Disconnect refrigerant lines to replace fan?

[JHanson]

I just went into my smuggler's box on my '82 911SC to replace my AC fan, which has been making a horrendous noise. It appears (and the manual seems to confirm) that I need to evacuate the system and disconnect the refrigerant lines to access the fan. Is that really the case? I love the engineering on this car, but that's just dumb - or is it me?

[s_morrison57]

Sorry I can't give you any answers but I will be watching this cause my fan makes a ton of noise too

[Barrpete]

I believe it can be done by sliding the clips off the tabs that hold the evaporator box together. I would think it would be nearly impossible to slide them back on afterwards though.

[GH85Carrera]

It can be done without evacuation of the refrigerant. It is not fun.

Getting the clips off is fairly easy. Spray them with some WD-40 or something like it. Tie a string to the little holes in the clip. That way when they get dropped or goes shooting off you can retrieve the clips easily.

Be very careful with the funny looking wire that goes into the top of the evaporator box. It is a sealed tube that senses the temp of the evaporator. It just pull straight up. Gently place it aside and protect it! If you bend that tube and destroy it it is a major pain and expensive to replace.

Getting the clips back on causes Tourets Syndrome. There will be a lot of cussing and expletives if you are like me. I had the best luck with a pair of bent needle nose vice grips. I did not bend them they come that way. I sprayed the box & the clips with a lubricant to make it a little easier to slide them back on.

Good luck!

[JHanson]

Okay. I'm going to start by looking up some German profanity so I can curse in style. Then I'll give it a shot and report. Thanks for the advice!

[DRACO A5OG]

Just a note on noisy fans.

I fixed mine by removing it and getting 12 volt source to spin it then simply using a clamp to hold in place I tweeked the wheel edge until I got rid of any deformation.

Basically balancing the fan wheel so when I spun the fan with the 12v source it was rotating smoothly. Replaced and VOILA noise be gone.

Sorry, my year does not require lines to be removed that would be frustrating.

But OP, make sure you compare the two fans to insure the new one is TRUE so you won't do all that work for nothing.

Jim

[Mitch Leland]

I don't know how concerned you are about a good working A/C, but this might be the time to get into doing some upgrades to your system. I know some of the guys are able to R&R the clips, I couldn't, in fact some of the plastic nubs broke off that retained the spring clips so it became a moot point.

If you could afford it, I would evacuate the system, remove the evaporator and evaporator fan motor and upgrade both of them. Our Host carries several upgrades, I'm partial to Griffith's Kuehl products for his install directions and service. Also this would be a good time to check the floor of your smugglers box to be sure you don't have any rust which is a common problem.

These 2 upgrades alone will give you a big boost in your A/C cooling... This is a good time to at least look at these 2 upgrades...

[techman1]

When I did this exact job, replacing the clips beat me. This was about 12 years ago, and the consensus from the porschephiles/rennlist folks was - make sure the top is tight and lined up right, drill a small hole through the each top/bottom tab set and use a small screw at each one. Held up for 3 years before I sold the car.

[JHanson]

Interesting idea regarding replacing the clips with screws, and checking the new fan, thanks.

I've already upgraded my AC with the full RennAire kit. Of course the fan didn't start making noise until after I'd done all that . . .