Aircon issues...

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89of480
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Aircon issues...

Post by 89of480 » Sun May 20, 2018 5:53 pm

Hello again everyone :D

I had my R134A aircon regassed after the MOT, considering it was literally completely empty and has been for a long time, the car held the vacuum for 10 minutes and then took the gas like a champ, giving me ice cold aircon and a big smile! :hopping: the idle increased and the relays clicked and the compressor whirred and I was very happy, although later in the evening shortly after, and today too I noticed the compressor isn’t coming on anymore and the air isn’t coming out any colder than the vent setting. Now I’m sure there is a low pressure switch on these to prevent damage to the compressor so I’m guessing the gas has leaked out through the compressor slowly after it was engaged? Especially as there was literally a 0 reading for leakage on the machine at the garage? It’s a shame and a waste of £60 of gas :(

Thanks everyone!
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jifflemon
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Re: Aircon issues...

Post by jifflemon » Sun May 20, 2018 6:50 pm

So first of all, 10 minutes on vacuum isn't enough.

My bloke holds them for an hour - Yes, it's a bit more inconvenient for the garage, but it firstly makes sure they get ALL the gas out, and is likely to show up any minor leaks.

Next, did they add any UV die when they gassed? Again, my aircon bloke does it as standard practice, makes tracing leaks much easier.

Also, if you've not run aircon for a while, you should have hopefully been advised to use it constantly for a month or so? The seals in the system are going to need lubricating, which is done when the system gets used.

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Re: Aircon issues...

Post by 89of480 » Sun May 20, 2018 9:57 pm

jifflemon wrote:
Sun May 20, 2018 6:50 pm
So first of all, 10 minutes on vacuum isn't enough.

My bloke holds them for an hour - Yes, it's a bit more inconvenient for the garage, but it firstly makes sure they get ALL the gas out, and is likely to show up any minor leaks.

Next, did they add any UV die when they gassed? Again, my aircon bloke does it as standard practice, makes tracing leaks much easier.

Also, if you've not run aircon for a while, you should have hopefully been advised to use it constantly for a month or so? The seals in the system are going to need lubricating, which is done when the system gets used.
Hmm, okay, I will have to go back to him at the garage and get him to hold it for longer next time, I’m guessing if I still get no leaks showing up on the machine then it might be a problem with the gas leaking out of compressor itself?

I thought it was standard practice for them to add dye to trace leaks, but then I’m not surely he did to be honest; I haven’t had a chance to check under the bonnet to look for any traces though.

Yeah, I am fully aware of running the aircon constantly for the seals, it’s just a shame the gas disappeared within the same day so now the system isn’t running anymore :( But then there wasn’t any gas in the car when I bought it 3 years ago, I thought it would be worth a try and work out where I was standing with the aircon system.

Thanks
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Re: Aircon issues...

Post by jifflemon » Mon May 21, 2018 6:02 pm

well, it kinda depends....

Air con runs at pretty high pressure; Vacuum is often much lower.

I've known people use compressed air to hunt down leaks - It raises eyebrows, as you're potentially introducing moisture into the system. The counter argument is that if the system has leaked, its open to atmosphere, thus open to moisture.

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Re: Aircon issues...

Post by 89of480 » Thu May 31, 2018 11:38 pm

jifflemon wrote:
Mon May 21, 2018 6:02 pm
well, it kinda depends....

Air con runs at pretty high pressure; Vacuum is often much lower.

I've known people use compressed air to hunt down leaks - It raises eyebrows, as you're potentially introducing moisture into the system. The counter argument is that if the system has leaked, its open to atmosphere, thus open to moisture.
I did find a cheap, second hand compressor for sale, is it worth getting this or trying to conduct more testing first? I saw Scandix had a complete seal set available too, I’m guessing this is also a good buy?

Thanks!
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Re: Aircon issues...

Post by jifflemon » Fri Jun 01, 2018 7:01 am

it depends on a number of factors....

How cheap is cheap? Is it an R12 or an R134 (cos I bet they've just listed it as a compressor)

Seal set is good, but probably overpriced (everything at skandix is!)

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Re: Aircon issues...

Post by 89of480 » Fri Jun 01, 2018 1:01 pm

jifflemon wrote:
Fri Jun 01, 2018 7:01 am
it depends on a number of factors....

How cheap is cheap? Is it an R12 or an R134 (cos I bet they've just listed it as a compressor)

Seal set is good, but probably overpriced (everything at skandix is!)
Well, I believe the part is second hand, and unfortunately it doesn’t list what refrigerant is used, but it does give the part numbers 3485087, 1015 485087 andSKU 1110147.

It’s listed for £30 for sale, I found a couple brand new, aftermarket ones, and they’re about £400.

I think the seal set on Scandix was about £20 or £30 too, but as you say, everything on there is over priced!

Thanks for following my instagram by the way :wink:
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Re: Aircon issues...

Post by jifflemon » Fri Jun 01, 2018 3:57 pm

that'll be the R134 version (a SD7V16, the r12 is an SD709)

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Re: Aircon issues...

Post by 89of480 » Sun Jun 03, 2018 8:27 pm

jifflemon wrote:
Fri Jun 01, 2018 3:57 pm
that'll be the R134 version (a SD7V16, the r12 is an SD709)
Cool! Seeing as the car is already R134A, I guess it’s wirnr a punt for £30?
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