Airco question

[Cloggy Saint]

I've been using my airco' recently but it doesn't seem to be very cold anymore. It was charged with R134a 2 years ago and i'm sure it was colder then. Does this stuff deteriorate over time?

[gurps_singh1]

Your aircon most likely needs regassing as it will run out over time.

[Cloggy Saint]

It's had very little use since the last re-gassing, can it just evaporate??

[Morat]

I've always understood that you should make a point of using aircon every week or so even during the winter to keep it working properly. It could be utter bollox though!

[Ant]

R134a and R407c have tiny molecules and will leak past even a good seal if the system is not run once a week for 5 minutes to keep all the O rings supple

once a week, every week even in winter and the system will not require regassing every time you need it dudes.

get it topped up and run it as often as you can basically, and all should be well in the longer term.

[Cloggy Saint]

Thanks for the replies. Luckily(?) it's pissing down with rain again so i probably won't need it until next year.

[AndrewL]

'fraid 2 years is about right for leak away (I'm told by aircon man who recently did my other car) if you don't use it once a month at least, ideally once a week. Re gassing is a £50 job, but there can be other problems like a stone thro the condenser or a corroded pipe. Your car is pre-1992, the year they switched to R-134 from the factory so the system components are getting on....

[mrLEE30]

yep 100% correct as above, run it once a week or else it wil leak and the o rings in the compressor will ''dry'' out and will need replacing. run your A/C with heating on full and you wont notice it, (for five mins a week).

50 quid for a refill rip off Britain strikes again! fiver here with vaccuum if needed but the hole in the ozone pays the balance of the cost!! oh well its thinner up north

mrlee

[gareth]

you can recharge yourself with kits from ebay which i'm giving a go on our 406 dieselmiester!

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Car-Air-Condit ... idZ2QQtZkm

datourer, was yours properly converted from R22 to R134a? maybe this could have caused premature leakage? (purely speculation here...)

anyway, the same chap has conversion kits of equivalent but legal replacements for R22:
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Car-Air-Condit ... idZ2QQtZkm

no association with seller etc etc etc. just dealt with him over the last few days and he seems to actually know what he's talking about unlike most on ebay!

[AndrewL]

Interesting comment about whether conversion was done properly. Has to be a possibility (that it wasn't). The gas in my wife's Subaru had lasted 5 years with only very intermittent running of aircon (no jokes please).

Re the £5/£50/DIY option, if done properly you add oil to lubrictae the seals and UV dye to help trace leaks and pressure test ther system for 30 minutes. Doubt whether DIY option really worth it unless it's dirt cheap.

[gareth]

i don't know what a professional job costs but a R134a kit from the bloke on ebay can include dye, PAG oil, leak fix etc. kits vary from £18 to £45 and the more expensive kits have everything you'll need.

i reckon at that price it's gotta be worth a go before paying someone else to do it (and cut corners probably!!!)

[Cloggy Saint]

I had it done at a reputable place. I paid 362 euros for the conversion including the regassing.

[ian332isport]

i don't know what a professional job costs but a R134a kit from the bloke on ebay can include dye, PAG oil, leak fix etc. kits vary from £18 to £45 and the more expensive kits have everything you'll need.

i reckon at that price it's gotta be worth a go before paying someone else to do it (and cut corners probably!!!)

The problem with DIY kits is that you can only add stuff to the system. One of the biggest killers of an A/C system is moisture and you can't get this out without the correct equipment (vacuum pump and valves etc). You also can't keep adding oil/refrigerant indefinitely. It needs a specific amount, and more is not always better.

I installed my A/C system myself (converted to r134a at the same time) and then had a mobile A/C guy come out and vacuum, leak check, fill & test for £100. This also included making up a custom hose as well. I believe around £60 is his normal charge for a service.

As well as running the system for around 10 mins a week minimum (my guy recommended running all the time), he also advised that the dryer container should be changed every 2 to 3 years as well. A/C systems are not fit and forget. They need servicing just like the rest of the car to keep in top condition. People will gladly part with big piles of cash at a dealer (okay, not E30 owners, but you get the idea) for an oil service, but baulk at the mention of getting the A/C serviced.

It's cheaper in the long run to get it serviced regularly and keep it in tip top condition than it is to wait until it fails (usually in the summer when you need it most).

Ian.

[AndrewL]

I agree with Ian and that's why I would't pay much for a kit. If it was £5, lasted the summer and you expect to do it again next year then maybe…

I had a guy out and watched him do both cars. He was really good, careful and with a huge piece of expensive looking kit which as Ian says did vacuum the system first, then charge it, then check it was holding the vacuum. I was happy with the charges, the time spent and the expensive looking kit he had to buy to do the job. And I'm pretty picky when I'm paying others to work on the cars.

[gareth]

i suppose if you have a history with the aircon or like ian, installed it yourself and know when it was all 100% then keeping it topped up and keeping tabs on the pressure is probably a good idea.

i'm going to try out one of these kits on my 406 as i don't really like the car anyway!!!

that £100 for setting it all up inc a hose seems pretty good actually.

[hoyleyboyley]

ian,

recommendation of your mobile guy?

[Cloggy Saint]

following on from this, i just went to get my system re-gassed but it turns out my compressor is leaking and the internals are NLA . I was quoted silly money to replace it so was wondering if anyone knows were i might be able to find new seals/rings etc. I need this sorting asap as it's about 33 degrees over here at the moment!