DIY Air conditioning Repair
Discussion
I'm thinking about having a go at repairing the A/C on my Defender.
It just about holds gas (pressure disappears over the course of a week or so) but the compressor has seized and needs replacing before I can find out if there are any other proper leaks.
The condenser was leaking and was replaced a while back so I'm hoping that was the root of the problem and since then it might just be dried out seals or the compressor itself. If not then I'm not frightened of pulling more stuff out, it's all fairly accessible as it's effectively a bolt on system on the older Defenders.
I was going to change the receiver drier anyway as it's been sat for so long.
I've seen there are kits available that have vacuum pumps with low/high side manifold/valve blocks to use with bottles of refrigerant, are these sufficient for doing the job properly or do I need to take it somewhere with a proper machine to diagnose once I've replaced the bits I need to?
Also does anyone have any tips or is there anything else I need to know when approaching the job of replacing the components, e.g. PTFE tape on joins, anywhere I should be aware that might still be holding pressure, etc etc?
Cheers all
It just about holds gas (pressure disappears over the course of a week or so) but the compressor has seized and needs replacing before I can find out if there are any other proper leaks.
The condenser was leaking and was replaced a while back so I'm hoping that was the root of the problem and since then it might just be dried out seals or the compressor itself. If not then I'm not frightened of pulling more stuff out, it's all fairly accessible as it's effectively a bolt on system on the older Defenders.
I was going to change the receiver drier anyway as it's been sat for so long.
I've seen there are kits available that have vacuum pumps with low/high side manifold/valve blocks to use with bottles of refrigerant, are these sufficient for doing the job properly or do I need to take it somewhere with a proper machine to diagnose once I've replaced the bits I need to?
Also does anyone have any tips or is there anything else I need to know when approaching the job of replacing the components, e.g. PTFE tape on joins, anywhere I should be aware that might still be holding pressure, etc etc?
Cheers all
Ex air con guy here, if you have access to some nitrogen I would recommend just pressurising the system first and spraying soapy water over everything, bubbles appear where leaks are. - don't run the system with nitrogen though.
Good idea to replace the drier as the system would have been letting moisture in when there was no pressure.
I can't think of any parts that would keep pressure separate in any significant amount, yes, when you turn off the pump it takes a couple of minutes for the low / high side to even out. (this is why the pump often has a start delay timer)
When you pull the vacuum across the system, give it a bit longer than you have to! - and check the gauges stay down even when the pump is turned off.
Good idea to replace the drier as the system would have been letting moisture in when there was no pressure.
I can't think of any parts that would keep pressure separate in any significant amount, yes, when you turn off the pump it takes a couple of minutes for the low / high side to even out. (this is why the pump often has a start delay timer)
When you pull the vacuum across the system, give it a bit longer than you have to! - and check the gauges stay down even when the pump is turned off.
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