A/C is testing my marriage...

[ben parrish]

AC work is not hard..just takes a dedicated approach. I just repaired the AC in my wifes Mercedes wagon. Replaced the compressor, dryer, expansion valve, condensor and ALL O-rings. I took it to a shop to evacuate the system prior to the work and to vacuum it down, check for leaks and re-fill. The shop charged $150.00 which included an additional pound of R-13. Parts cost me around $600.00 and it took me about 4 hours to do the work.
I would say that your mechanic is charging a little too much but more important, he doesn't fully understand A/C systems if he only changed the compressor.

[FLYONWALL9]

bha,

I have been working on my AC in my 87 for a few months now. My
mechanic only charged me 48 bucks to retro and fill with the R22.

We have discovered that if your fans aren't working pressures will
SHOOT up. I would make sure all your fans work proper before filling
or ANY leaks will be found. OR you could put the dye in it and trace
it from that point. You can do this yourself after the dye has been
added. ANY time I charge a system I have the dye added so I can
keep an eye on the system and find leaks on my own.

I am currently working on a retro for the evap fan and hope to have
an alternative to the high dollar OEM part by the end of the week.

[lucittm]

A second to Ben Parrish. I had Ivan at IMA Motorsports in Chantilly, VA weld up the aluminum neck of the low pressure hose above the air filter as it goes into the compressor (a troublesome spot where the engine lid squeezes the pipe). Then I took the car in to have the two schrader valves (like the inner tube inflator) where the R12 goes in replaced and then have the system evacuated (about half an hour on a micron-level vacuum pump to boil off any moisture in the system).

I brought the car home and put two cans of R-12 in it (from Ebay) and it blows ice cold.

You can do the same thing as long as your components are operating correctly. The shop that does the evacuation can check the parts for you as described elsewhere in this thread.

Good Luck,
Mark

[LUFTMAN]

first thing to do is convert system to r134 even if it leaks out it is cheaper than r12. next these models have a lot of hose that becomes porus. i have used all the fancy a/c leak detectors and dye with ultraviolet glasses and have found that sometimes the soapy water test is still the best just spray it on anything and look very hard to see tiny bubbles on a fully charged system . if you look for a vacumn leak test it may not show any leakdown because it is only under 28 inches of mercury. pressure test is under 250 psi and more. still it is a pain in the butt to find those pesky leaks sometimes good luck. regards tom

[Joe Bob]

Originally Posted by bha

Thanks for all the advice... I've learned more than I wanted to know about Porsche A/C in the last 12 hours. I still have a dilemma on my hands though, which hasn't been answered (perhaps I'll need to query a psychology forum)

How to play the deal with my mechanic considering I'm $1,400 into the hand?
do I:
A) let the mechanic keep trying until he gets it right?
B) cut bait and move on to another shop, expensive lesson learned?
C) demand that he fix the A/C system for no additional charges?
D) set fire to my precious 911 in his parking lot, strip naked and fling feces?

Ya, I'm probably a moron (as some of you alluded) for trusting the expertise and goodwill of a reputable Porsche shop. Reputable not only in just the word of others, but my own experience as well. If I could have a do-over I would have probably done a retro-fit with an after-market system, but that was never provided as an option.

I'll drop it off in the morning and see what he comes back with this time.

Add up what it would cost to replace the entire system. Take it to the wrench, suggest he fix the problem for no further charge. If they guys says to stick it look up the local consumer affairs/automotive repair bureau and file a complaint.

Not like you are gonna make any friends with this asshat. You got Fuch'd, no way you are going to get your money back unless you paid via a credit card and the cc company is willing to help....

[Bob Kontak]

Also print out this thread and tell the "asshat" (I love that) to have a read.

[FLYONWALL9]

Regardless what the outcome let us know what resolved the issue. If this doesn't end in a positive way in your behalf, perhaps it will help someone else down the road. If you do have a hard time with the shop in question I suggest writing up a nice timeline story and post it to as many forums that will host it for you.

Best of luck to you, I hope your wife wont get such a sour taste that she pushes for a sale......

Scott

[kuehl]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

One other point - if you are in 100 degree temps and your car is in the sun baking, you ain't going to get that mountain air feel ever out of a stock 85 system. It will be cold at the vents but the cabin will not be 68 degrees.

My 87 cab is not stock, however on a 103 degree day it is 68F in the cockpit measured 3" below the headliner.

