Local fella will pressure test and re-gas for 20 quid. Is that the best and cheapest way to begin?
For 20 quid, definitely.
*Thumbs Up!
Went for an aircon gas. Leaking like a good-un from the condenser. top left as you look at the front.
New condenser required by the looks of it.
Still, every cloud and all. Didn't cost me anything to find out. Nothing like free bad news!
***Edit. Googling tells me that the top is a common point of failure for the condenser and that you can potentially salvage it with a bit of that metal weld paste stuff. I'm not sure what it's called. If i take the grill and front panel off, hopefully i should be able to see where it was leaking from. I'll have a look at weekend.
A new condenser isn't that much - I'd just replace it and know it's not going to leak again for a few years and be done with it.
In fact, I have a new condenser sitting in my garage, ready to fit, as the last time my system was gassed, it lasted about 3 weeks before it wouldn't get cold again. New condenser and dryer sourced and ready to fit when I finally have time...
I've also just bought a condenser. I only replaced it a year ago and it's leaking again in the top left corner. I left the foam block in place last time but it's going this time.
I have no idea of the overall condition of the condenser so i'll inspect the damage at the weekend. if it looks like it's come off the bottom of the sea, i'll replace it. might just be a pinhole tho.
Mine had gone too in that corner, under the sponge. The affected area was as large as a square inch, it looked like a biscuit so brittle, no way it could have been patched with some metal paste. Pressure inside can get pretty high so a new condenser seems inevitabel.
Important when buying non-LR is fitment of the fancradle mountings, I had to adjust mine a bit. And disconnecting the pipes is a bit of a hassle, if I remember correctly I had to take out the headlamp to reach with a wrench.
Doesn't seem to matter. I had an OEM condenser that I was fitting at the same time as my locally made radiator. The rad fitted like a glove, the condenser was a pig!
As suspected
Might see if i can repair it for the time being. what you reckon? worth a go surely.
Coincidentally I've just bought a new condenser (and receiver/ dryer) for mine. At less than £90 for both inc. ND shipping, 2 years warranty, it seems like a small price to pay compared to the time to remove again and cost of a re-gas (£68 for me) when the glue repair fails in a couple of weeks.
well i'll give it a go. Only 4 bolts to take the slam panel off and you can see the holes right there. Quick steel will cost me nowt and the vacuum test will also cost nothing. Can't see quick steel failing. it's proper bell metal when it's gone off.
what makes them all rot in the same place? seems like a common area of failure
Combination of differing metals and the foam block that sits above it holding water in.
Replace the condenser - you need to do the dryer too as the system has been open to atmosphere for sometime and the desiccant material that keeps moisture out of the system will all be saturated.
There can be several hundred psi in the condenser when operating. If it doesn't blow out, a lump of now solidified goop may end up getting munched by the compressor, or block up the expansion device in the evaporator and ruin that. Doesn't seem worth the risk.
we have cold air.
Mended it with quick steel albeit against some advice. We'll see how long it lasts. However, the other thing is, i could have replaced the condenser and dryer and still not have had cold air if there was another problem somewhere. At least now i know that it does work and when the time comes, i will replace both the condenser and dryer.
I'll find out in the morning if the hevac book has gone or if indeed, the matters are unreleated.
Also picked myself up a lightstone gear knob for a fiver whilst at the scrappy getting the A/C done. Bargains all round.
Bit of an aside..
I know all AC systems have dryers but what I've never understood is where the moisture in the system is supposed to come from (since the system is constantly above atmospheric pressure even on the low pressure side during operation)?
I've fixed many AC systems on a wide range of vehicles but haven't changed a dryer yet, seemingly had no effect on results.
I've got one of those Halfords DIY R134 recharge kits, has a pressure gauge that connects to the LP side and instructions say to fill until pressure with pump running reads at a certain level below pressure when the pump isn't running. When I've had AC filled professionally and then tested systems using this gauge it always reads a little lower during pump operation than the instructions say it should be, and then when I top up with just a bit more gas from the DIY kit it improves AC operation with engine at idle no end. So I wonder if pro firms tend to short fill systems to save on gas (which would mean their gas weight gauges read high,since I check to make sure pros enter the correct fill weight on machines)?
