Engine stalled and now no A/C?

[Winter]

Hello, I've visited these forums for a few problems I have managed to fix after searching in Google. You guys have helped me with the Top not working as well as how to open my hood with a completely dead battery.

I've looked around but haven't been able to find anything about my current dilemma.

I have 99 Boxster with 67K miles. Been garage kept and in excellent condition. Yesterday afternoon I was driving about 25 mph when the steering got heavy and I noticed it had stalled. Didn't think much about it cause I was going uphill and just thought I overloaded the engine. Restarted with no problem.

Was going downhill 30 seconds or so later it stalled again and I thought I smelled a funny burning smell. I pulled over. Looked everywhere for smoke and tried to identify the smell. Only thing I could think of was that it kind of smelled like burning break pads.

Went outside and the only place I could identify a strong odor was from the front wheels. So might not be related at all.

checked the battery area as well as the trunk and nothing was burning or giving off a odor. Its then I realized the AC was running hot.

1. Symbol showed.
2. could hear/feel compressor
3. Just blowing hot air (seemed slightly warmer than ambient temp)

The only sense I could make out of it was that the AC was drawing too much power and caused me to stall.

But after those two stalls there were no more Stalls. And just no AC. The odd thing about it making me wonder if its just not an AC problem is.

1. The stalls.
2. At the same time the park light did not work and the top would not work ( was the park sensor cable below the parking break came lose (now fixed.)

Thanks for any assistance.

[soucorp]

Originally Posted by Winter

Hello, I've visited these forums for a few problems I have managed to fix after searching in Google. You guys have helped me with the Top not working as well as how to open my hood with a completely dead battery.

I've looked around but haven't been able to find anything about my current dilemma.
...

Thanks for any assistance.

Any dash lights ? Hook up an OBD-II scanner and see if you get any error codes.
Maybe your ac belt broke or compressor went bad. At stand still, does the engine sound and run normal with out AC on. Does it stall when you turn on the AC?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B68RTFIjbE

[BYprodriver]

Remove the engine cover behind the seats & check your accessory belt.

[Winter]

Originally Posted by soucorp

Any dash lights ? Hook up an OBD-II scanner and see if you get any error codes.
Maybe your ac belt broke or compressor went bad. At stand still, does the engine sound and run normal with out AC on. Does it stall when you turn on the AC?

How to change a Porsche Boxster drivebelt in 3minutes - YouTube

Dash lights seem normal. Light up when starting up and go off.

Stand still engine sound and feel seems normal without AC.

Engine sounds and seems fine with AC can hear what I assume is the AC compressor starting up when I turn it on. But only warm air.

[Winter]

Originally Posted by BYprodriver

Remove the engine cover behind the seats & check your accessory belt.

I was putting that off. I guess I should really look at the belt asap. Will do.

[particlewave]

Agreed. Sounds like AC comp failed, causing an added load, engine stalled, something gave in and burnt up, now load is back to normal.

[Winter]

Removed the engine cover and the belt seems fine. However, I think the compressor doesn't look right.






Does the oil indicate its blown? Am I screwed?

Edit: Its not oil its some sort of sticky tar (adhesive?). It seems to uniform for that to have been accidental. Is that normal?

Since the belt is fine and tight. The compressor besides the tar stuff seems ok I ordered a scanner from amazon. Should be here by Friday.

[thom4782]

Not sure what kind of scanner you ordered, but the way to go is to buy a new or used late model Durmetric. It will give you a lot of Porsche specific information that simple OCBD scanners don't.

BTW: if your AC compressor does need replacing, don't buy from Porsche. Find out the OEM supplier and buy the replacement form a aftermarket supplier I believe DENSO made the AC compressors for Boxsters in your model year. Pelican sells them for about $450. From Porsche, its something like $1200.

[particlewave]

I'm no expert, but that doesn't look normal.

[soucorp]

well, compared to a normal 986 compressor, yours look shot.

