trojanman

Okay, so I decided to tackle this project and began work this AM. Admittedly, it has been a PIA so far (fuel tank removal sucked) but I'm determined to see this through.

I have gotten to the point where I should be able to remove the airbox and can simply not do it. I have followed the p-car DIY to the letter (as far as I can tell) and cannot get the airbox assembly to come out. It seems like the ducts on either side that are attached below the pollen filter fans are nowhere close to coming loose from the airbox. Is there a secret here that I am not aware of?

I have removed the three nuts from behind the CCU and radio, removed all the Torx screws I can see, removed the two screws at the air intake, and the four hidden in the fans... I am very frustrated

I'd appreciate any insight/advice... TIA. Below are a few pics from the project thus far (as others have indicated, this repair is NOT for the faint of heart... I am already concerned that I may have bit off more than I can chew).

helmet155

Hard for me to tell without being there...did you look at the 993 PET to see if all fasteners were removed?

The airbox should come up off the two ducts - there are some plastic pop snap things (3 on each side IIRC) that need to be pushed in and the airbox should come lift off the ducts.

trojanman

"PET"? Hmm, the only tabs are saw were the two (one on each side) on the front... are there two on the back side of the ducts as well???

(Thanks for the reply, btw)

helmet155

PET is the parts diagram...It is a pdf...

pcarworkshop says 3 tabs and has some good tips.

mcfeeley1071

Ok don't worry, it can be accomplished. I marked a few of your pictures below and see if this helps, the two air ducts below the pollen filters are definitely the worst part about getting the air box out... just be patient, it took me a good few days after work to get that thing out. A few beers and a lot of breaks to stop and look at the situation finally paid off. I consider myself a novice at best. Anyway here you go... keep us posted.

MarkD

good info from mcfeeley there...

If you aren't already planning on it I'd replace the expansion valve while you have it apart. It is pretty hard to get to with the firewall in place and it is about a $35 part (for a non-china made version). You will also need the 4 o-rings....
and I would guess you are already replacing the receiver-drier.

mcfeeley1071

2nd what Mark said about evaporator and receiver/drier. I bought all my stuff through Griffiths. Well made stuff. http://www.griffiths.com/shop/index....cPath=15_16_56

jhummel68

+ 2 on Griffiths. The fresh air intake was pointed out. The 2 ducts under the pollen filters have 3 tabs each you will need obviously get these loose to get the box out. I found by removing the kick panels (interior - one on each side of the car) it is easy to have one person inside holding downward pressure (maybe a slight twist) on the duct while the other is in the trunck area trying to release those "buttons". The one in the trunck area shouldn't be pushing down too much. The plastic will crack. Without being there, it looks like you have everything. I hope this helps.
John

trojanman

Thanks guys, especially mcfeeley for taking the time to annotate the pics. Yes, I bought the Griffiths evaporator which has the expansion valve pre-fit to it (I also bought the receiver/dryer).

I guess I'm still struggling with the two additional "tabs" that are on the ducts... I cannot see any others, and if they are on the back side, how would you get a tool back there to depress them? I will try the kick panel removal to see if that helps.

Thanks again.

mcfeeley1071

I could kick myself for not taking a picture of the ducts once I got the airbox out as it was so frustrating I was just thankful I got it out. Anyway here is another pic I found in the records that might give you and idea how I slipped it out. You can see one of the ducts and the fresh air intake from the top. Cheers

trojanman

Hey guys... update:

Got the airbox out tonight! Used two steak knives and wedged them into the space between the airbox and the duct... wiggled and pulled and it finally came loose.

Only had enough daylight left to remove most of the clips but still don't have the airbox cracked open yet. Stay tuned...

Travis

Great job. A little ingenuity can go a long way. I used a couple of putty knives, but steak knives work too.

Now on to the evaporator! That's the far easier part of the job than the airbox removal. Don't forget to clean the inside of the airbox before reassembly.

Keep going!

-travis

trojanman

Okay, so I feel like I've turned a corner!!

I've now replaced the evaporator (see pics below)... it was a mess. You can see in the pics that it was leaking like a sieve (note the dye from the R134 leak detector that I put in a couple weeks ago). I've also replaced the receiver/dryer.

At this point, the airbox is back together and the firewall is back in. I think I've got a few more hours and then I'm ready to evacuate the system and recharge. I'm going to be bold and not pressure test before putting it all back together (stupid?)... oh well, I just want to be done.

Anyway, here are the pics...

AOW162435

Great work - very impressive. What is the common reason these units fail? Is it simply age?


Andreas

mcfeeley1071

Congrats hopefully the everything works out well.