pp000830

Only because they don't have the stuff at my go-to place for automotive solutions The Home Depot!

993c4_Toronto

Great timing on this thread! I have been trying to tackle this project too but when I went to buy recharge supplies (Canada) I can only buy 12a. They do not sell 134a in stores here???? Can I use Red Tec 12A or will that mess me up? If not, who is buying the 12A since that is all they sell with every recharge kit here.

993c4_Toronto

Apparently I really know how to kill a thread...

nile13

It's not you, it's Canada. In US, 134A is readily available anywhere including Walmart, where it starts at #4,88 per 12 Oz cans, That's 354.88 ml for you Canadian folks. If you are in Toronto, I'm sue it cam be smuggled in from Buffalo.

Though.., Canadian Amazon shows availability as well: .

993c4_Toronto

Thanks Nile - it seems like most Canadians must be buying 12a since that's what is stocked in the store shelves. I guess it works with 134a ok.

nile13

The 12a and 134a are not compatible based on what i Googled. So be careful.

Jay777

Well, as luck would have it my re-charge lasted a day or two, so definitely have a leak somewhere. It worked great after the fill so it appears that the leak is the only issue. Any guidance as to where leaks are most likely to occur and is there troubleshooting procedure for finding them? Has anyone used the refrigerant with dye for tracking down leaks?

michaelo

There is always a leak when you have to do an AC recharge. You have a few options here. The best way is to use dye or some other method to accurately pinpoint the leak, then fix the culprit and do a recharge. You can also change out the O-rings, recharge again and see if that fixes it. I would personally try to O-ring option because it's good to change them anyway and it's cheap to recharge the system. If it doesn't work, you at least have new O-rings and did not waste a lot of money and time.

NC TRACKRAT

The simplest and easiest to diagnose and access would be the port valves. Use some leak detection solution or liquid detergent. Check these first before going to the trouble of evacuating and charging the system because, if one's faulty, you'll have to bleed off the system to change it out. Keep in mid that the valve cores are not conventional. You won't find them at your local parts store. They're Porsche-specific.

Jay777

I'm ok with doing "easily accessible" DIY, such as injected dye and looking around the engine compartment. Anything beyond that and I'll probably take it to a shop. The 2 suggestions below are the kind of DIY I was looking to try.

Where are the o-rings located?

- Where are the port valves located?

NC TRACKRAT

Port valves are on the compressor in the engine compartment. You used one to add refrigerant.

jimbo3

No offense, but am recommending that you take it to a shop instead of any kind of DIY as you don't appear to be experienced enough with AC systems at this point to tackle this safely and/or without doing significant damage to the AC system or the vehicle. Leave it all to a pro. Learning about AC the hard way isn't where you want to be.

abiazis

Agreed as even with the dye, there are places you can't confirm with it - which happened to me through the dealer on the first try..........I had same experience of a short time fix, a few days only and had my evaporator, expansion valve and other key parts replaced.....labor was around half the bill from dealer......around $ 2K........no problem now for the last year.............basically I have a new system for what parts I replaced, etc.....heck, it is a 23 year old car and first time I messed with the AC........it was super cool all these years until the repair..........

Travis

The most common weak spot of the 993 A/C is the evaporator buried between the gas tank and dash. The unit is hard to see, much verify that it's leaking due to it's hidden location. If you do end up injecting dye, you can check the water drain location under the car to see if there's dye there. If you do find some dye there, there's a high probability you've found your leak!

My A/C was fixed by replacing the evaporator with the Griffiths unit many moons ago. It was working super afterwards. Fast forward 3 years later, no A/C again. WTF? It turns out the expansion valve was defective, stress cracks around the orifices. Griffiths was super supportive and was able to send me a replacement valve pronto and might add, at no cost. Reinstalled with new o-rings and presto, it held vacuum once again. Recharged it again and so far, after 3 more years, it's been working just as good as ever.

Jay777

No offense taken. Actually I've done a lot of wrenching, just not willing at this point in life to crawl around on the ground or take a whole lot of stuff apart. The old bod just doesn't seem to bend into the shapes it used to, but I AM willing to try a few simple things, such as checking for leaks at the compressor as was suggested. Question: If you inject dye will it leave a stain on components that at a shop would be able to see some days later, or is it a gas that has to be seen while it's actually leaking?