Are these my aircon pipes?

[kdh]

 

A bit of a silly question I know but...

I had the aircon re-gassed by Halfords this morning and they pressure tested it for leaks etc and deemed it all good and strong. 10 minutes later I heard a hissing from one of these pipes that run the length of the cill under the car on the driver's side. It seems there's a tiny hole under that piece of plastic that's coming away. I'm guessing this would an aircon pipe?

On my last MOT in April I had an advisory for 'Brake pipe Corroded, covered in grease or other material front to rear'  - are they on the other side and should I be worried? I assume the brakes aren't suddenly going to fail, as it passed the MOT ok.

Many thanks, Kim

 

 

 

[Nobbie]

If it’s hissing, then it’ll be the air con pipes, the other largish pipes are for the power steering, but they would just p*ss out fluid. On a 2004 car it would be advisable to have the plastic covers removed to check the condition of the brake pipes underneath as they are not checked on the MOT and can rust to failure point without even getting an advisory. I replaced mine after taking the covers off as they were on the point of failure despite no advisories on the MOT. If the worst happens and a pipe bursts, dual circuit brakes means that you should be able to stop, but I wouldn’t like to predict the result in an emergency braking situation😬

[kdh]

Thanks Nobbie,

Is that pipe behind it a power steering one? If so it's a bit damp. Whereabouts are the brake pipes please - on the other side of the car?

[Nobbie]

Rear brake pipes run from passenger side wheel arch and under the sill down the passenger side before going to the rear passenger wheel and over the gearbox to the rear drivers side. I think they might both be Air con pipes as there are high pressure/low pressure pipes going to pump on the engine. This is from page 8 of my running report and shows the layout.

 

[kdh]

Blimey that's a worrying thought - potential brake failure that's not picked up on the MOT. Sounds like a good design...

I've just had a look underneath the other side and I'm guessing the brake pipes are much thinner than the aircon ones. Most of the black plastic coating has been taken off mine and they all look rusty coloured but I can't see any actual holes.

 

Edited November 19, 2023 by kdh

[Boxer boy]

They are both AC pipes .Ones high pressure the other low .

Because you ( or PO s ? ) have never replaced the dryer located by the battery at the front  a £25 part + regass , excess water condensation overflows from said dryer and ultimately settles in the  lowest point in the system .

The water corrodes from the inside the alloy pipe peeling off the plastic weather proof coat .Pin hole leaks start where it’s thinnest + pressure .So after a regass any weakness becomes apparent.

Not helping the water corrode the thing from the inside is the possibility of additional flexing by techs NOT using Porsche Jack pads on lifts .A boggo industry std 120 mm pad will press on the larger pipe . A young pipe thats  dry inside can stand this abuse .An wet internally pipe corroded can’t ….it’s pops a leak .

 

Pipes are iirc £150 each , a dyer £25 , o rings another tenner from the OPC s and a fast fit regas £60 .You might as well replace the condensers about £150 a pair .

 

Do it in a spot you can fully open the passenger  door or an area with width the L of the pipes and you need the lateral space to wiggle the new in place .You need to remove the fuel filler evaporate apparatus ….it’s all pretty easy nut and bolt job .

[kdh]

Many thanks BB.

I don't do any work myself as I'm too old and cack-handed so unfortunately it's into the garage for me.

Would a competant local garage be able to fix this issue plus doing the brake lines do you think?

I've seen quite a few of these aircon pipes for sale on ebay but I'm not sure whether they'll fit or not. Is there a parts brochure that has the relevant Part Numbers? I wouldn't know what to order otherwise. I don't want the garage to replace the lot if not needed.

 

[bally4563]

5 hours ago, kdh said:

Many thanks BB.

I don't do any work myself as I'm too old and cack-handed so unfortunately it's into the garage for me.

Would a competant local garage be able to fix this issue plus doing the brake lines do you think?

I've seen quite a few of these aircon pipes for sale on ebay but I'm not sure whether they'll fit or not. Is there a parts brochure that has the relevant Part Numbers? I wouldn't know what to order otherwise. I don't want the garage to replace the lot if not needed.

 

Regardless of the Porsche badge any competent mechanic professional or amateur is more than capable of doing that .. if you build it , they will come ! Equally if somebody has done it ,it’s not rocket science to replace …. But that’s easy for someone who has taken on many jobs over 50 years!!!!

