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Make sure that A/C Works BEFORE the hot weather gets here! 944 Climate Control Failure
by Steve Grosekemper, San
Diego Region You are out running errands in your '86 944. Due to the excessively high outside temperatures, you turn the climate control knob all the way to the left for maximum chill. About 15 seconds later you think you hear a little “tink” noise from the dash. Three seconds after that, you are bombarded by a blast of hot air which surely must be caused by some sort of thermonuclear melt down. The good news is that you will probably receive no long term genetic defects from this thermal overload. In fact, the momentary discomfort (read: sweating like a pig) will be the worst part of this whole endeavor. This is, in all likelihood, the cheapest climate control repair on record. |
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The malfunction you have just experienced is caused by the failure of an eighty-five cent plastic clip (no, it is not the lowest cost Porsche part on record). It controls the heater blend door, which as you might expect, directs either hot or cold air to the vents for precise temperature control. In this case, it has broken, most likely due to misadjustment (Photo below shows the broken clip, top center). When this clip breaks, the heater usually defaults to the full hot position. The repair is fortunately very quick and painless. The first step is to locate the broken linkage. It is on the left side of the center console just forward of the radio. Put your hand just below the driver's knee and go right...that's it! Now that you have located the heater blend door arm, install a new updated clip (944.572.314.00) on the arm where the broken one is located. Set the climate control to its coolest setting. Move the arm down (this is the cool position) and pop the linkage rod onto the blend door arm. Switch the temperature control from hot to cold several times and watch the assembly to see that there is no binding. The binding of this arm is probably what broke the original clip. |
After you are sure there is no binding, install the safety clip to secure your adjustment (944.572.217.00) This part is even cheaper at only fifty-one cents! After the installation of this updated part, and perfect adjustment, you should not have to worry about this problem ever again. This repair applies to all 944’s, 1985.5 and later, as well as Turbos and 968s.
Even if you have never experienced this problem, poke your head under the dash and check for binding of that linkage. It just might save you $1.34 and make your summer driving a whole lot more enjoyable! GOOD LUCK!
Steve Grosekemper is the shop foreman at Dieter's Porsche and BMW Service in downtown San Diego
Ideas, comments, additions?
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