Aircon struggling

[Graham]

The problem is, if I PM Dave and then point him to this thread (so I don't have to type it all out again), that knob of an admin will throw a hissy fit

You too . . . I've had my knuckles rapped for referring to this site as well

Bob.

.
And me on more than once, ,

G

 

[Brett]

No idea where he was going to get the dryer element from, shall maybe give him a ring closer to summer.

There's lot's of p[laces you can get them from, here's one to start with.

http://www.autoairconparts.co.uk/To...s-pumps-condensers-aircon-radiators-and-more/

The air con guy I use sourced my condenser & drier for me.

 

[Mal Eade]

I Don't care what goes in mine you can fill it with Buffalo P**s and long as it works,

And I don't have to drive about with Betty Slowpokes all summer.

I had a System that was fine until some rag-head in Zagora said he needed to fix it.

To late to stop him changed the fill valve for a brass nut and some bent copper pipe let out all the gas and refilled it with God knows what.

Worked a treat for a day then failed !!! By this time we were 200 miles away and to far to go back to have a word in his shell like.

Mal

 

[Bat21]

All gassed up with R426A and cold as ice it is too, dropped 7 degrees inside the cab on the short trip home

If there are any problems I'll update this thread

Thanks for all the help and info etc

 

[Ecoman]

nice one. Fingers crossed for you that all goes well.

 

[Mal Eade]

Had mine charged up at the same time as Bat21 and hard nipples all the way home.

ICCCIE.



Mal

 

[joinerman]

Yours or !!!!!!! lol

 

[Mal Eade]

I would post a pic or two but no doubt I would be banned on the spot.


Mal

 

[Bat21]

Almost 20 months on and it looks like the aircon system needs a refill once again. I would have thought if there was a leak it would have shown up long before now? At least this time it should be cheaper.

Does anyone else need to recharge their systems occasionally?

 

[Bat21]

.... Does anyone else need to recharge their systems occasionally?

Can I assume from the defining silence that the answer is a resounding "no"?

 

[Charlie]

If the system is in A1tip top condition with no leaks at all, then no it should not need recharging. In reality a 15+ year old A/C system will have O-ring/joints weeping a little resulting in the low refrigerant, so yes the system will need to be recharged from time to time.

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

Only ever had to re-gas any of ours when there was something wrong, otherwise they should last I'd guess 5-10 years without needing a top up, maybe longer.

 

[Bat21]

Thanks chaps, I have a feeling then that taking 20 months to stop working means it's a veeeeerrrrrrryyyyyy slow leak that will be almost impossible to seek out

 

[Gary Stockton]

I assume its been in constant use, I.e. with gas (and thus oil) circulating keeping the various seals and 'o' rings lubricated? They can shrink if dry apparently and cause the system to lose gas over a long time Luke you've described.

Cheers

 

[Bat21]

I assume its been in constant use, I.e. with gas (and thus oil) circulating keeping the various seals and 'o' rings lubricated? They can shrink if dry apparently and cause the system to lose gas over a long time Luke you've described.

Cheers

My LC only gets used once a week, probably not even that often in reality, and I don't run the air con during the cold months, I guess that's something I should get in the habbit of doing though.

Interestingly it was around this time of year that it last stopped working, that was following my engine rebuild.

And who is this Luke you speak of

 

[Gary Stockton]

Ah yes. Luke. Don't you just love predictive text on a handheld device!! Was going to edit that but tapatalk doesn't offer that facility so gave up in disgust

So maybe a re-gas and keep the A/C going more often could help sort it?

Time to go somewhere warm though and try out your new tent!!

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

With that level of usage it might be a quite obvious leak with the help of some dye and UV light if you run it for a few days. Did you remove the condenser when you did your engine? The condenser and dryer joints are the first place I'd look for leaks on an 80 as so many have needed new o-rings and cleaned up joins there. Mine needed one new pipe and new o-rings but could really have done with another pipe changing but a bit of sealant did the job

 

[Bat21]

So maybe a re-gas and keep the A/C going more often could help sort it?

Time to go somewhere warm though and try out your new tent!!

Hopefully getting it regassed with the R426A on Monday and I will try and take her out a couple of times a week.... yes Morocco is 'calling' and I need to get back there for my 'fix'.

With that level of usage it might be a quite obvious leak with the help of some dye and UV light if you run it for a few days. Did you remove the condenser when you did your engine? The condenser and dryer joints are the first place I'd look for leaks on an 80 as so many have needed new o-rings and cleaned up joins there. Mine needed one new pipe and new o-rings but could really have done with another pipe changing but a bit of sealant did the job

It has taken 20 months to 'leak out' this time Jon I didn't disturb the air con system when I did the engine rebuild, I managed to tie the compressor up out of the way.

I might just get the aircon dude to add some dye with the regas and I'll borrow a UV light and have a poke about around the condenser and dryer joints to see if it shows any signs of leaking.

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

it may only leak to any measurable degree when pressurized i.e. when you use it. As the gas leaks away and the pressure drops it may reach a point where it no longer leaks and could sit for a long period with little to no leakage. Continuous use will keep the system pressurised and leaking. There is a lot of gas to leak out so small leaks can take a long time to let enough out to stop working.

 

[Towpack]

Just in case anyone is unaware, you can use the aircon in winter with the heating on to rapidly dry the air in the car and de-fog the windows. Works a treat.