2009
Boxster S
,
PDK
with 29K ODO. I have spent a fair bit of time searching to no avail. I am hoping somebody may have come across this in their travels. I also posted this on 986forum.
My climate control system has a mind of its own. The defrost comes on all by itself. And then it might switch to A/C with recirc. Then back to full defrost. Totally random. If I push the recirc button, it will sometimes shut off the defrost. But it will switch back on after various timing. Fan and temp controls don’t function in this state either.
At first I thought it might be caused by the stiff suspension (collapsed button contacts?), but it also happens while parked in the driveway. So, before I start pulling things apart, has anybody heard of possessed climate controls before? Thanks in advance for any help.
I have taken the AC unit apart several times when I refinished my peeling AC controls. Also I have dealt with AC on some of my other cars. My observations.
Collapsed button contacts. Actually there is no button contacts there. The contacts are etched on the AC control unit PCB. When you push a button you pressure rubber membrane, sitting between the button and the PCB. This membrane has contact surface touching the PCB area. This membrane is very sturdy and thick so collapsing there is very unlikely.
The second option is sensors. The AC has a bunch of sensors tracking temperature everywhere - outside, inside, the air flow temperature out of the dashboard vents etc. Sensor obviously can fail but you experience multiple various symptoms and failure of multiple sensors simultaneously is also very unlikely.
This leaves the third and most likely cause - the AC controller itself and from experience this is most often the reason. The AC controller is independent and you can pull it out easily for about 15 min. From there you have to open the unit and pull out the PCB which is also not difficult. Instructions are in the files section. You can replace the entire unit or look for used one and pull the PCB out and replace it.
Of course the dealer is always an option and he will happily fix you problem for several thousand dollars.
HTH and good luck!
Thank-you for the insights. I will pull the control out and see where I get. Maybe I will get lucky and there is a dust bunny shorting things out that I can just blow away.
Update; Finally got this repair behind me. $740 for the new control box and $139 for programming by my indie mechanic. All things are back to normal.
I had ordered such a new climate control module, which I no longer need. Current price is well over 1500 USD. I’m offering mine for significantly less. Brand new, never installed. If you’re interested, please send me a PM.
