Looking for an AC evaporator for Peugeot 307?

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blackcloud
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Looking for an AC evaporator for Peugeot 307?

Post by blackcloud »

Hello all,

My AC is not working, I have had car at 2 different mechanics who ran dye/pressure check and both said the evaporator had a leak. Maybe both were wrong.

However, they both have said they can not find an evaporator from any supplier and both said its a dash out job.
My 3 questions are:

1) Is there another easier way to remove and replace the evaporator without a dash out?
2) Anyone help me locate the part from any company?
3) One company I called said theres no such thing as an evaporator for a Peugeot 307, is mechanic not refering to the Heater matrix? What could it be?

my peugeot 307 has a evaporator core and a heater matrix and a condenser?

2 Mechanics said that there is a leak in the evaporator which is why the AC is not working. The heating is fine but not the coolant. They said the condenser is totally fine.

I called up a parts place and they said he can not find a evaporator for this car, only a heater matrix. Maybe mechanic is calling the heater matrix a evaporator the company said? I am confused?
Eniallan
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Re: Looking for an AC evaporator for Peugeot 307?

Post by Eniallan »

The dash does need to mostly be removed, since the evaporator is in a large housing that itself is more or less locked in under the dash because of its size.
Getting a new evaporator may not be easy, second hand shouldn't be much of a problem. Can see a few on eBay, I'm not sure if there are different types depending on the year or trim level, someone with servicebox would be able to find out.
Would of course want to make sure that the evaporator, second hand one, is leak free too.
blackcloud
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Re: Looking for an AC evaporator for Peugeot 307?

Post by blackcloud »

Thanks, can not find a mechanic who is willing to do the job, they don't specifically say no but say things like we are too busy, dont have enough staff, can not source the part, don't return my calls. Very disappointing as I am happy to pay for it to be repaired but no one will do it. Probably because a dash out job is not fun at all. I think part of it is also that they have never changed the evaporator before, most I have spoken to have said they have not done it before or its been 8 years since. Did find one but said it would take 6-7 days of work????

Wish there was a decent AC mobile unit I could plug into the USB port, one which I didnt have to fill with Ice and water every day.
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Re: Looking for an AC evaporator for Peugeot 307?

Post by GiveMeABreak »

The condenser is the 'mini' sized radiator that resides next to the main engine radiator.
The Evaporator is essentially the large housing behind the dash.
The Matrix is inside the dash - there are 2 large pipes from the A/C system that go into the engine bulkhead and connect to the matrix further on.

So yes, you have all three.

A competent Auto refrigeration engineer should be able to locate the leak - and determine if it is the evaporator or not by using dye and an ultraviolet detector / probe through the air vents to see if there are any signs of a leak.

The most common leaks are from the condenser radiator at the front which is prone to small stone chips. It did take a main dealer 4 attempts to detect my A/C leak from here when with dye - so it's not always obvious and may take several attempts.

So try and eliminate the obvious first before looking at the worst case scenario. Yes, if it is the evaporator, the dash has to come out and it can be very labour intensive as there is no way to remove it otherwise. The heater matrix can sometimes be removed much easier without the dash out.

So you really need to get a definitive diagnostic of the A/C system first - and this is not always the local garage - you may need to go to somewhere that does this all the time and can give you a proper answer so you can evaluate the costs involved and make a decision.

A new evaporator alone is about £880 inc. VAT from the dealer, so if it is this, it may not be economically viable to replace given the labour on top of this! A second hand one is very chancy as that still a lot of labour costs involved for a second hand unit that may also end up leaking if damaged during the removal refit process. These sorts of components are not widely available new outside the dealer network from other suppliers for obvious reasons of stock and demand for so many different cars.
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Re: Looking for an AC evaporator for Peugeot 307?

Post by xantia_v6 »

I think that the evaporator is supplied complete with the whole housing of the ventilation system, that is why it is not listed on many parts sites. I think that the evaporator on may be available from some Chinese vendors at less price, but as there is no PSA part number for it, it is hard to know that you are ordering the correct part...
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