Cayman A/C Condenser replacement
Discussion
I have a Porsche Cayman 987.2, 2.9L
Just had a major service with no major faults other than the A/C condensers are both leaking (common problem due to location)
As i'm handy with the spanners i thought i could try and give it a go myself, however i've never worked with A/C systems before.
For me to do this at home, am i correct in thinking i need to take the car to the local a/c regas place first for them to vaccum out the system, ony after which i can disconnect and remove the condensers. And then once all back together again i take it back to the local a/c place to regas the system?
Does this sound correct?
Any other tips i need to know before carrying out the job?
thanks
Just had a major service with no major faults other than the A/C condensers are both leaking (common problem due to location)
As i'm handy with the spanners i thought i could try and give it a go myself, however i've never worked with A/C systems before.
For me to do this at home, am i correct in thinking i need to take the car to the local a/c regas place first for them to vaccum out the system, ony after which i can disconnect and remove the condensers. And then once all back together again i take it back to the local a/c place to regas the system?
Does this sound correct?
Any other tips i need to know before carrying out the job?
thanks
I swapped out the condensers on my 987 Boxster a couple of years ago, If you’re handy with the spanner’s then I doubt you’ll find it too much of a problem.
Took mine to local ATS who evacuated the system & then re-gassed it after I’d done the job.
Bumper off, then the plastic shrouds that channel air to the rads, then simply unbolt / replace if I remember correctly. Make sure that you tap your Allen key socket firmly into bolts to remove condenser, I didn’t & rounded one of the bolts so had to replace, not expensive but had to wait a few days for stock to turn up at OPC so job took longer than anticipated.
I bought patterned rads from CoolPartsUk on eBay, however general consensus is to buy genuine seals. If your air con system has been compromised then you’ll need a drier unit which is located in the scuttle near the washer bottle. There will be two seals for each rad & two for the drier unit.
All in, including the re-gas cost me less than £150, whereas OPC wanted in excess of £850!!
You may find that you’ll also need to buy a pair of clips that hold the edges of the bumper cover to the wing, near the headlights. They can be a pain to remove & mine were badly rusted so I replaced - about £8 from OPC.
Good luck & let us know how you get on 👍
Took mine to local ATS who evacuated the system & then re-gassed it after I’d done the job.
Bumper off, then the plastic shrouds that channel air to the rads, then simply unbolt / replace if I remember correctly. Make sure that you tap your Allen key socket firmly into bolts to remove condenser, I didn’t & rounded one of the bolts so had to replace, not expensive but had to wait a few days for stock to turn up at OPC so job took longer than anticipated.
I bought patterned rads from CoolPartsUk on eBay, however general consensus is to buy genuine seals. If your air con system has been compromised then you’ll need a drier unit which is located in the scuttle near the washer bottle. There will be two seals for each rad & two for the drier unit.
All in, including the re-gas cost me less than £150, whereas OPC wanted in excess of £850!!
You may find that you’ll also need to buy a pair of clips that hold the edges of the bumper cover to the wing, near the headlights. They can be a pain to remove & mine were badly rusted so I replaced - about £8 from OPC.
Good luck & let us know how you get on 👍
Boxstercol said:
I swapped out the condensers on my 987 Boxster a couple of years ago, If you’re handy with the spanner’s then I doubt you’ll find it too much of a problem.
Took mine to local ATS who evacuated the system & then re-gassed it after I’d done the job.
Bumper off, then the plastic shrouds that channel air to the rads, then simply unbolt / replace if I remember correctly. Make sure that you tap your Allen key socket firmly into bolts to remove condenser, I didn’t & rounded one of the bolts so had to replace, not expensive but had to wait a few days for stock to turn up at OPC so job took longer than anticipated.
I bought patterned rads from CoolPartsUk on eBay, however general consensus is to buy genuine seals. If your air con system has been compromised then you’ll need a drier unit which is located in the scuttle near the washer bottle. There will be two seals for each rad & two for the drier unit.
All in, including the re-gas cost me less than £150, whereas OPC wanted in excess of £850!!
You may find that you’ll also need to buy a pair of clips that hold the edges of the bumper cover to the wing, near the headlights. They can be a pain to remove & mine were badly rusted so I replaced - about £8 from OPC.
Good luck & let us know how you get on ??
thats very useful to hear, thanks! i've been quoted £650! Took mine to local ATS who evacuated the system & then re-gassed it after I’d done the job.
Bumper off, then the plastic shrouds that channel air to the rads, then simply unbolt / replace if I remember correctly. Make sure that you tap your Allen key socket firmly into bolts to remove condenser, I didn’t & rounded one of the bolts so had to replace, not expensive but had to wait a few days for stock to turn up at OPC so job took longer than anticipated.
I bought patterned rads from CoolPartsUk on eBay, however general consensus is to buy genuine seals. If your air con system has been compromised then you’ll need a drier unit which is located in the scuttle near the washer bottle. There will be two seals for each rad & two for the drier unit.
