heat? After I got mine and read the manual I saw that there was a section on that. The snowflake means that the compressor is on. It is used for dehumidifying as well as providing cool air. If you have your temp set to 72 and it is cold outside, you will get heat even with the snowflake on. If it is 90 outside you will get cool air. They recommend to leave the snowflake on all the time to condition/dehumidify the air.

thom4782 · 02-26-2013, 12:25 PM

Thanks for the insight on the snowflake. It helps to have others confirm things. In the SF area, the weather is such that I've just set things to Auto 72 degrees in the past and never paid attention to what many of the other buttons do.

As a confirmation that the new LCD works properly, I reinstalled the old LCD and tested it. It showed the same behaviors.

PS: When swapping out the LCD, make sure you don't over-tighten the small Phillips head screws that attach the circuit board to the housing that holds the buttons. One of the plastic screw anchors broke off during reassembly. Luckily it made no difference to how the control unit operates