2000 Carrera 2 coupe 6 speed: (1) engine coolant draining (2) vacuum AC system

[Philip54]

 

The refrigerant leak, mentioned in a previous post, appears to be in the evaporator, which will need to be replaced.

 

I am interested in the following procedures:

 

• Procedure for completely draining the coolant from the cooling system.  After the evaporator has been replaced, I would like to refill the cooling system with the latest version of the Porsche coolant and I would prefer not to mix it at all with the old coolant, even if it is also from Porsche
• Procedure for flushing the AC system with nitrogen after evaporator replacement , apply vacuum for checking for leaks and remove any fluid from the system

 

Procedures as the ones described above are available online, but could somebody kindly provide links to existing procedures that are specific to the 996 and have been successfully used by Renntech members?

 

Thanks

[DBJoe996]

I see no one has posted a response.  So, in this case, I would kindly suggest booking an appointment at your nearest local Porsche dealer.  They will have the highly specialized equipment, knowledge and expertise to deal with the AC service on your Porsche.  This is not a DIY or backyard mechanic type of thing.  Most people won't have the knowledge or answer to your questions because this is not  in the normal realm of DIY.

[JFP in PA]

Both procedures involve specialized tooling; draining and flushing the cooling system is not much different than most cars, there is a drain plug near the thermostat housing for the purpose. Flushing should be done with distilled water, and the new coolant should be premixed with distilled water before refilling the system, which is where a special tool comes into play.  The correct way to refill the system with the fresh mix it by using a tool like the Uview Airlift to evacuate the system first, then pull the coolant in under vacuum.  This totally eliminates any chance for dangerous air pockets to form in the system.

 

The AC system is similar, you need a freon capture system (you cannot simply vent it to the atmosphere) to recover what is currently in the system, and then R134A manifold gauge set and a nitrogen cylinder to flush the system, followed by the application of high vacuum from a pump to remove both the nitrogen and any moisture in the system for a period of time, after which the system can be recharged to the correct level (Porsche has a temp/pressure chart) to get the system operational.

 

Now here is the downside of these procedures:  The Airlift tool will set you back over $100 and needs a high-capacity air compressor to operate it correctly.  The AC will require a nitrogen cylinder with pressure regulator (about $60 for the regulator, the cylinder cost is a local rental), and the capture/recharge system is about $5K.  Most Porsche shops have all the necessary hardware and would charge you far less than what you would need to equip yourself to get both jobs done correctly.

[Silver_TT]

I would try to find a good indy near you who has knowledge in Porsche (usually VW/Audi guys will do pretty well on this platform too since there is much overlap).

 

I have learned my car inside and out and have the knowledge to do literally almost any job on this car.  But I don't have the tools and quite honestly at this point I don't want to invest a lot of money in them when I have an indy who I know is better than 99% of dealer Porsche techs but only charges $100/hour, and he has all the tools in the world.  Unless you want to spin wrenches professionally or just like to collect tools for fun, IMHO at this point of where cars are I'm not sure it makes a lot of sense to invest a ton of money in specialized tools.  I would love to have a SnapOn DTac because it's an amazing tool..........but odds are I will probably only need to use it once or twice more in my lifetime.

 

I provide all parts and fluids (OE from Sunset) and he just does the labor.  So in this sense my car is "dealer serviced" -- it's the exact same thing except you don't get your face ripped off by the Porsche dealer.

[Philip54]

Thanks to All for your  advice.  I will proceed per your recommendations.