Xantia - likely air con leak points?

Dommo · Post by **Dommo** » 23 Mar 2010, 15:32

Hi folks.

My AC worked when I bought the car on new years eve. And since fixing the suspension at the rear and changing the front ram, it doesn't.

I went to Kwik Fit today to top it up, knowing that you don't get charged if it can't hold pressure. The guy came over to me after an hour and said sorry mate it won't hold pressure - therefore it's leaking.

So basically I was wondering where the common leak points are on the Activa CT? I know with 306's if there's a leak it's likely to be the pipes that run under the rad so I was wondering if there's some usual points to check for leaking? I know I can take it to a place to get a leak test but I was wondering if I could have a look for anything obvious.

Cheers.

Post by **xantia_v6** » 23 Mar 2010, 17:56

I think the two common leaks are from the condenser itself (road salt causes corrosion), or one of the pipes near the condenser.

The condenser is quite cheap if you shop around, and (depending on your engine) not too hard to fit. The A/C pipes are generally very expensive (new), and if it is the one running back to the expansion valve, very difficult to fit.

Any worthwhile A/C technician would have used a sniffer to determine at least the approximate location of a leak.

If it has leaked in the last few months, there should be tell-tale oily mess near the leak.

Dommo · Post by **Dommo** » 23 Mar 2010, 18:29

The pipe out of the compressor looks quite oiley where it meets the compressor, so it could be there? I'll have a look at the condensor at some point, tomorrow if I can.

Cheers v6