Rob Edwards

Well, 9 hours into the latest bachelor weekend and I'm stuck. I re-sealed the A/C system last fall but did not rebuild the compressor, nor did I replace the only remaining rubber hose, the big PITA drier to expansion valve hose (928.570.093.04). I have rear air, so this is doubly painful. So far, the radiator, reservoir, forward part of the exhaust, A/C compressor, and air pump and its hoses are out of the way. I'm pretty sure the only way this thing comes out is from the top.

I have the hose halfway out (blue towel is covering exp valve end, so as not to scrape the hood:


The problem is, the engine harness is in the way of removal:



So what's easier, pushing the engine harness connector through the firewall, or stripping the entire engine harness off the engine?. I'm sure it's the former, but can't recall discussions about it. Any tricks?

Bill Ball

AFAIK, you cannot get this line out with the engine in the car! Let me check this over on my car.

Bill Ball

Yep, the arms of the rigid T in the middle of that line look too long to maneuver to clear the bellhousing to remove from below and extract from above. The line is trapped between the firewall and the bellhousing. MAYBE dropping the bellhousing will provide enough space. Dropping the bellhousing involves removing 4 bolts, with the upper 2 requiring some long tools, and then swinging it down - a bit of gymnastics are invoved. There is a bracket on the top of the bellhousing that holds the Bowden cable. You can leave that alone. I still need to emphasize the MAYBE above. I think it's worth a try, because otherwise I think you are stuck. This would be far easier than pulling the harness, which I don't think would help anyway.

Rob Edwards

Bill-

If the engine harness can be disconnected from the LH and EZK brains, (and that part that plugs into W-Z or so on CE) and pushed through the firewall, the A/C line will come out. I just don't know what'll fit through the firewall.

EDIT-

Saw your reply- I took out EVERYTHING along the passenger side of the engine, and it really looks like it'd come out except fore the harness. I'm going to go play with the harness.

Bill Ball

All the plugs will fit through the firewall opening, BUT you MAY have to push some of the smaller lines through first before the large plugs will fit - I can't remember for sure (only done it once). It helps to have someone pulling as you push the plugs through. Far easier if you pull everything off the CE panel and get it out of the way. Your batchelor weekend is not one I would choose. If swinging the bellhousing down would create enough room, I would do that instead, unless the harness plug proves to be dirt simple.

Oh, maybe you just need to unplug the LH and EZK and shove the long amount of cable slack through the opening, and leave the plugs inside the car. That might create enough space. You should just need to remove the LH/EZK pod to do this. NOTE: Mark the plugs - the are identical in later cars.

borland

So your saying you replaced the two rear A/C hoses that are in the passenger compartment? Those can leak too.

When I did my 90' S4 Automatic A/C R&R, I came to the conclusion that the engine compartment pipes were crossed at the lower firewall, making them unremovable without the engine being removed. I crimped the new hose with the line in-place after removing the smog pump and radiator. I bought a crimping tool and later sold it on eBay.

I don't have many photos of that job....

hose fitting line to condensor, partially prepped...


same fitting, better lighting


Rear A/C hoses...

Here's the fitting after prepping, I didn't see this as reusable, so I aluminum brazed on new fittings..

Here's some hose fittings already prepped for crimping..

And the other end (compressor fittings)..had these re- zinc plated

Bill Ball

According to the PN, the one he's working on is this one:

borland

Yes Bill, my first two photo are of that line.

I just wanted to show some other hose fittings.

Bill Ball

Sorry, I couldn't tell. Wish we all had crimpers!

borland

They are not cheap. I don't see the crimper that I used here.....

http://search.ebay.com/search/search...per&category0=

but I heard the Mastercool Hydra-Krimp works great.

Rob Edwards

Bill-

I had the same thought about giving it a lot of slack. It's close but no cigar, you can't bend the tubing or it'll crimp at the 90o curves. So the harness has to get pulled through.

So- stupid embarrasing question: How do you disconnect the plugs from the CE? I found the little central plug release thing, and it's pulled out but the connectors aren't budging. Pull harder? with what? I have a draft of Alan's guide and it shows a late model CE with the connectors disconnected, leaving behind the colored sockets, but I don't see how to get these out- paranoid about breaking connectors. Hints?

Rob Edwards

Borland-

I'd love a hydrakrimp, I chickened out of an auction for one a few weeks ago after it went past $300..... If I had a crimper I'd just have freed up the front end and replaced the front segment. I'm going to go have the original rebuilt (if it'll come out.....)

Bill Ball

The plugs along the bottom of the CE panel have little clip retention tabs on top. They are delicate and tend to break off. Not the end of the world if one breaks, but be as gentle as you can lifting the little tab as you pull out the plug.

Rob Edwards

Well, it's out.



Standing along the passenger side fender, you have to get the "Y" of the pipe high enough (via lifting the harness) that you can then rotate the Y so that its arms point to the driver's side, and the bottom (the connection to the rear A/C pipes) clears the fender, then you pull it out across the passenger side fender. Because of the 4' stub that goes to the expansion valve, this would be easier with the MAF and 3" heater hose line/heater valve out of the way

Bill- great idea on the harness slack! You wonder whether Porsche puts the extra foot or so of slack in the engine harness just for this procedure. If you release the last two connectors from CE, and stuff the as much engine harness through as possible, there's enough slack to get the line out. (I did push one connector through the firewall, the 8-pin one that looks like the 14-pin connector at the jump terminal)

Here's everyone stuffed up against the firewall:


On the other side:



And here's how high a loop you can make with the engine harness:


Time to visit the hose guy on Monday. Or maybe buy a hydrakrimp.....

Bill Ball

Now, that was easy!

Actually, I think this thread should be memorialized as the definition of PITA.

Hope it goes back in with somewhat less difficulty!