986 Air Conditioning pipes

[Rav]

With the warm weather temptingly close now and my 'an*l' nature to get everything working - i want to get my air conditioning working on my 986S.

A trip late last year to Cotswold Porsche raised that my air conditioning pipe(s) were peppered with holes. Can anyone let me know what to hunt out - is it a pair of pipes - i presume so and connector types? Ideally someone here will be breaking a car with known good pipe or can tell me what to look for.

At worst case, I am considering asking local companies to build the pipe if the OPC is too expensive.

 

Any help appreciated.

[½cwt]

5 hours ago, Rav said:

With the warm weather temptingly close now and my 'an*l' nature to get everything working - i want to get my air conditioning working on my 986S.

A trip late last year to Cotswold Porsche raised that my air conditioning pipe(s) were peppered with holes. Can anyone let me know what to hunt out - is it a pair of pipes - i presume so and connector types? Ideally someone here will be breaking a car with known good pipe or can tell me what to look for.

At worst case, I am considering asking local companies to build the pipe if the OPC is too expensive.

 

Any help appreciated.

There are two pipe that run under the driver's side that are know to develop leaks 996 573 091 04 supplies the compressor and 996 573 092 01 is the pressure from the compressor.  For both of these you are looking at about £200 from an OPC Would have been nice if Cotswold had given you a bit more info but I'd see if you can identify whether both are shot.  You will need o-rings too for the unions 999 707 434 41 (small) and 999 707 252 40 large).  DIY fitting is possible.  The unions at the rear where they connect to the flexi hoses that go to the compressor can be though to un do, steel bolt into alloy thread which are typical a/c unions.  There must be a How To or YouTube video to help you research.

Parts Catalogue Pages:

 

 

[Rav]

Many thanks - i can see why you are at Guru status. I will enquire from the OPC now i have been blessed with part numbers.

[½cwt]

3 hours ago, Rav said:

Many thanks - i can see why you are at Guru status. I will enquire from the OPC now i have been blessed with part numbers.

It seems one gets to 'Guru' status by post count not necessarily quality of content. I was till a 'BoXa Baby' or 'Newbie' 2 years ago.

If you want your own copy of the official Porsche parts catalogue go to this link and select your model from the drop down menu to download it. 

Porsche Classic Genuine Parts Catalogue - Porsche Great Britain

It's all smoke and mirrors see?

[Jeffcar1]

I had these supplied and fitted by Advanced Car Care Bristol ( porsche independant ) in 2019 £600 with gas , 

[Rav]

13 hours ago, ½cwt said:

It seems one gets to 'Guru' status by post count not necessarily quality of content. I was till a 'BoXa Baby' or 'Newbie' 2 years ago.

If you want your own copy of the official Porsche parts catalogue go to this link and select your model from the drop down menu to download it. 

Porsche Classic Genuine Parts Catalogue - Porsche Great Britain

It's all smoke and mirrors see?

No need to belittle yourself, you helped me and that is all that counts.

Thanks @Jeffcar1 - I had a quote from my local OPC - the parts look like:

No 6 is £130.16 inc vat

No 10 is £63.68 inc vat.

Large o rings £4.61 inc vat each

Small o rings £5.78 inc vat each

Just over £200 for working air con - plus of course a regas. 

[Clivescoobydo]

3 hours ago, Rav said:

No need to belittle yourself, you helped me and that is all that counts.

Thanks @Jeffcar1 - I had a quote from my local OPC - the parts look like:

No 6 is £130.16 inc vat

No 10 is £63.68 inc vat.

Large o rings £4.61 inc vat each

Small o rings £5.78 inc vat each

Just over £200 for working air con - plus of course a regas. 

Let’s hope your condensers are intact otherwise it will be more 🤞🏼

[Rav]

4 hours ago, Clivescoobydo said:

Let’s hope your condensers are intact otherwise it will be more 🤞🏼

Clean bill of health for the condensers from Cotswold Porsche. 

According to Porsche Swindon - i need 3 large O rings and 1 small.

[edc]

What about removing the pipes from your car and using them as a template to have some made up? 

[Rav]

Thanks EDC - I looked back through some of my old emails as I recall i was trying to fix this a couple of years ago. I made contact with a company in Kettering called Bee-Cool ACS. They wanted me to remove the pipes and they would make up a set using the old unions. They wanted £365+vat in 2019 - so not a bargain when i can get the new pipes from OPC at around £200 to £250.

 

 

[archemist]

^ condensers were changed just before you bought her, alas didnt know about the pipes.

As long as its empty a/c work is not complicated - oh and get a new dryer ready for the regas - you can get one for £10-15, leave it sealed until your ready for regas and pop it on just before.

i use a mobile guy up here and he turns up in his van, vacuums the system dry, which checks the seals (you can nitrogen and dye too) and hten regasses.

All the electrics worked - as i had it briefly gassed up after fitting the new condensers, and i'd changed the buttons and LCD, IIRC thanks to a donation from on here.

 

Edited April 23, 2021 by archemist
add pics

[Danncus]

On 4/22/2021 at 12:46 PM, Rav said:

No need to belittle yourself, you helped me and that is all that counts.

