Citroen XM Forum

Hi All,

In the hope of fixing the A/C on the SED I decided it maybe better to get the tools together to allow me to do the work myself, that way if it took multiple attempts to find leaks I wasn't going to be paying over and over again not to mention having to take the car in to be fixed. So I bought a A/C recovery and recharge machine via Ebay.

It's an Ariazone 1001 with Recovery Plus module.


I'm hoping that using the machine I can give the XMs A/C a thorough service. The hope is that once I prove that everything's intact with no leaks I can empty and replace the compressor oil, flush the system, replace the receiver drier and recharge the system. I was wondering about the use of Propane for testing purposes, that it to say on the driveway pressure testing, usually A/C systems are pressure tested with Oxygen free Nitrogen but Propane is easier to get hold of and should be safe for such use.

The cost of R134a had really shot up judging by current prices. I've read that this is because of the prices and availability of feedstocks to make the gas.

Steve.

A nice buy there Steve, should pay for itself easily.

My other car was tested, services and regassed...before losing refrigerant again... It probably needs a condenser and vacuum test now.

Mine usually last about 2 weeks on a regas these days.
But the leak tests never show any leaks.
Need to get a pro to look at it.

The use of A/C equipment is now very heavily regulated.
There was a major change a couple of years ago and many of the professionals bulked at the new training and equipment requirements.
This may explain the recent regular appearance of servicable kit on ebay.
The kit may seem attractive but it is important to understand the restrictions on its use.
Using the kit on your own vehicles ONLY may be legal provided you are competent in all aspects including gas storage and disposal.
You will also require Nitrogen and kit for system leak testing.
The use of Nitrogen for testing is mandatory and the fine is £2000 for a professional not having available while offering A/C services.
This is because it is now illegal to recharge with refrigerant to check for leaks.
Work on any vehicle not personally owned by you and the legislation deems you a trader requireing full training and certificates.
It matters not whether you charge or work for free.

John

Another victim of health and safety. How do they reckon we have managed to do all these jobs for the last 50 years or so and survive?

Well done on your equipment Steve anyway - pity I'm so far away

Peter

The regulations are nothing to do with H&S, they are to stop unnecessary emissions of harmful refrigerants being released into the atmosphere.

As long as Steve performs vacuum system integrity tests and uses an inert gas as the test gas, I can't see him falling foul of any regulation.

Hi All,

John is correct in what he's saying. The rules and regulations have been changed in the EU so that persons performing work require a certification - the F Gas Assesment, see here - http://www.acrib.org.uk/M6LEVN80958.

However how many people have broken the party wall act risking a appearance in court or stick to the part P regulations on electrical installs? That's better for others to argue ELSEWHERE. If you don't know what you're doing don't do it. That said I've in I.T. for a few years and still haven't been caught....

Going back to the nature of things on a more practical level, it was because of my concern for the environment that I bought the machine. Sure it would have been easier and cheaper to just unbolt the old drier, let whatever gas is left into the atmosphere, fit new drier and trundle off Kwik-Fit for one of their special deals, it used to be 10 C lower or you don't pay but even though the A/C system may pass it's vacuum test for 30 minutes stood still, there's a fair few A/C systems that stop cooling in a month or so. I don't want that, R-134a is much nicer to the environment than R-12 but it still causes global warming and at £40/Kg it's too expensive to waste. I've spent the last few months reading and watching videos on servicing A/C systems, that doesn't qualify me or exempt me from the rules but for what I intend to do it should be fine. I know it is illegal to fill a system with CFCs/HFCs that is known to be leaking.

The Ariazone will recover any existing gas and nasties to the bottle on the back of the machine (it can't be seen in the picture) using the RecoveryPlus module. That bottle is virtually empty so will be used purely to store the existing gas. Once this has been done I'm free to safely test the integrity of the system using inert gases and take the servicing from their.

I hope that clears up any misunderstandings.

Steve.

Should be an interesting tool Steve, would be very handy to have as a lot of the A/C stuff is in the way when working on the engine. This must surely be the last thing you have to do with your car now?.


D

Hi Dean,I hope it isn't the last thing to do, what's the fun in that?

Seriously there's plenty more to do, the body doesn't look too good what with the peeling lacquer and the odd dint. I'm sure that I need to have a close look at one of the chassis legs, I think one has a very small hole where it's been jacked up incorrectly and the saddle of the jack has pushed though.

Back to the aircon, last weekend I got the machine connected to the car and recovered what gas was in there, though I doubt there was any. I left it under vacuum for 30 minutes but after isolating the pump it lost vacuum quite quickly from the low side and slowly from the high side. Because of the rate of vacuum loss I decided that testing with compressed air couldn't make things much worse. So tonight I rigged up a few bits and put small amount of air into the system at 40 psi, instantly there was hiss from behind the nosecone. Further quick investigation seems to indicate that the condenser has a big leak. Hopefully I'll get time to strip the front down over the next few days whilst I hunt around for a condenser.

Here's a question for members, have you fitted a used condenser and if so was it any good or did it leak?

Thanks.

Steve.

Steve i got a brand new one before christmas at a sensible price, finding a R12 condenser was tough going but i will see if i can post up the supplying companies details for you.

This company

Sorry, the link to the part wont work, just directs you to the home page but im sure you will find it ok, they are listed as £75 but i think it came to £100 which isnt bad at all, finding an R12 one is miracle enough, the fact its cheaper than the R134a condenser is a bonus


D