O/T DIY aircon recharge

[Burma-Shave]

Not really old Porsche territory but you are otherwise an experienced and wise body of chaps.

My 964 needs recharged, and good old quikfit are getting more expensive at £50 plus the vodka-and-tonic. Not bad as a once a decade thing for toyotas, but not so good for middle aged Porsches which need recharging every year or 2.

Has anyone used the DIY refrigerant cans and adaptors available? Surely bunging in more R134 and oil from a can does the same job (he said expecting to be told no!). The can and adaptor arent far off the quikfit price, but it will allow frequent top ups for my leaky old shed..

Not that its warm up here or anything with roads blocked with snow yesterday a bit further north

[Bootsy]

Not really old Porsche territory but you are otherwise an experienced and wise body of chaps.

My 964 needs recharged, and good old quikfit are getting more expensive at £50 plus the vodka-and-tonic. Not bad as a once a decade thing for toyotas, but not so good for middle aged Porsches which need recharging every year or 2.

Has anyone used the DIY refrigerant cans and adaptors available? Surely bunging in more R134 and oil from a can does the same job (he said expecting to be told no!). The can and adaptor arent far off the quikfit price, but it will allow frequent top ups for my leaky old shed..

Not that its warm up here or anything with roads blocked with snow yesterday a bit further north

I'd search about, I've got a local guy who's mobile who comes and does it for £30. My 993 needs doing every year.

[Bruce M]

Avoid the can, it contains a sealer that is like radweld and should be avoided (can gum up the compressor).

To be honest the Kwik fit deal isn't bad and way cheaper than many garages charge for the same service. Importantly, they vacuum the system out which removes any air or moisture (partially drying the dryer). They do a leak test but using the vacuum, not a pressure test which is much better (the seals tend to close up under vacuum) Then they refill with the correct amount of oil (important) and gas.

If it needs a refill every year, it is time for a proper service and leak test, IMHO.

[Burma-Shave]

Thanks, just the advice I was needing. A spot of radweld might be helpful(!) but not if it kills the compressor.. Kwik fit are indeed the cheapest locally for me, the specialists and mobile guys are double that.

Stories of people getting their 993/964 a/c systems to be ice cold and leak free often seem to end with very high numbers of pounds being involved, which is why folks put up with frequent recharges I think.

However I replaced the condensor and drier, opportunistically, on my 964 when the wing was off recently, and prior to that the compressor seemed to be good..so maybe I should start with a proper recharge and see what happens. The remaining link in the chain (evaporator) is expensive and buried beneath the fuel tank IIRC.

[misteralz]

I bought a recharge kit from eBay when I noticed that Lizzie's TT's aircon was nowhere near as cold as it should have been. Cost under £40 and it just needed a top-up. I'll give it a quick skoosh again next time it needs it - whenever that may be. Was less hassle than heading into town specifically, probably cheaper, and I've not had any problems with it in the past year. Happy with that.

[Bruce M]

However I replaced the condensor and drier, opportunistically, on my 964 when the wing was off recently, and prior to that the compressor seemed to be good..so maybe I should start with a proper recharge and see what happens. The remaining link in the chain (evaporator) is expensive and buried beneath the fuel tank IIRC.

If you system is currently empty, I'd recommend going round all the hose connections and replacing the little seals. They can be bought online with a bottle of the correct oil. Coat the seals in the oil when fitting. Then get it vac'd and refilled.

[Burma-Shave]

Thanks Bruce. Makes lots of sense..