Air con

[Mig]

The AC on my Boxster wasn't working so I did some research. It wasn't that hard to repair.

It seems Boxsters tend to suffer from damaged condensers (these are the small radiators tucked in the front bumper - one for each side). An encounter with high speed debris while driving can cause a puncture with the resultant loss of refrigerant).

Have a look at the condensers first. You can have a quick look at them with a strong flashlight, but the damage might be further back and only visible once the front bumper and ducting is removed. My damage was hard to see so I moved on to the next step.

There is 134A refrigerant that comes with dye. The idea is you add some in while the compressor is running , and then look around the AC components/connections with a UV light looking for where the leak is.

I couldn't get my compressor to turn on with the dashboard controls. When I pulled the engine covers off I saw that someone had disconnected the single wire connecting the compressor to the wiring harness for the car. I reattached it and still no joy.

The compressor will not come on unless there is sufficient refrigerant in the system. I ran a wire directly from the compressor to a car battery and it worked. Caution: Don't run it for too long if there is no refrigerant in the system as you might have insufficient lubricating oil in the compressor to lubricate it. I took my chances.

I added the refrigerant dye mixture into the running system and almost immediately I could hear a loud sound of air escaping. I turned off the car and tracked the leading air to both condensers. The UV light confirmed the condensers were toast.

I ordered two new condensers, a new dryer (it's a must), some o-rings, refrigerant, a food scale (for weighing how much refrigerant to add, an evacuation tool, and the AC recharge tool ($50 at Harbor Freight).

I took my time, watched some videos, and by the end of the weekend I was sitting in a nice cool Boxster.

Good Luck!