ESSI AKHAVAN

I need your help,
I own 2001 boxter in past 3 years and I enjoy every minute of it, beside few minor problem , I am very happy.
Now I have a problem with the A/C , it started few months ago with my ignition key , when I was turning on the car I had to play with the key until my a/c turn on.
Now it don't matter what I do with the key and my a/c is not kicking in imdeitly,
Some time it come on in two minutes sometime it comes on in 10 minutes.
I took my car to porsche deller , and they told me my changing speed resistor and fan have to be replaced and they wanted to change me over 2000 dolled to fix the problem.
I ask them if this is the problem, then why my a/c works fine and come on after few minutes.?
And I did ask them , is it my problem from my ignition key?
They say no.
Is some one knows what is going on with my A/C Heater delay problem?
I need help.
Thank you.

ESSI AKHAVAN

001100101001

Mark in Baltimore

Hi,

Welcome to Rennlist! Sorry you're having issues with your Boxster. I am going to move your thread to the correct forum (Boxster forum) since you have started this thread in the "Events'' forum.

Good luck diagnosing the problem.

Macster

Well, I'm no expert but having to play with the key to get the A/C to come on and the A/C getting to the point it doesn't come on immediately but at various times after you switch it on certainly reads like an igntion switch problem.

Enough Boxsters -- and 996's -- have had to have the ignition switch replaced for similar odd behavior.

So the ignition switch has to be suspect.

That the shop wants to replace the speed resister and fan motor may not be that odd.

With my Boxster at one time the driver side radiator fan wasn't running. There was no overheating and I do not recall any issues with the A/C system. The problem was the speed resister. These can fail over time and the passenger side -- right hand side in USA cars -- is more at risk of failing due to water splash.

And even replacing the fan motor is not that odd.

With my 996 Turbo the passenger side radiator fan was not working at all. The motor shaft had snapped (learned this when the tech took things apart) and no air was being pulled through the A/C condenser/radiator on that side. Still the A/C worked and the engine coolant temperature was just fine and this in 90F heat (Fresno CA, mid-summer).

So while the radiator fan speed resister may need to be replaced -- these can fail (as one in my Boxster did) -- and even the radiator fan may quit working my WAG is the A/C system should work ok in all buy maybe the most extreme ambient temperature conditions.

This assumes that the rest of the A/C system is ok, there is the proper amount of refrigerant present in the system along with the proper amount of compressor oil, and the system is pressure/vacuum tight.

In normal operation when one switches the A/C on -- and of course the A/C starts to blow cold air almost immediately -- both radiator fans should come on low speed and this is important blow the same amount of air.

(As an aside: I have experienced one time with my Turbo when the driver side radiator fan was running -- one could hear it -- but it wasn't blowing anywhere near as much air as the other side. The tech checked and found no radiator fan stage errors but did find the driver side fan motor using much more current than it was supposed to, more than the other side. I had him replace the driver side radiator fan motor and afterwards the driver radiator fan motor current draw was in spec and both the driver and passenger radiator fan outputs were the same.)

If when you switch on the A/C and both radiator fans come on and both blow the same amount of air, and with the A/C off and the engine up to temperature and you raise the engine RPMs to the point the coolant temperature reaches some threshold (my observation is 212F) (you will have to use an OBD2 code reader/data viewer/logger to view the OBD2 coolant temperature in "real time") and both radiator fans come on and blow the same amount of air the radiator fans are acting normally.

Ok, so where does that leave you? Well, while I hate to throw parts at a problem, my inclination would be to have the ignition switch replaced. Now the dealer will probably want to replace the entire assembly, not just the electrical blob on the back end of the ignition switch assembly. An independent shop if you have one in town you trust might replace just the electrical blob. You'll have to ask around. Keep in mind that Porsche doesn't sell this electrical blob separately. However, there is an Audi part that is the same thing. I do not remember the part number, but a search of the posts here should turn it up.

If this fixes the problem, well, there you are. If not then you have to look elsewhere. Certainly if the radiator fans don't come on when the A/C is turned on this is important and needs to be addressed. The A/C system needs to be checked too to ensure it has the right amount of refrigerant and compressor oil and the system is vacuum tight (no leaks).