Whining noise related to Air Con

[ChipsAndCheese]

Yesterday I noticed a whining noise whilst manouvering at low speeds (as engine revs build the engine noise drowns out the whining). Turning off the air con makes the noise stop immediately, suggesting some sort of air con issue. The air con does still seem to work, but doesn't seem as effective as it usually is - but without a hot day to test it out properly, that might just be my imagination.

Has anyone else had this issue? Can the whining occur from low gas issue/leak in the system, or just a problem with the a/c compressor?

Finally I had new track rods fitted yesterday at a Porsche specialist. Would someone familiar with the layout and positioning of the air con system/pipes be able to say whether there is any possibility that in fitting these they could have accidentally damaged an air con pipe or something? I only ask because I hadn't noticed the noise before yesterday (though I will admit that I don't always have the air con on) and I'd like to be sure there is no possiblity of that before contacting the specialist.

Thanks in advance.

[elliot_holder]

I've had this when my system was low on gas.

Easily fixed with a regas but if it's low you'll likely have a leaking condenser or pipe which will need to be fixed first.
On mine it was the air con condensers which had deteriorated and started leaking.

[ChipsAndCheese]

Thanks for the reply. I have booked the car in with Porsche and now have to hope that the warranty covers it.

If it turns out to be the condensers, has anyone successfully claimed for these on the Porsche warranty? On the phone they were already saying that if it turns out they were damaged by a stone then they wouldn't be covered - which I think is ridiculous given that it's a design flaw that they are so exposed to stone chips. I'm sure I read on here that somebody had argued this and got it covered, so I guess I'd like to build up some evidence just in case I need to kick up a fuss!

Can anyone confirm whether there is any chance that yesterday's track rod work could have inadvertantly damaged something? Do the air con pipes run close to the track rods at any point?

[MikeWi]

Might not hit your pocket too much .... could be the dryer like on my Boxster (@ 5 years old)
It's a diy job really, but nice to feel it's done properly by the pros.

[rdjohn]

elliot_holder said:

I've had this when my system was low on gas.

Easily fixed with a regas but if it's low you'll likely have a leaking condenser or pipe which will need to be fixed first.
On mine it was the air con condensers which had deteriorated and started leaking.

I had the same problem, French OPC searched, could not find leak, but regassed the system.

12 months on and expecting it to blow cold air seems a tall order, but there is no noise this time.

[ChipsAndCheese]

Problem was a lack of gas caused by the passenger side condenser leaking. Thankfully not caused by stone damage so replaced under warranty.