How much time to fit a new condenser? + other questions

[watlina]

Well as is my luck it's not going 100%.

Air-Con
New condensers and desiccator are in (3.5hrs labour + £65 for the re-gas) and the air con is cold but now the compressor is making a horrible noise (sounds like bearings). So that's going to need to be replaced.

Looks like a recon Denso compressor is around £300. If anyone has got a good source of these let me know. It's the labour I'm not sure about. A quick discussion with the Indy suggested 3-4hrs and taking off the inlet manifold to do it but a quick look at the workshop manual makes it look quite easy with just the power steering tank and +Ve terminal having to come off to get the compressor in and out.

Telephone
A plugin to the diagnostic computer (which I thought was a bit steep at 0.75hr @ £43.18) revealed.

Fault 9064 GSM ANTENNA FAULT, FAULT IN WIRE (BROKEN)

I'd have thought a broken aerial would just give no signal not take out the phone module completely but at least it gives me something to look for. I think the aerial is in the windscreen like the twin radio aerials with the connector behind the trim panel on the driver's side window screen pillar.
Could someone confirm the location before I start pulling things apart?

 

[Richard_Hamilton]

Are you 100% sure they re-gassed it properly? The pumps get really noisy if they are low on gas. If it does need a new pump, I recall Porsch-Apart did a new replacement pump which was a bit more reasonably priced.

I am pretty sure it isn't in the screen. According to the retrofit instructions (TSB 9155 03/04) the GSM antenna is under the cowl panel in front of the windscreen - between the wipers by the look of it. If you haven't got the TSB, let me know and I'll email you a copy.

And I guess you had better send my brother's telephone module back...... []

 

[watlina]

ORIGINAL: Richard Hamilton
Are you 100% sure they re-gassed it properly? The pumps get really noisy if they are low on gas. If it does need a new pump, I recall Porsch-Apart did a new replacement pump which was a bit more reasonably priced.

To be honest that was my thought. It had started to make a bit of noise before I took it in but I put that down to the fact it was leaking and running low on gas. But they assured me that the pump won't operate if the gas pressure gets low but I'm not sure as it didn't make a noise as bad as it does now :-(

I am pretty sure it isn't in the screen. According to the retrofit instructions (TSB 9155 03/04) the GSM antenna is under the cowl panel in front of the windscreen - between the wipers by the look of it. If you haven't got the TSB, let me know and I'll email you a copy.

Looking at the PDFs I've got I thought that was the GPS antenna in the middle of the cowl in front of the window screen. But if you could send me the TSB please.

And I guess you had better send my brother's telephone module back...... []

Yes thanks very much for that. Let me know how much it cost to post and if you have a prefered courier.

 

[Richard_Hamilton]

I have emailed Andy the TSB, but just for the record I meant the cowl panel under the luggage compartment lid. It seems that the GSM antenna is somewhere near the pollen filter.

 

[watlina]

Air con

As Richard suggested I'm not sure they gassed it right so today I've dropped the car at Kwik-Fit :-O

My thoughts are that Kwik-Fit only charge £29 for a regas and my indy want £65. If I'm wrong at the indy I'm £65 out but if it's no better after Kwik-Fit then it's only £29.


Telephone
With help from Richard's TSB I think the black thing I've wiped clean in the picture below is the GSM aerial

It looks like I'll have to take off the wipers then the plastic at the base of the window screen to get at it as there some screws at the back.

 

[Richard_Hamilton]

And while you are in there clean out the front drains, by the looks of it!! []

 

[watlina]

Telephone
My picture earlier is wrong, that black box it actually a cover over a hole through in to the footwell.

The GSM aerial is on the other side (that will teach me to look at diagrams for LHD cars ;-)

I tried the connector and then removed the aerial but no joy

Here's the aerial out the car part no. 996.647.126.00 £60.63

I think I've got an old GSM car kit aerial with a cable in a draw at work so I'm going to try that first before I start ordering parts.

There's an extension cable avalible (No. 9 in the image below) for £20 but no indication of how long it is. My current cable disappears in to the loom just off to the left in the first picture.

 

[baptistsan]

Did the re-gas help?

Funny that my visit to Cambridge OPC returned the same two faults as your first two. The guy checking mine said re. the power steering hose; most people just remove the split metal sleeving and use a jubilee clip or similar to hold it all together.

 

[minny]

ORIGINAL: DRDT

Reference the Power Steering pipe. OPC Exeter have quoted £750 inc parts, labour and PCGB disc. Apparently the main cost is labour as the front undertray and front sub-frame has to be lowered to get at the pipework. Then, on reassembly the front tracking has to be re-checked. Still considering whether to take the plunge of not.

My old 996 had the same split on the clamp and I put a jubliee clamp round it making sure it closed up the split and that was it. It didn't move in 3 years I had the car.

 

[baptistsan]

ORIGINAL: watlina

I think I'd come to the conclusion of just leaving it. I did think about putting a stainless jubilee clip round it to try and stop it splitting any further but worried that by squeezing it it might make it worse.

If it goes I might try taking it to a hydraulic specialist as they have all the kit to make in-situ repairs for these sort of joints

Did you have someone in mind for this? Or was it a case of do the research when the need arose?

 

[watlina]

The original post is a bit old now but I thought I'd better give an update.

Richard has fixed the phone[][]
I'd about given up but Richard brought his older Porsche tester over to the Autofarm day on Saturday. The idea was for me to take it away and have a play but within a few mins of connecting it to demonstrate it became clear the reason the phone didn't work was that all the coding for it had been lost. So a quick re-code and set the language to English and it's now sorted. The only idea about why it happed is that there may have been a period of low battery. Many thanks to Richard.

The Air-Con
Yes a re-gas at Kwik-Fit fixed it. When they did the gas recovery they only found about half the required amount of gas. They were very professional, gave me a lift to work and back and all for £29 inc VAT. My indy were happy to refund the £76 inc VAT they charged to gas it. I gave them the benefit of the doubt and have used them since without a problem.


The Power Steering Pipe
I'd forgotten all about it but as 'minny' didn't have any problem with a jubliee clip I'll have a go with that.

'baptistsan' I didn't have anyone in particular in mind, I just remember a few years back when I had some concrete delivered. the chute on the mixer lorry was all controlled by hydraulics and it ended up blowing a pipe (made a right mess of my drive) anyway they called out a specialist in a van and he came and measured up then just made a new pipe with a big press to crimp the end on right in the back of the van.

 

[challenger1]

Steering Pipes

I also subscribe to using Jubilee clips rather than replacing the pipes, however I would leave the semi split ferrule in place and use 2 jubilee clips, preferable the type with spanner head winders on.

A word of warning for those that want to have the pipes replaced, I have seen many instances where upon trying to remove the pipes from the steering rack, they have been corroded to the rack and have ended up having to have the rack replaced, so if they are not leaking just go with the jubilee clips.