Thanks @Jeffcar1 - I had a quote from my local OPC - the parts look like:

No 6 is £130.16 inc vat

No 10 is £63.68 inc vat.

Large o rings £4.61 inc vat each

Small o rings £5.78 inc vat each

Just over £200 for working air con - plus of course a regas. 

Wow those prices seem cheap. I did mine a year of so ago and I replaced the larger pipe I remember this being more than £130

[Geopat]

Mine were leaking and the source of the passenger side carpet being soaked.

[½cwt]

5 hours ago, Danncus said:

Wow those prices seem cheap. I did mine a year of so ago and I replaced the larger pipe I remember this being more than £130

Did you buy from an OPC or just an on line supplier?

[½cwt]

2 hours ago, Geopat said:

Mine were leaking and the source of the passenger side carpet being soaked.

Confusing...  The AC pipework goes nowhere near the passenger side other than up in the scuttle where the heat exchanger and desiccator are located and none of it carries water.  The long pipes run outside under the floor on the driver's side.  Was it a leaking heater matrix?

[Geopat]

11 hours ago, ½cwt said:

Confusing...  The AC pipework goes nowhere near the passenger side other than up in the scuttle where the heat exchanger and desiccator are located and none of it carries water.  The long pipes run outside under the floor on the driver's side.  Was it a leaking heater matrix?

Not sure tbh - was given info by my specialist. He didnt charge me for the work but made the comparison that the water came from the AC as per cars in hot countries where cars drip water due to AC use.  This was water gathering in my footwell.

Edited April 24, 2021 by Geopat

[½cwt]

20 minutes ago, Geopat said:

Not sure tbh - was given info by my specialist. He didnt charge me for the work but made the comparison that the water came from the AC as per cars in hot countries where cars drip water due to AC use.  This was water gathering in my footwell.

OK, so condensation forming on the pipes/heat exchanger and not draining away properly (blocked scuttle drain?) so over flowing into the cabin, a not uncommon problem but isn't AC pipes leaking.

[the baron]

7 hours ago, ½cwt said:

OK, so condensation forming on the pipes/heat exchanger and not draining away properly (blocked scuttle drain?) so over flowing into the cabin, a not uncommon problem but isn't AC pipes leaking.

A problem I will never have 😀

[Danncus]

On 4/23/2021 at 10:58 PM, ½cwt said:

Did you buy from an OPC or just an on line supplier?

I think it was an ebay seller. From Germany. 
advertised as used but looked new to me 

[½cwt]

8 hours ago, Danncus said:

I think it was an ebay seller. From Germany. 
advertised as used but looked new to me 

Moral of the story, at least try an OPC first.  If it leaves you on the floor in shock or laughing, then look at options.

[Rav]

Thanks for the help all.

This morning i visited OPC Swindon and parted with £233 for two pipes and some O rings and an oil filer. 

I will be trying to fit this and performing an oil change on the car in the next few weeks. I wish the weather would improve, it so much more tolerable crawling around under a car in the sunshine, than in the rain. 

[jonogt6]

On 4/23/2021 at 9:26 AM, Rav said:

Thanks EDC - I looked back through some of my old emails as I recall i was trying to fix this a couple of years ago. I made contact with a company in Kettering called Bee-Cool ACS. They wanted me to remove the pipes and they would make up a set using the old unions. They wanted £365+vat in 2019 - so not a bargain when i can get the new pipes from OPC at around £200 to £250.

 

 

I used Bee_Cool to try and sort my ac out a few years ago. Not wishing to criticise anyone's method of earning a living but they were absolutely awful and very incompetent specially considering they are supposed to be "specialists".

3 attempts to replace pipes etc and they still couldn't sort it - they even tried patching one of the pipes with insulation tape...surprise suprise it only lasted the journey back to Northampton.

Eventually I got a part refund out of them but still ended up several hundred out of pocket and no working ac.

[gillbe]

I replaced my own condensers and drier on my 10 year old Boxster 987.2 a couple of weeks ago, when the sun was shining.  Being local to Bristol , I booked George from Gocool Services for a leak test and regas. Unfortunately there was still a leak and George would not rest until he found it, a pinpr*ck leak halfway along the low pressure pipe running under the vehicle.

Bought the long LP pipe from OPC Bristol and a spare joint bolt (£12.99 !! for a bolt).  Replaced that pipe (plus another new drier), George returned, checked, all gas tight and regas completed. Excellent communication and support, thorough diagnostics and all completed for very reasonable costs - highly recommended!

The toughest part of the pipe replacement job was separating the joint at the rear - must not damage pipe and joint going up to engine.  Took a couple of hours to grind and cut the bolt out. 

Followed this for guidance - did exactly as he did.  (http://www.911uk.com/viewtopic.php?p=1586114)  Removing OSF wheel arch liners; wheel; carbon filter box; rotating fuel filler pipe out of the way.  Then dropped old a/c pipe out intact to see how to get the new one back in.  It is a tight squeeze in the wheel arch getting it past the other shorter pipe.  I was not replacing that one so did not want to undo it.  But, managed it.

 

[Rav]

Gulp - this does not seem as easy as I thought it might be.......