[½cwt]

The Porsche parts catalogue for any road going Porsche can be down loaded from here:

Porsche Classic Genuine Parts Catalogue - Porsche Great Britain

Takes a bit of getting used to to be able to take full advantage, but generally pretty useful to have.

MOT testers are not permitted to remove components to inspect, so if any manufacturers used under trays then corroded brake pipes behind them will not be discovered at MOT time.

Not to worry you too much but these are pics of the brake lines I took off my 2000 986S earlier this year.  They look pretty rusty but all had a decent amount of metal thickness even if they looked horrible and gnarly but I'm a lot happier now they have been changed (I had the calipers overhauled and fitted Goodridge braided flexi hoses too):

 

 

 

 

[kdh]

Thanks both for the advice, the pictures and the links, appreciated.

[John2000]

When I first had my 986 the aircon was not working and it turned out to be the long pipe and cost  fortune I'm afraid.

[kdh]

I know most people say just drop the roof if you’re too hot. I’m hoping that the aircon might help to dry out the condensation on the inside of the windscreen in the mornings. Drain channels all clear but it still gets pretty wet in there! Towel on the dashboard etc.

[½cwt]

16 minutes ago, kdh said:

I know most people say just drop the roof if you’re too hot. I’m hoping that the aircon might help to dry out the condensation on the inside of the windscreen in the mornings. Drain channels all clear but it still gets pretty wet in there! Towel on the dashboard etc.

I believe someone has had pin holes welded or another has even successfully used Scotchweld to patch these long a/c pipes.  Not encouraging a bodge, but it is an option.

Once more ore less dry the small desiccator/dehumidifier bags you can get on eBay are quite effective.  We keep a couple for both the Golf Cabrio and the Boxster as and when required.

Edited November 20, 2023 by ½cwt

[kdh]

Thanks, bodges are okay in my book as long as they are not completely life threatening.

Funnily enough, the aircon guy who did my regas suggested putting a few silica bags in the car. He owned a bmw and said it filled up every day with water on the windscreen and iced up inside over winter. It’s all about the windows having no frames and the seal not being 100 percent. You guys probably know that.

[kdh]

Any idea which Scotchweld variant would do the trick? There seem to be a few.

 

[½cwt]

35 minutes ago, kdh said:

Thanks, bodges are okay in my book as long as they are not completely life threatening.

Funnily enough, the aircon guy who did my regas suggested putting a few silica bags in the car. He owned a bmw and said it filled up every day with water on the windscreen and iced up inside over winter. It’s all about the windows having no frames and the seal not being 100 percent. You guys probably know that.

Treat your seals with Gummi Pflege to help maintain that seal on the roof and frame less doors.

As for the Scotchweld, no idea which one I'm afraid.

[Menoporsche]

1 hour ago, kdh said:

Thanks, bodges are okay in my book as long as they are not completely life threatening.

Funnily enough, the aircon guy who did my regas suggested putting a few silica bags in the car. He owned a bmw and said it filled up every day with water on the windscreen and iced up inside over winter. It’s all about the windows having no frames and the seal not being 100 percent. You guys probably know that.

The ones we heard of that misted up badly overnight actually had wet carpets IIRC, from the classic blocked drains, so someone was treating the symptom not the cause.

[kdh]

CWT, Scotchweld arrived today and applied and, what clever stuff that is. Put it on my damaged aircon pipe and it set instantly rock hard. Will regas tomorrow and see if it works.
Gummi Plefge arrived too so thats gone on the rubbers this afternoon. Will see in the morning if it’s still misted up but it’s nice stuff to put on the rubber anyway .

Thanks again.

Edited November 22, 2023 by kdh

[½cwt]

Hope the Scotchweld works as a long term fix.

It won't instantly solve misting if you have dampness in or under the carpets, all it will do is help lubricate the seals to prevent water ingress.

[kdh]

Scotchweld holding up,! Did a diy regas today and can’t hear any leaks. Thanks again, it’s brilliant stuff.

As for the misting up, do you run your aircon throughout winter to keep the cabin dry particularly in wet weather?

[½cwt]

Leaving it on serves two purposes, one, it keeps the compressor running from time to time and two it speeds demisting a lot.  I just leave it on Auto with the a/c on.

[kdh]

Thanks, I’ll go with that.

[2bmws]

Seems to be a common problem with the boxster they go where they are fastened to car