All in, including the re-gas cost me less than £150, whereas OPC wanted in excess of £850!!
You may find that you’ll also need to buy a pair of clips that hold the edges of the bumper cover to the wing, near the headlights. They can be a pain to remove & mine were badly rusted so I replaced - about £8 from OPC.
Good luck & let us know how you get on ??
How would i know if i'd need a new dryer? My aircon still works like normal, it's no major leak so i'm guessing it should be ok right?
AZCollins said:
Would a tell tale sign of the dryer unit needing replacement be that every time you start the car all the windows immediate fog up?
No, the drier is to take moisture out of the refrigerant not the air within the carTo the O/P, if your condensers are leaking enough there wan't be any refrigerant left in the system to be removed before their replacement. Once the new ones are fitted you will still have to have the system presuure tested, then evacuated then recharged (not removing all air before recharging will prevent the system working at all)
(edited to add, just noticed that your AC is working now so must have gas in the system, so probably two trips to an AC specialist required)
Edited by mfmman on Sunday 12th January 16:11
This is a pretty easy job on a 987. It's worth while getting some a/c o-rings (boxes available on ebay for very cheap) should you damage any during the process, and some a/c oil to lubricate the fixings. Can get both for a tenner.
Have you checked the state of the radiators in there as well? If the A/C is rotten due to leaf build up the water rads might be on their way out, too. You'll definitely need to fit a new condenser, they're only cheap anyway.
To avoid this happening in the future it might be worth fitting mesh to the grills. Once again an easy job while the bumper is off a good insurance against damage occurring again!
Have you checked the state of the radiators in there as well? If the A/C is rotten due to leaf build up the water rads might be on their way out, too. You'll definitely need to fit a new condenser, they're only cheap anyway.
To avoid this happening in the future it might be worth fitting mesh to the grills. Once again an easy job while the bumper is off a good insurance against damage occurring again!
I'm going to be replacing the condensers on my Cayman in the near future and am trying to decide which ones to go for - I have seen prices from about £35 to genuine Porsche for £250. The factory ones lasted 8 years. Does anyone know who makes the genuine ones as if I could get them non-Porsche branded, that would probably be my preferred option as they are a known quantity. Basically I don't want to just take a random punt on ones based on nothing more than a hunch so anything anyone can tell me would be useful.
I used Behr Hella from ECP on both our 987.1 Caymans a few years back and they were OE fitment but they no longer list them. Their sister company CP4L has Mahle branded ones for the 987.2 for around £54 each currently and EIS branded ones even cheaper.
These are really basic technology and Mahle are a reputable manufacturer (they are the OE supplier for the 987 oil filter) so I'd probably go with those. Don't forget the receiver/drier and O rings too.
These are really basic technology and Mahle are a reputable manufacturer (they are the OE supplier for the 987 oil filter) so I'd probably go with those. Don't forget the receiver/drier and O rings too.
PaulD86 said:
I'm going to be replacing the condensers on my Cayman in the near future and am trying to decide which ones to go for - I have seen prices from about £35 to genuine Porsche for £250. The factory ones lasted 8 years. Does anyone know who makes the genuine ones as if I could get them non-Porsche branded, that would probably be my preferred option as they are a known quantity. Basically I don't want to just take a random punt on ones based on nothing more than a hunch so anything anyone can tell me would be useful.
I used condensers from CoolpartsUK from memory, they were recommended on one of the Porsche forums & quite a few forum members had used them with no complaints. I got the o rings / seals from the OPC though as read some stories about non genuine seals failing.Mine still great after 4 years. Total job cost me less than £150 all in from memory including a ‘Groupon’ discounted air con recharge at ATS. OPC wanted in excess of £850, so I based my decision on them being a consumable due to location & budgeted to change them every few years.
That's helpful guys, thanks. Re design 911, they are extremely expensive in my experience and I have seen the same condensers they sell for significantly less elsewhere. My local OPC has been at times 1/3rd cheaper on genuine parts too, so I'd always suggest trying an OPC before using them.
I had been curious who was the maker of the OE parts. I might also fit some mesh to protect the new ones - will see though as I don't tend to like the look of a lot of mesh grill installs on the 987.
One thing with the Mahle stuff which consufed me was that some suppliers have multiple Mahle parts listed for the car with apparently the same spec but very different prices. That sort of thing tends to bug me as I kinda want to know why one is cheaper than the other.
I had been curious who was the maker of the OE parts. I might also fit some mesh to protect the new ones - will see though as I don't tend to like the look of a lot of mesh grill installs on the 987.
One thing with the Mahle stuff which consufed me was that some suppliers have multiple Mahle parts listed for the car with apparently the same spec but very different prices. That sort of thing tends to bug me as I kinda want to know why one is cheaper than the other.
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