Porsche 944 - HVAC Climate Controls Explained 

LOL! 😂

Doug only knows what he reads off wikipedia.

@@maxwell431 Haha! Yeah, or if owners feed him strange details about the cars. He had pretty high praise in his 944 video, where I feel like he’s been less kind to other older Porsches.

Excellent! I’m glad to hear of the improvement, nice job! 👍🏼

Thank you! Have you checked the plastic bearing clips under the dash to the right of the driver’s side footwell? That’s probably the most common cause for an “always on” heat condition. Here’s a little info on what I’m referring to - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-h8SR1e3OmJs.htmlm28s

​@@NC944er Yes, I checked all of those. All the rods are properly seated. I am thinking either the solenoid to control the heat control valve isn't working, and or the motor for the flap door that sits right behind the main vents is seized. I can't trigger the motor when jumpering it to 12V at all. The Arm in your that linked video where the broken arrow is pointing, doesn't move at all. I saw another video where that motor is disassembled and the rust removed to allow the armature to spin again. I plan on doing this next. I just need to limber up for a few days so I can contort myself into the kick-well. Do you have any footage of where the heater control solenoids are and pass through the firewall? I saw you replaced the bulkhead hoses with red, do they just pass directly through the firewall?

@@tiderfish Gotcha! No, I haven’t had to mess around with the solenoid valves yet, so no video of that. Yeah, the vacuum lines just pass through the firewall at those bulkhead connections.

Yeah, may AC “snowflake” looks more like a “snowball.” 😂

@@NC944er I purchased the replacement buttons from pelican only to find out they need to be soldered in. They were very expensive buttons and my local computer repair shop (didn’t trust myself) wanted an arm and a leg to try and fix it. I returned the buttons and picked up a whole new unit and it was in stock

@@NC944er That's not the ultra-rare optional upgraded A/C?? "Schneesturmballes" option code -100, if I'm not mistaken 😆

@@latentwagen8644 HA! You may be right, let me check my options sticker again. 🤣

Your thinking is correct! The center dash vents share an air pathway with the windshield vents, so when you move the upper slider to the right and open/increase air flow to the windshield, some of that volume is redirected from the dash vents to the windshield. Indeed a quirky setup! 😂

Thanks! That was another minor update Porsche did during the 1988 model year, replacing the earlier flat/flush-mounted ones and allowing for a slightly deeper speaker setup.

@@NC944er Ahhhh, OK.... I'm trying to keep my '86 stock-looking, but those ARE much nicer!

BTW, I have the same Kicker speakers ready to install...

Could you have a failed snowflake button even if it's light is on? Mine doesn't look nearly as worn as the one in the video and it lights up but I don't hear the compressor, I think I might be able to with defrost but it's kinda hard to hear over the fan.

@@kaze913 if you can’t tell by hearing, you can look at the compressor and see if the clutch is engaged

@@tims_4x4_garage That makes sense. Thank you!

Thanks! Sounds like that may be the case. 👍🏼

Also got a buddy who has been collecting 944's here in Clayton just south of the city. Gaining more friends and connections.

@@donaldfenton3012 Very cool! Thanks for letting me know. 👍🏼

following... I think my issue with my sliders not doing anything has to do with this stuck servo unit or something in that area lol

Hey sure! I don’t know if it’s the same video, but happy to share - those images were from a German guy just briefly showcasing the operation - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AN96tJhDLS8.html The most common issue with the flaps is that the plastic bearing clips snap off the linkage. There’s another clip here that may help - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OmFqgwxHsdw.html

Yeah, all that stuff is in the factory workshop manuals, volumes 4-5, electrical.

Hey John! The oil pressure conditions you described sound like they are within spec. The gauge should read between 4-5 bar at cold start and when warm and under driving load. It should read between 2-3 bar when warm and idling.