It looks like a broken seal may have spilled out some oil.
Either that, its foam backing that has melted from the hot engine.

Try running the car and turn on the AC, do you hear anything, pinging or clanking, maybe the bearings are shot? Just thinking out loud here.

[Winter]

Originally Posted by soucorp

well, compared to a normal 986 compressor, yours look shot.

It looks like a broken seal may have spilled out some oil.
Either that, its foam backing that has melted from the hot engine.

Try running the car and turn on the AC, do you hear anything, pinging or clanking, maybe the bearings are shot? Just thinking out loud here.

It seems fine besides the sticky stuff on it. Turning on the AC I can hear the clutch and it starts to spin fine. Turning it off I hear the clutch and it stops. While running it is pretty quiet. No strange or scary noises that indicate bearings are blown or any odd noises at all. Just the complete absense of cold air. I'm wondering now If its just as simple as a recharge needed?

Doesn't explain the two stalls I had Monday tho.

Edit: doesn't explain what the black sticky stuff is as well :P

[particlewave]

Everything points to a failed compressor...AKA the Black Death. Check the pressure on the service port. Probably empty.

Unfortunately, you'll probably have to get the whole system flushed as its possibly full of metal shavings.

[soucorp]

I think the black sticky stuff is the melted foam insulation around the opening edges. Check the back of the engine belt cover, do you see the foam melt as it would be on that as well.

The foam when hot and melted will have sticky black residue. I don't think the two issues are related. One think you can try is to get a R134a recharger, find the correct port to refill and see if that is any better before spending hundreds on a new compressor.

It could be a condensor or dryer unit as well. Go with cheaper items first I always say. Still doesn't explain your stalls, that could be a third problem that is related to tune-up items. when was it last tuned-up i.e. spark plugs, oil change, coolant flush, air filter?

[Winter]

Yea Soucorp, I really am not sure that black stuff is "black death" Seems too much like adhesive or melted material. Gonna run a diagnostic on Friday (hopefully) might try the refrigerant sooner or not.

It could all be bad luck and random occurrence I guess with the stalls. But better to check things out.

[AndyA6]

FWIW, our member "insite" may have a compressor for sale.

[thom4782]

Warm air blowing out of the vents when the AC is on generally means you have lost refrigerant or the compressor is not compressing. The two could be related. The compressor could fail in such a way as to leak refrigerant.

If it were me, I'd take my car to an independent AC shop and ask them to diagnose the problem with their specialty tools. Otherwise, if you do decide to do it yourself, then...

Step 1: try to restore cooling. You can purchase a can of 134a refrigerant and fill the system. Be sure to use the guage and follow directions so you don't overfill it. If you do get cooling again, it's likely it will disappear in minutes, hours, days, weeks or months depending on how big the leak is. The problem you'll face is finding out where the leak occurs. Cooling will suggest that the compressor is at least compressing the refrigerant. It still may be leaking.

Step 2: find the leak. When you refill the system, use a can of refigerant that contains dye. When the refrigerant leaks out over time, you can use an UV flashlight to see where the leak comes from. My guess is you'll see dye around the compressor, but the system could be leaking in a lot of other places. The hardest place to detect a leak is in the evaporator, which is located in the AC/heating box under the dash. I look for dye in the drain hose to find a leak there.

Step 3: Replace broken parts. Easy enough to do. It just takes time.

Step 4: Post repairs. When you get around to filling the system with refrigerant for the last time after repairs, take the car to a professional AC shop. They will evacuate the system to remove moisture and air from the system. This is hard, if not impossible to do, without the right equipment.

PS: I would suggest that you don't refill the system with a bottle that contains "stop leak." This stuff only works on the low pressure side of the system and it may gum up the internals. And, if you take your car later on to an AC shop, they wont be happy when they evacuate your system.

PPS: The other challenge you'll face is making sure there is enough AC oil in the system. If you can find a refill bottle with 134a, dye and oil, you're home free.

Hope this helps.