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Old 01-24-2013, 06:26 AM   #1
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Effectivness of A/C

May be a subjective question, but how good should the 02 986 base A/C be?

I have had mine recharged twice in last 10 moths and its getting bad again. I do see all the bits of foam coming from the vents. What does this foam do? I have read that once this is ruined that there is nothing to separate the cool and hot air mix - could somebody explain that plse.

The last refill my tech used dye, so I will take it back in for him to look at - fearing the worst that it may be the evaporator (Meir's post is excellent, but too much for me and my limited tool set - all my tools are in storage in UK....). I was out for an hour or so today and thought to look underneath - no condensate dripping or pools under the car.

Sorry for the rambling - just really looking for thoughts what to do next. It will get hot here in next 2mth so want to be ready. Back to the first question - is the 02 base a/c good if operating correctly?

Thanks

Simon

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Old 01-24-2013, 08:14 AM   #2
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I can address several of your questions but not all. First, putting dye in the refrigerant mix was a great idea. If you had to re-charge the system twice, there is a leak somewhere. Most likely, it's somewhere other than the evaporator. If so, that is good news because the cost to fix will likely be much more affordable.

The US price for the evaporator in the A/C housing unit ranges from $700 to $1800 depending on whether you by the OEM part in the aftermarket or from a dealer. The labor to replace it is something like 10 hours. One can buy the evaporator unit alone, but one must take the old housing apart to reinstall it. And while you're there you'd need to replace the foam gaskets. This adds a lot of hours to the job.

I fixed my A/C several months ago. I thought initially that the evaporator was leaking. It turned out it was the expansion valve. I also needed to replace the A/C fan ballasts on the driver and passenger sides to get the fans to run at low speed. Total cost was $250 in parts and $250 in labor at an A/C specialty shop. The dealer quoted me over $1000 for the same job. My A/C puts out now tons of 60 F air now when operating on high. I don't have any idea how much deteriorating foam degrades performance.

Good luck.


BTW: you can buy a UV light on the internet for about $10 US. I did and it was really helped me to find the leak.
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Old 01-24-2013, 08:20 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ferrytrip1 View Post
May be a subjective question, but how good should the 02 986 base A/C be?

I have had mine recharged twice in last 10 moths and its getting bad again. I do see all the bits of foam coming from the vents. What does this foam do? I have read that once this is ruined that there is nothing to separate the cool and hot air mix - could somebody explain that plse.

The last refill my tech used dye, so I will take it back in for him to look at - fearing the worst that it may be the evaporator (Meir's post is excellent, but too much for me and my limited tool set - all my tools are in storage in UK....). I was out for an hour or so today and thought to look underneath - no condensate dripping or pools under the car.

Sorry for the rambling - just really looking for thoughts what to do next. It will get hot here in next 2mth so want to be ready. Back to the first question - is the 02 base a/c good if operating correctly?

Thanks

Simon
I am impressed with my 2000 Box A/C. It has never been serviced in it's 102K miles but works great. I rarely use it & even unbolted the compressor & stored it in the drivers area for 6 months while I rebuilt the engine without disconnecting the hoses. Remember it's called air conditioning because it takes in air & cools it, so the hotter the air is coming in the less cool it is coming out. In Dubai summer time it won't be ice cold.
You should install a 160 degree thermostat in the engine, replace the waterpump with a OEM pump & remove your front bumper cover to clean your radiators & A/C condensers. Make sure all a/c vent pipes are in place & consider replacing the foam insulation to maximize air flow.
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Old 01-24-2013, 08:31 AM   #4
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In good repair the AC works great. You have two problems that need to be addressed:
1. Leaking refrigerant- The dye will point to the problem and you can fix it.
2. Foam from vents means failed mix flaps. Hot air is mixing with cold so your AC efficiency is poor. There is an online pdf how to fix this without spending a wad of money.
Foam shooting out of AC vents

These two repairs should restore your AC to good working condition.
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Last edited by Topless; 01-24-2013 at 11:13 AM.
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Old 01-24-2013, 09:39 AM   #5
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My AC, despite it's age and the fact that all the foam has been spit out the vents, is nice and cold.

Of course, when there is 100 degree heat outside and the sun is pounding its way through the black top (no headliner in the 97s to insulate it) and plastic rear window, the AC just blows cool on one's face and the top of your head cooks.

But all this is more me hating Houston, Texas more than the design of my car's top or AC system, that's for sure.
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Old 01-24-2013, 09:45 AM   #6
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Thanks all for the replies.

I will speak to my tech about at low temp stat and new pump, when I take it in on Saturday to get him to look for leakage.

I had the bumper off last year and all was clean.

ByproDriver - How do I check the vent pipes?

Topless - the link in the other post is dead. I googled and get pointed to Meir's excellent write up - that that seems more complex - is this the area you were thinking of?

Thanks again, Simon
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Old 01-24-2013, 11:03 AM   #7
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Try this one:
Boxster (986) - Common Fixes and Repairs - 986 (Boxster) DIY - Tutorials - RennTech.org Forums

You will need to be a member to view it. RSfeller "fixed my no heat problem"
Meir took his entire dash apart to get to it but the mix flaps are far more accessible from the frunk using the RSfeller method.

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Last edited by Topless; 01-24-2013 at 11:14 AM.
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