@@NC944er thanks for the feedback - I suspect as at 150k miles now I should plan a rebuild and maybe drop in some forged pistons and rods fairly soon… I missed it so much in the shop I just need to drive her this weekend!

@@johnjoseph911 Haha! I don’t blame you, as you gotta get those drives in! I did just the rod bearings on mine. The piston rings have generally good longevity on these cars, but certainly let any performance issues guide you towards what needs to be done.

Oh wow! Yeah, right where you removed the plastic vent in the door jamb, if you shine a light in there, you’ll see a small drain slot at the back of that cavity.

Thanks! The radio head unit still works surprisingly, although it definitely sounds very ‘80s. No Bluetooth or other electrical mods outside of new Kicker speakers (the old ones rotted out). The cigarette lighter is just the factory unit, although it’s missing the little white cigarette symbol. I’ve seen some ‘88 cars with a blank one and some with the symbol, not sure why the difference, but I can’t imagine someone using it to the point where it wears off. 😂

@@NC944er My 89 has the lit cig icon 🚬 Same with the foam on my original speakers (hifi option)... will look to replace them with Polk DB's, as I had good results with them in my 84, and they're relatively shallow.

They are hard to come by. I cover mine while driving to keep the sun off, but the temp will always fluctuate if the car is used. Even NC's has a few mini vent cracks, I think. Inevitable!

Thanks! It’s only “mint” from a distance, but I admit it’s far better off than most. It actually has exactly 15 hairline cracks around the vents, the shortest measuring about 4mm and the longest about 23mm, but who’s keeping track? 🤣

@@latentwagen8644 Yep, covering is key! I’ve been trying to keep up on some Meguiars UV protective applications as well, not sure how much it helps, but it hasn’t yet gotten worse. 😂

Hey thanks! No, not yet… but that is on my “to do” list for this year. I have been eying the Griffiths kit and unfortunately it looks like the price has gone up again. 🙄 griffiths.com/product/924s-944-remanufactured-nippondenso-kit-85-2-91/

@@NC944er ugh. I had my eye on that for the longest time as well. A friend of mine ordered one for his ‘81 Targa but he wasn’t satisfied with it which gave me reservations. For both of my cars I am struggling to find a solid solution to the AC issue. I wish a company would manufacture an aftermarket clutch as that’s what causes the failures most of the time. Would be so much easier and inexpensive than having to deal with replacing the entire compressor which might still be functional.

@@TakeFlightGarage Yeah, that would be nice. Sadly, part options seem to be deceasing of late, so I doubt we’ll ever see it. I’ve spoken with the guys at Griffiths a couple times and they said the majority of compressor failures they see are when people have swapped them out, but neglected to flush out the entire system, so existing debris ends up fowling the new compressor. I also tried to pin them down on whether the Denso was more reliable than their Kuehl option, but they claim to be equally dependable on a well maintained system. You could save a few bucks using the Kuehl, but it has a funky bracket modification that I’m not a fan of.

@@henryneufeld4944 The hazard switch to the left of the digital clock? Should be a black rocker switch with a white triangle on it. The only difference I’m aware of is the button was changed to red for the 968 in 1992. Maybe a prior owner swapped out your switch for some other custom modification?

@@NC944er must be, weird because it looks oem and well worn. It’s a rolling dial with a triangle at “top” or when rolled upwards and a triangle at the bottom when rolled downward. In the middle it’s a horizontal line which slightly clicks into place on the line. I don’t think anything happens when I roll it either way

@@NC944er thanks for giving me this info! Busy be afm, as my cigarette lighter has been converted to USB. unfortunately the usb conversion drains my battery so I had to pull that fuse

Been there, done that! 😂 Porsche actually calls it a “bearing,” but as we’ve learned, plastic and bearings don’t mix well.

Nooooo! That’s terrible news, sorry to hear that. 😢

Wow sorry to hear that sincerely....mind if I ask how it caught fire? What went wrong? Any symptoms before the fire?