First car I had with AC was a mk2 Ford Granada 2.8iGhiaX, the AC didn't work for most of the time I owned it, then I thought I'd have a go at fixing it... first problem back in those days was to find an independent AC specialist who could re-gas it economically because the going dealer rate was a ridiculous price. Most pros said I'd need to change the dryer and they could do that for a silly price. I found a guy 20 miles away, he said the dryer wouldn't make much difference and quoted only £30 for a regas so I went to him, he didn't have a vac test machine just filled it from a bottle until the sight glass stopped showing bubbles and it worked.. I couldn't believe how cold AC got, at least for the short time it continued to work lol... But knowing what I (think I) know now, I'd just charge an R12 system on my own vehicle with propane and a bit of AC oil and check for leaks with soapy water.
Simon
Quick response to your aside Simon!
I'm just out cooking in the workshop, removing my knackered condenser (and receiver/ dryer!) and your suggestion piqued my interest so thought I'd have a look at the Halfords kit you mentioned.
The refrigerant itself
http://www.halfords.com/motoring/engine-oils-fluids/air-con/ez-chill-auto-air-conditioning-recharge
£40.00
The dispenser/ gauge
http://www.halfords.com/motoring/engine-oils-fluids/air-con/ez-chill-auto-airconditioning-reusable-trigger-dispenser-gauge
£20.00
So total £60.00- not that cheap really, especially when Halfords are offering a system flush and recharge for £40.00 at the moment!
The dryer is there to deal with moisture that gets into the system during assembly or other times when the system is open to atmosphere. But it can only absorb so much. Some also act as a filter, and an accumulator for refrigerant to pool in as liquid.
The problem I see with the DIY kits is on a system with no gas in it, how do you displace the air, and get a proper charge? As well as removing the air, pulling a vacuum on a system properly will boil off the moisture on surfaces inside too.
A P38 takes 1.3kg of r134a too, which isn't a small amount to try and get in. Most cars have half that. I had a multisplit heat pump on my house that took 2.7, for comparison.
But hey whatever works is up to you :) I will do dryers as a service item if the system has been open with a leak etc - a P38 dryer is about £35 delivered last time I bought one. Condenser was £80-90. Couple of proper o-rings, and then a nitrogen test and charge around £50. To me A/C in a car is a must have rather than a nicety, I don't do well with heat. With an entirely black interior (even the head lining...) and leather seats, it would be unbearable in this weather.
Sloth wrote:
The problem I see with the DIY kits is on a system with no gas in it, how do you displace the air, and get a proper charge? As well as removing the air, pulling a vacuum on a system properly will boil off the moisture on surfaces inside too.
Before I got my Maserati someone had tidied up the hoses with tie wraps and the outlet hose on the compressor was too close to the back of the power steering belt and wore through it. I got a new hose made up and refilled it with some R12 compatible refrigerant using a DIY hose. I was warned that I had to get all the air out first but as I didn't have a means of doing that, I just bunged the stuff in and it worked perfectly......
and leather seats, it would be unbearable in this weather.
My daughter had a Japanese imported Toyota MR2 Roadster with AC that was written off for her just after Christmas. She's replaced it with a newer version of the same car but being a UK spec and not one of the special equipment limited editions, the new one doesn't have AC. I got a text from her a couple of days ago asking how the hell anyone is supposed to use a black car with red leather seats in this weather. Being a convertible, with a black cloth roof too, the heat goes straight through the roof rather than partially reflecting off it like it would with a fixed tin roof. Opening the door after it's stood in the sun for a few hours gives a blast of hot air much like opening the oven.
Well I'm glad you're all pleased that I fixed mine. :-)
blueplasticsoulman wrote:
Well I'm glad you're all pleased that I fixed mine. :-)
Not as pleased as you must be, driving around with chilled air circulating around you :-)