[777joee]

Originally Posted by bha

...to my Porsche mechanic.

I need some advice. A month ago I took my 1985 Carrera in for an A/C repair. I've owned the car for about 5 years and the A/C has never worked, consequently I anticipated a notable repair bill.

He pressurized the system and no leaks were spotted so he filled it with R12 ($400).

Two days later it's blowing hot air again. Back at the shop the mechanic said the compressor was shot. He replaced it and re-charged once more for an additional $1,000. I parked the car for a couple weeks since we were above 110 degrees outside. This morning when I got in it was blowing hot air again.

The mechanic wants me to bring it in but said I would probably have to pay for yet another charging. I'm very frustrated and feel like I might be being taken advantage of. I would think that by $1,400 I should have some mountain air blowing out my vents. I don't want to get pissy with the guy as he's a very reputable Porsche mechanic and I'd hate to lose the relationship, but I'm also not loaded with discretionary franklins to throw at the guy.

How should I handle the situation? Is it fair that I should have to keep paying for the R12 fill-up? .. and what if the compressor is bad? .. should I have to pay for more R12. And finally, is $400 a reasonable price to pay for charging the system? All advice is appreciated!

My advice is forget the A/C. A short story:

A few years back my wife wanted a different ride. Her daily driver was a 1965 356 SC Coupe. She wanted "Something more modern with A/C" so we sold the 356 SC and bought a 1986 Carrera with 84k on it. I sold the 86 Carrera last year with 130K. Three summers in 100+ heat here in the Sacramento Valley and we never even got it hooked up.

Roll the windows down and enjoy the ride!

Your mileage may be different........

[bha]

Thanks to this forum, Gerry, and my mechanic, I know more about Porsche A/C than I ever wanted to.

If you remember, in my last episode I was complaining that I'd just spent 1.4 large on my A/C and still had warm air blowing out the vents. As a typical American consumer I was fuming over the possibility that I'd just been fleeced by my mechanic of 4+ years. As usual, paranoia and pride trump rational thought and I spent a few days planning my confrontation in an effort to: a) get a refund, or b) get the A/C fixed. Today I achieved neither, but am at peace with my mechanic.

Turns out there was a reasonable explanation. While it's POSSIBLE that my mechanic was a bit lazy on the initial diagnostic, he has built up enough goodwill over the years to earn a little forgiveness from me.

The compressor was definitely dead from it's long retirement, and only after replacing that was there enough seal to evaluate the rest of the system. Sure enough, one of the lines to the front condenser was bleeding dye.

In summary, the 25 year-old A/C was simply in need of an overhaul. Instead of bombing me with a price tag that he knew would irritate my acid reflux, he took a pressure test and made an educated guess that it might hold a charge. He gambled, I paid.

Today he told me the rest of the story...

The mechanic doesn't replace individual lines, only full system replacement. After he explained why, it made sense. Since I already own the new compressor, most of the additional cost is in the labor to re-plumb the system, about 10 hours worth. In addition I'll get a new evap that promises to blow 40 degrees out the vent. Here in the desert, that's wicked cool!

All totaled, a completely new A/C system will run me an additional $1,700, bringing my grand total for this fiasco to $3,100. (if I did my math correctly)

He told me to think about it over the weekend, so I'll use the time to gather the kids around to sell them on the merits of community college while I fantasize about commuting with chilled wind blowing into my face.

I can hear several of you muttering about what fool I am, and how badly I'm being ripped off. You may be right, I could be a moron. And perhaps I could save a grand in labor if I had a decent shop with a lift to use, and even more importantly, the time to perform the operation with the required thoughtfulness. But I have neither, and am still faced with two solid months of desert heat that turns the passenger compartment of a Targa into a convection oven.

Go ahead and flame me now, for I am full of love.

[FLYONWALL9]

Nothin but love here brother

[rnln]

did you ask him how long he guaranty it will keep blowing cold air? Keep us update.

[1990C4S]

I had a similar issue. I found that by turning the heat on whenever she was in the car the 'problem' eventually went away.

[wwest]

Porsche early A/C tutorial...or NOT.

[LUFTMAN]

also more bad news even at peak cooling ability the stock system still is barely good on 90 + days if you get stuck in traffic you might as well turn it off and put the windows down and open sunroof the targa model is worse more glass area for solar heat. sorry tom balto. md.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by 911nut

No one will be willing to invest $1000+ in a 15 year old car.....

UNless it's an old 911...