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Filter locations

bmohr
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bmohr Member

bmohr

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stupid question i'm sure, but i was servicing my car this last weekend and ran into a funny dilema. I have a cabin filter and a pollen filter. Pollen filter was easy to find and replace....so where does the cabin filter go? I can't find it's location. It's got a funny shape so i thought it would be easy to find. sorry for the noob question!

bmohr

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bmohr Member

bmohr

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I must have ordered a wrong part then. My pollen filter is rectangular and easy to replace, but the "cabin" filter, so labeled has an iregular shape. Oh well, thanks for the heads up...saves me the wild goose chase! Thanks loren

bmohr

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perryinva Member

perryinva

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Beware that there are two different types of filters!!! The "pollen" filter is just a pleated paper element, like a cheap air filter for the engine. The ACC (Activated Carbon Charcoal) cabin filter has pleated paper AND a charcoal mesh. Both same size, shape, & location. The ACC is a little thicker. The indie shop that serviced my car for the PO (of which I have the receipts) charged him for and listed an ACC filter at $42.00. There is just a plain $12 pollen filter in there. My last E39 BMW had 2 ACC filters in it at $25 each, but you could also get plain paper ones aftermarket for much less. We have such a HUGE (I mean REALLY HUGE) pollen problem here in central Virignia, that I usually buy a cheap paper one for pollen season, then toss it, and switch to the ACC for the rest of the year. They only take literally seconds to change, unlike many other cars. The charcoal in the ACC does nothing for pollen, it only filters out odors, the paper stops the pollen. Come to think of it, I think I'll change the "Porsche Certified Mobil 1 oil" (no viscosity listed) listed on the 30 k service with my Mobil 1 0W-40 just to be sure, even though it is only 7 months old with 1500 miles on it. WHo knows whats really in there.

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jamesgood72 Member

jamesgood72

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My '99 C2 is blowing some sort of disintegrated filter out of the vents when the fans are cranked. Any one else seen this? It's small peices (maybe 1cm x 3mm bits) of a black material. It's been happening since I got the car, and doesn't show any sign of stopping, the dash is covered with very small particles of it after each journey, with maybe a few larger pieces. The vents also have quite a musty odour coming out.

Any ideas? I had the pollen filters changed at my local shop when I took it in for an oil change. I had a look at the DIY Loren posted above, and will confirm that there are no obvious sources in there...

-James.

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Loren Member

Loren

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My '99 C2 is blowing some sort of disintegrated filter out of the vents when the fans are cranked. Any one else seen this? It's small peices (maybe 1cm x 3mm bits) of a black material. It's been happening since I got the car, and doesn't show any sign of stopping, the dash is covered with very small particles of it after each journey, with maybe a few larger pieces. The vents also have quite a musty odour coming out.

Any ideas? I had the pollen filters changed at my local shop when I took it in for an oil change. I had a look at the DIY Loren posted above, and will confirm that there are no obvious sources in there...

-James.

Are you sure it is filter and not the foam insulation inside the housing?

Check with the car/fan off.

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perryinva Member

perryinva

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If the charcoal mesh was really old and started disintegrating it would just fall right down in to the duct work on the 996, there is no way to prevent this. If it appears thats all it is, you can try to remove the accumulated debris by sticking a vacuum hose in the intake under where the pollen filter is, and maybe get some of it up. That would suck if it was that, because in order to get through to inside the cabin, it would have to be clogging the evaporator. You should be easily able to tell if it is tiny bits of charcoal. if it is REALLY lightweight, fluffy kind of stuff, though, then by the way you are describing it, especially with the musty odor, I'd bet you have a black mold on the evaporator, usually from a clogged evap drain line line not allowing it to dry out, The black particles you see is the bits of the "blanket" of mold tearing off the evap and blowing into the car. It shows no sign of stopping because it just grows back. I'd take the car to an AC specialist to have the system sterilized and the drains cleared. Then use some spray AC disinfectent on a regular basis. Any good automotive AC specialist will know exactly what I am talking about. Fairly common in hot, humid places like Miami & Houston....one of the nice things about dry heat in Arizona...never see that problem. We see it here ocassionally in Virginia.

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jamesgood72 Member

jamesgood72

Posted
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Thank you very much for the advice, guys. Sounds exactly like what you described, perryinva. I really thought it was some sort of filter / foam, but it sounds just like the black mold you describe. Wow, maybe that's what's affecting my girlfriends bronchitis too..

So, it's not something I could do in a saturday morning, to get at the evap and clean it all out? Would a normal a/c service place be best to take it to, or should it go to a Porsche specialist, or a P dealer?

Thanks again,

-James.

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perryinva Member

perryinva

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Thank you very much for the advice, guys. Sounds exactly like what you described, perryinva. I really thought it was some sort of filter / foam, but it sounds just like the black mold you describe. Wow, maybe that's what's affecting my girlfriends bronchitis too..

So, it's not something I could do in a saturday morning, to get at the evap and clean it all out? Would a normal a/c service place be best to take it to, or should it go to a Porsche specialist, or a P dealer?

Thanks again,

-James.

If your GF has a reaction everytime she's in the car with the AC on, that pretty much nails it. Any good automotive AC specialist can do it. I'd bet the dealer would just send it out. The AC system on the 996 is nothing unusually special, except for the amount of R134 in the system due to the long hose runs. You can clear the evap drain yourself, but they will do it anyway. They have a spray/gas that they flood the system with to kill the mold. I honestly don't know HOW accessible the evap itself is, or has to be, to sterilize it. If they will not/don't sell the DIY AC disinfectant spray after they clean it out, you can buy it at NAPA. You spray it in the intake after the pollen filter with the AC on. If you have a mild musty odor or slight problem it works fine, and is a good preventative, but it will not sterilize a heavy growth system like yours sounds like.

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jamesgood72 Member

jamesgood72

Posted
Posted

You know, I'm not sure it is mold. Here's a picture of a larger part. The big bit is about 7mm long on it's longest side. Maybe there is mold (it's definitely stuffy for a bit after start up), but I don't think the big chucks are mold. Looks like filter material to me - what do you think?

-James.

post-20264-1210107228_thumb.jpg

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KevinMac Member

KevinMac

Posted
Posted (edited)
I agree..that's not mold. It's definitly this...The musty smell is because the AC is ineffective due to the large holes in the flap door. Loren was correct...again! Good fix at this link. http://www.carboncow.com/pages/porsche/heater_door.htm

Yup foam that has broken down! I hate the stuff! You need to get that stuff out of there. It gets real sticky and will bind the air system divertor doors. You then may be complaining of certain vents or AC and/or heat not working correctly!.

Edited by KevinMac
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