Replace or reseal compressor?

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Xaccers
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Replace or reseal compressor?

Post by Xaccers »

Cassy's had aircon trouble before I met her, with a green dye already present in her gas.
Had her re-gassed about two years ago and no leaks were found, but she's been slowly losing gas since then, with larger bubbles appearing in the sightglass, with it barely cooling in recent weeks.
Had her steam cleaned last weekend and since then the sightglass looks empty and the compressor clutch isn't engaging.

I have noticed over the years of owning her bright green drips hanging on the bottom of the compressor, more similar to the colour of the gas in the sightglass than LHM.

So I reckon the compressor is leaking, and the steam cleaning finished it off by removing any veg gel which was helping keep it sealed.

I can't remember if the compressor is Delphi or Sanden, I think it may be the latter (got it written down somewhere at home), with the pipes screwed onto the compressor unions rather than a plate screwed on holding them on.

Given that a replacement compressor is around the £300-350 mark, how easy is it to replace seals on them?
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Re: Replace or reseal compressor?

Post by CitroJim »

Xac wrote: So I reckon the compressor is leaking, and the steam cleaning finished it off by removing any veg gel which was helping keep it sealed.
If the veg gel on the compressor was anything like on the pump then I can well believe it.

I reckon we've found a new sealant there :lol:

Might be best to source one from a very recently scrapped car. They soon deteriorate if not used.....
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Xaccers
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Post by Xaccers »

The thing is Jim, we know that A/C should be used regularly to keep the seals in good order, and serviced regularly, but many people (myself included until a few years ago) don't know this, so their compressors have sat idling for years, which is probably what's happened to Cassy's.

I must find my BoL as I'm sure that's where I wrote down the type of compressor, unless someone can identify it by the type of connection.
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Post by vanny »

It would be well worth taking the car to a decent AC specialist and have them test the system underpressure with nitrogen. It should be a relatively cheap process and should find any and all leaks, rather than guessing.

If there is any gas left you could try spraying the hose joins with soapy water and see if you get bubbles.
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Post by Xaccers »

All sorted and didn't cost a penny, just a trip to Jim's :)

Shorting pins 1 and 2 (the two fat wires) as a test didn't get a result on the compressor, so working with Jim and his circuit diagrams we found the cause of no life at the compressor.

We've swapped the fuel pump for an older fully mechanical pump, so the K light is perminantly on as the ECU has nothing to adjust the timing with.
In that situation, the green relay by the ECU activates the a/c cut off relay as the ECU can't say the engine is running properly.
Remove the relay and a/c works :D
1.9TD+ SX Xantia Estate (Cassy) running on 100% veg
1.9TD SX Xantia Hatchback (Jenny) running on 100% veg for sale
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DIY sphere tool
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