Member Since: 15 May 2012
Location: Essex
Posts: 150
air con
hi can anyone help with my air con
think i have a leaking or broken pipe
had it regased under warranty
now out of warranty its packed up
would like to have a go looking and fixing myself
and the get it regased
cheers
15th Aug 2012 7:05 pm
def90v8
Member Since: 22 Jan 2011
Location: kent
Posts: 55
Hi do u have rear air con as most likely the pipe joints down the left side or over axle very common.
Just changing to orings normally does not fix it needs pipes.
Or u can try a/c system sealer Halfords sell it never tried it my self
Hope this helps
15th Aug 2012 7:57 pm
M3DPO
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: Notts.
Posts: 8165
If you have it re-gassed it is normal to test first with a coloured dye to show any leaks, use the cheapest you can, possibly mobile, if there are any leaks towards the rear they will not touch it, if there are be prepared for a large bill It can when others can't,
It will when others won't,
It goes where others don't.
15th Aug 2012 8:15 pm
frk79
Member Since: 15 May 2012
Location: Essex
Posts: 150
I will have a look weekend
Cheers fellas
15th Aug 2012 8:23 pm
Disco_Mikey
Member Since: 29 May 2007
Location: Dundee, Scotland
Posts: 20793
It is easy, and fairly cheap to blank off the rear A/C pipes if needed My D3 Build Thread
Member Since: 15 Mar 2007
Location: Tenby
Posts: 92
[quote]hi can anyone help with my air con
would like to have a go looking and fixing myself
and the get it regased[quote]
Hi
This is easy to do - go to Halfords buy x1 can of EZ CHILL R134a recharge air con its £30 - you get £10 refund when you take the container back with receipt.
Also buy the gauge as pictured here - cost at Halfords £19.99 - best bit of kit I’ve owned.
Start the car - run the Air con on MAX for min on 3-4 mins - then plug this gauge on - has to run in the blue area. When testing see what the air temp is outside (should be about 60 - 70F) and move the outside dial gauge to this temp reading - to set the gauge.
NOTE: It must be plugged into the low pressure point cap (see battery - its below inside the engine bay) the High connector is large - so the gauge will not fit on this one - so you really cant go wrong. Don't drop the protective dust cap down inside the car engine bay - its easy to do and lose the cap !
Note: The gauge should not pulsate up and down - its should be constant - which then tells you the Air Con pump is running all the time - inside the car it should be ice cold (only on max settings)
By re-gasing the system its will have new oil / air con fluid so should seal any o rings and re charge the system back up.
The best time to do this is when its about warm about 70f - not on a cold day.
One last thing - run the air con during winter months for about 5 mins per month - this will lubricate all seals and stop things seizing like the air con pump motor. ( I know this as my GF seized the Air con pump on her freelander as she never had the unit on from new - car was 3 years old )
Last edited by Kentuckykid69 on 17th Aug 2012 6:03 pm. Edited 7 times in total
16th Aug 2012 12:14 pm
frk79
Member Since: 15 May 2012
Location: Essex
Posts: 150
Hi thanks for the info
Have you done it yourself
16th Aug 2012 7:53 pm
Kentuckykid69
Member Since: 15 Mar 2007
Location: Tenby
Posts: 92
Hi frk79
I check this every year with the gauge - connect the hose clip to the LOW PRESSURE PLUG (this plug is situated on the top of the cooling pipes (Black protective cap) - under/side of battery compartment) - the High pressure plug is set back to the rear of the engine bay (leave this one alone) - one say H the other has L on.
connect it to the LOW PRESSURE PLUG with the car running & Air Con running (run for min of 3/4 mins before you do this as the system must pressurize NOTE: Shake the Air Con Recharge container for about 2 mins to mix the Air Con Gs & Oil then attached the Air Recharge container to the Gauge - hold it horizontal and agitate the canister slow (so its still mixing) and apply Air Con Gas.
Correct pressure reading would be about 30 - 40 IN THE BLUE AREA
Do not over fill system - SEE PIC this is with engine & air con running flat out
Click image to enlarge
Last edited by Kentuckykid69 on 17th Aug 2012 6:08 pm. Edited 3 times in total
17th Aug 2012 9:06 am
CFB
Member Since: 02 Dec 2005
Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire
Posts: 6100
You need to get a professional check done before using the Halfords kit, if you have a pipe leak you are just wasting money and also discharging refrigerant into the atmosphere which is illegal.
The kits are fine to top up a system that works ok but is losing efficiency, if it's not working at all then as above, get a pro to do a leak test with UV dye2020 BMW X1 18d XDrive X-Line Auto
17th Aug 2012 4:15 pm
bambi
Member Since: 10 Apr 2009
Location: south yorkshire
Posts: 2059
What he says, for the £25 you will spend to get it checked over , you get a good report of what is wrong, be it leaks, low gas , faulty condenser, separator , or pump. Pipes. As said to discharge refrigerant knowingly into the atmosphere is a major no no.
Also you get an estimate of repair cost.
17th Aug 2012 5:39 pm
frk79
Member Since: 15 May 2012
Location: Essex
Posts: 150
Went to halfords
Went to buy the gauge and bottle
£20 for gauge
£35 for bottle
Talking the the guy there
And he put a gauge on it to see if there
Was a fault (in the red on the gauge)
But it came up in the white just a little
So for a regas £35
Plus £10 refund for bottle
And £10 for doing it
It's ok for now
So I will see if it leaks
Cheers Kentucky for the info
17th Aug 2012 7:51 pm
Kentuckykid69
Member Since: 15 Mar 2007
Location: Tenby
Posts: 92
Quote:
And he put a gauge on it to see if there
Was a fault (in the red on the gauge)
frk79
Don't worry about it going in the red - it will do when the engine is off & Air Con is off - its normal
It is however important to run the engine & air con for 3 - 4 mins min - then plug the gauge on to get a correct reading. Just make sure its a warm day to check it with gauge. (50 - 70F)
and it can save you time & money. Once you have got it to the correct reading re check it in a weeks time - If you have added some it can seal & lub the seals in the system - IT DOES WORK
Whilst it is correct to say that discharging refrigerant into the atmosphere is a major no no - the gases used in cars is generaly R134a which are not as bad as R22, the quantities are not huge.
Put it this way, I know of major failures of industrial chillers that discharge hundreds of Kg of gas into the atmosphere - and do it more often that you would think Mark.
2006, D3 SE Auto - gone but not forgotten.
2014 BMW 530d M Sport Tourer.
1977 Triumph Spitfire 1500
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18th Aug 2012 7:31 am
frk79
Member Since: 15 May 2012
Location: Essex
Posts: 150
Got into it this morning for work
All ok
I will re check it and let you know what
Reading I am getting (next week)
Cheers again
(wife and kids are happy again)
18th Aug 2012 7:40 am
Kentuckykid69
Member Since: 15 Mar 2007
Location: Tenby
Posts: 92
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