And yes I do know a little about air conditioning, as in, I run an air conditioning company
I'm due to go to France soon in our elderly Focus. It's aircon works OK, but is it worth getting it regassed as it's never been touched in 7years...£40 well spent or waste of money?
probably worth getting it checked over and re-gassed. You can get moisture in the system and that affects the cooling that it can do.
If it aint broke - why fix it ?
quote:
Originally posted by clairetoo
If it aint broke - why fix it ?
Does it blow nice and cold?. If its barely cold then do it.
My Volvo 850 was cool when on full air con COLD. I regassed it with a £40 kit from my locak car shop, (cheaper than Halfrods) Its Castrol R134a
refigerant gas. and £19 a refil tin.
You get a Tin and the Pipes and Valve for £40, and if you need another tin its just £19 and reuse the pipes an gauge,.
Was dead easy to do, jus followed the instructions.
Its certainly a lot colder now, and could probably do with a second tin, but mine will be OK for the UK in Summer.
Hope this helps.
Cheers
quote:
Originally posted by clairetoo
If it aint broke - why fix it ?
If it's blowing cold leave it alone.
I wouldn't recommend the Halfords cans, too much gas can cause failure, although I haven't looked at the weight of gas or spec on these.
The gas can leak out of an automotive system through the compressor seal as it's belt driven.
To test any refrigerant system and comply with REFCOM guidelines you should reclaim all the refrigerant in the system and pressure test with oxygen
free nitrogen. Then charge by weight.
Moisture (internal) will kill a system, but the only way to remove it is to reclaim and run a vacuum pump for a fair period.
The smells mentioned are caused by external moisture and has nothing to do with the performance of the system unless the coil is blocked.
External moisture (also called condensate) occurs when you pass hot air over a cold coil (the evaporator) and drips beneath the car.
Also, if you want it checked it may be worth finding a local refrigeration engineer rather than a garage who's just bought the
'kit'.
HTH
Lyn
It will probably would benefit from a top up, DIY job but don't buy a top up aerosol with lubricant in the mix as it can lead to too much oil
in the system which dosen't do the efficiency any good.
You need a suitable pressure gauge to check the low side pressure with the system on and engine running The URL below links to a suitable
bundle of what you need. --- oh and if you car has a pollen fillter it might be an idea to change it.
http://www.car-air-conditioning-supplies.co.uk/caraircon/product.php?productid=520&cat=30&page=1
If you take it to a car air conditioning specialist they will try and turn it into a major job.
[Edited on 22/7/08 by britishtrident]
What a load of BS!
What the hell do you know about aircon?
quote:
Originally posted by fesycresy
If it's blowing cold leave it alone.
I wouldn't recommend the Halfords cans, too much gas can cause failure, although I haven't looked at the weight of gas or spec on these.
The gas can leak out of an automotive system through the compressor seal as it's belt driven.
To test any refrigerant system and comply with REFCOM guidelines you should reclaim all the refrigerant in the system and pressure test with oxygen free nitrogen. Then charge by weight.
Moisture (internal) will kill a system, but the only way to remove it is to reclaim and run a vacuum pump for a fair period.
The smells mentioned are caused by external moisture and has nothing to do with the performance of the system unless the coil is blocked.
External moisture (also called condensate) occurs when you pass hot air over a cold coil (the evaporator) and drips beneath the car.
Also, if you want it checked it may be worth finding a local refrigeration engineer rather than a garage who's just bought the 'kit'.
HTH
Lyn
quote:
Originally posted by clairetoo
If it aint broke - why fix it ?
quote:
Originally posted by worX
What a load of BS!
What the hell do you know about aircon?
quote:
Originally posted by fesycresy
If it's blowing cold leave it alone.
I wouldn't recommend the Halfords cans, too much gas can cause failure, although I haven't looked at the weight of gas or spec on these.
The gas can leak out of an automotive system through the compressor seal as it's belt driven.
To test any refrigerant system and comply with REFCOM guidelines you should reclaim all the refrigerant in the system and pressure test with oxygen free nitrogen. Then charge by weight.
Moisture (internal) will kill a system, but the only way to remove it is to reclaim and run a vacuum pump for a fair period.
The smells mentioned are caused by external moisture and has nothing to do with the performance of the system unless the coil is blocked.
External moisture (also called condensate) occurs when you pass hot air over a cold coil (the evaporator) and drips beneath the car.
Also, if you want it checked it may be worth finding a local refrigeration engineer rather than a garage who's just bought the 'kit'.
HTH
Lyn
Halfords do a computerised "Top-up" for £45.
They extract the gas, check for leaks then top up with a measured amount of gas/lubricant.
After a certain amount of time they check the pressure, if it's dropped above a certain percentage, there's no charge.
Seems like a decent deal to me...
I had mine done for £40 at a local garage. The machine sucks all your old fluid out and filters it then repressurises the system with the correct
amount of coolant. It has a built in program to run through. If there isn't enough in the system the pump will not engage as a built in safety
stops it. There are different fluids and older systems may not comply with newer regulations as well. He also recommended running the aircon for 10
minutes every week while driving round even when not needed as leaving it unused can cause problems.
[Edited on 22/7/08 by Peteff]
If its blowing cold enough leave it alone, you wont get moisture in the system as its a positive pressure so how can moisture enter. You can do a lot
of damage with a DIY can if you dont purge the line at the service valve this allows both air and moisture to enter the sealed system and you could
overcharge it screwing up the valve reeds in the compressor.
Most systems have a prescribed weight of refrigerant in em and unless your a trained fridge man and read both high side and lo side pressure you can
overfill a system which serves no purpose.
Best tip for car A/C is to run it for 10 minutes a week through the year this lubes the shaft seal on the compressor the source of most leaks.
Cleaning the condensor (the radiator looking thing usually in front of the cars radiator) will help it run more efficiently.
Cheers,
Bob (15 years as a refrigeration engineer in me other life)
PS sorry Pete your post beat me to it.
[Edited on 22/7/08 by splitrivet]
[Edited on 22/7/08 by splitrivet]
Britishtrident, he's pissing about, Steve's a mate of mine.
And yes I do know a little about air conditioning, as in, I run an air conditioning company
I stand by my post
Steve
quote:
Originally posted by fesycresy
Britishtrident, he's pissing about, Steve's a mate of mine.
And yes I do know a little about air conditioning, as in, I run an air conditioning company
Had mine done at Halfords just short of 50 of the queens pounds including anti bacterial spray to vents, Im chillin like a good un plus the refrigerant also has a leak sealer in it