HELP!! refilling my A/C...where HI & LOW valves?

HI. I have a 2001 Porsche Carrera 4 (996) I need to refill my A/C. I replaced my radiators & condensors so the A/C system is completely empty. I bought the A/C vaccum to get rid of the air trapped inside, but now I need to refill the system and not sure how. I found the two A/C ports by the passenger fender/winshield, but my Porsche does NOT have colored caps. All caps are GREY! Only one cap sits higher and the other one sits down lower. To which one do I connect the hose and fill the A/C oil & Freon?? And I don't know 100% which one is HI and which one is LOW for the A/C, and I don't want to mess it up. I bought the 134a freon with the guage and all, just wanted to ask before I mess it all up. If you could, please instruct me on how to do this correcly. I just don't have the $$$ to take it to the shop. I GREATLY appreciate your help. Thank you ~Serge~ [phone removed] (cell)

hi are you doing this with a DIY can kit? the ports are diff sizes, cant go wrong, low side has the larger piping

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^ Larger piping but smaller port.

R-134 connectors only go on one way. Blue is low side for the gauges and red is high.

Thank you guys for not flipping out on me for such dumb question about the A/C. I've just never done this one before on a Porsche. Plus whole Porsche thing is NEW to me, and I'm glad I found this forum...I'm planning to stick around for a long time Okay here is the picture of my ports... So do I hook up my hose to the RED port or BLUE ?? Thanks a million guys!!!

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The red is the low side and the blue is the high side. To vacuum, you hook up the pump to BOTH ports. To recharge, you hook up to the low side when engine is running and a/c fan is on full blast. May take a some time before you build enough pressure to activate the compressor clutch. Make sure the system holds vacuum (no leaks) before recharge. Also, go here http://www.cannell.co.uk/Manuals.htm to get the 996 repair manual. There's one chapter dedicated to A/C.

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T.H.A.N.K. Y.O.U. Ahsai soooooo MUCH!!! Wow, you guys are incredible on this forum!! Makes me LOVE my Porsche even more when I know "how" to fix & work on it

Hello.......glad to have you "onboard". This is a great site with great people who, for the most part, are quite willing to help out with the myriad of problems that can "pop-up". Another great souce of How-to-do-it info. is You Tube. I have literally found dozens of videos posted on all kinds of porsche repairs. It has helped me immensely. I live 3-4 hours from my nearest "Stealer"....and the local guys want $110+ an hour. Being an old, retired coot...who can still turn a wrench.....I look to these folks. And, while you have to "wade through" a lot of "differing" opinions.........eventually you will figure out just what works. I have even posted a couple of simple vids myself...like how to save a bundle by changing your own plugs and coil packs! Press on, regardless! Lars in Mount Shasta, CA

New to Porsche 996 ownership and the forum? Welcome to the emotional roller coaster! Stick around long enough and you might end up afraid to walk past your car! Do you sleep at night? Not anymore! Can you hear the ticks, rattles, squeaks, and groans? Do you see the fluids, puddles, and foams? Is it pink, green, yellow, or blue? Original Porsche or after market who? Okay rant over. Unless the engine blows everything else is manageable with patience, common sense, and some research. When something goes wrong do not assume the worst. Take your time and research the issue. Use this forum, watch videos, and use the other resources available. It's not going to be cheap that I can assure you, accept that now. It can be a lot "fun" and rewarding to repair, replace, or upgrade something on your car. Good luck and let me know if you need the manual.

I have a few recommendations - If the system was discharged for a bit, or opened, replace the receiver / drier. Pull a deep vacuum and see that the vacuum holds with a micron gauge. Fill the system under vacuum with nitrogen, then vacuum that out as well. Then refill the evacuated system with R-134. Of course, the law stipulates that you have a EPA certification and the appropriate refrigerant recovery tools to do the job. And good HVAC tools are expensive, and they're single-use tools. They're only for HVAC. I have no problem with people adding a bit of refrigerant to an AC system, but if all the refrigerant escaped, you usually have bigger fish to fry.