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tomsheppard
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drat! and doubledrat!

Post by tomsheppard »

The dreamspec BX project just came off the rails. I cannot obtain an aircon condenser from GSF and the nearest supplier is quoting £300+.
This with the cost of seals, drier etc. and the amount of work necessary to do the job suggests that the overall cost and aggravation would not be worth the candle.
Should I:
Pay up?
Give up and buy a Xantia?
try to find another condenser?
Try to substitute one from another vehicle?
Any Ideas?
bxbodger
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Post by bxbodger »

You could try your nearest local air-con specialist; there are a lot of these around now that air-con is more or less a standard fitment.
They may have something suitable, as a lot of them also do aftermarket conversions and will probably have a generic version- I seem to remember an article in "car mechanics" some time back where a kit was fitted to an Alfa. This was an aftermarket kit designed to be fitted to a wide range of cars and they had all sorts of adaptors, brackets, etc.
alan s
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Post by alan s »

Tom,
Chase around; that price is Taurus excretia. They are talking the R134a conversion (late model one) the type associated with your model I don't have any info on but as a comparison, a Pug 405 has a "tube & fin" type that is 590mm long X 355 mm wide and 26mm thick. Fittings; no. 6 male insert O ring and no. 8 male insert O ring.
Mfg part number CN5321
If that will fit it's less than 150 UK pounds new as a non genuine part out here.
If nothing else, that should give you a guide to value. There's nothing rocket science about these things, they are basically similar to a radiator; it the dimensions are the same, they'll fit and should work.
Alan S
tomsheppard
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Post by tomsheppard »

Thanks mate. I had reckoned that it ain't rocket science. From your posting, I suspect that there is a standard code for fittings. It would help if you could point me to some data on that so I can puzzle it out.
alan s
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Post by alan s »

On the 'net I would if I could but being retired I wouldn't know where to start.
Suggest try some of the suppliers like F C Lovelocks, K G Luke, Actrol Phillips, Carrier, Sanden, Nippon Denso, Eaton or any of the makers although I must admit, it's a bit of a closed shop & they don't share their secrets with the general public much mainly because they work on the policy of Ignorance is Bliss, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing and mostly "what they don't know won't hurt 'em."
Alan S
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Post by ljaw2002uk »

I would say buy the Xantia [:D]
tomsheppard
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Post by tomsheppard »

That's what I thought Alan. Some trawling found the 405 condenser for £115 so I reckon that the job is on. I have to replace the drier anyway and drain ndown the system so that I can refill the oil with something that agrees with R134. Current thinking is that R134 doesn't mind the old seals so a few o rings for the pipes and I'll be away. Mind you, changing two heaters in a day will be a challenge!
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Post by jono »

Consider:
If you don't finish it you will always wish you had, and if you do finish it you will wonder why you bothered and spent all that money.
Look at it from a different perspective, it's your project/hobby you are doing it for your own pleasure, so it takes time to source parts at the right price that's all part of the game.
Regards
Jon
alan s
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Post by alan s »

Tom,
I think once you get to the stage of tracking a suitable condensor down, it may be time to find a fridge guy who can take it from there as moisture in one of these systems is a real drama.
The oil is a specific type & is hygroscopic and evacuation equipment is essential. Nothing but nothing can be left exposed to the elements for any length of time & gases these days are supposed to be contained not just blown off into the atmosphere; apparently I must have filled the stratosphere with Freon when I was working..[:0][B)] Also, try to get in the region of the TX valve & give it a good close examination for any signs of oil leaks (in the form of seepage around the bellows at the top usually) as that is a sign that there's a leak there that will drain te gas out of the system over a period of time; the bigger the leak the quicker it'll drain it.
That TX valve is usually where most BX systems lose their gas in the first place.
Alan S
tomsheppard
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Post by tomsheppard »

Thanks Alan and Jono. If this was a hobby project, I'd leave it alone but for medical reasons, my girlfriend has to be transported in air conditioned comfort during summer. The BX is the best car for the job, (It gets used for lugging stuff to and around rural France, so it has to be big, unpretentious, diesel and French.) I was told by the man who sold me the donor car (now DLM's parched panther,) that the leak was in the condenser which I have removed but not yet tested. I shall have a good squint at all the components, when I pull the brutes apart. I have suitable solvents to clean evaporator and pipes and dry air to blow it out,
I have enough understanding to drain and flush out the compressor and to refill it with the correct oil (Which I'll source today).
I'll change the drier and condenser as a matter of course and will insist upon having it vacuumed down for long enough before the engineer recharges the system.
The electrics are taken as read. They will be made to work. (This organisation does not tolerate failure...)
Now that I've opened my big mouth and said I'll do it, all you refrigeration engineers out there can laugh up your sleeves and worry me with all the things that can and will go wrong. After all, What sort of fool further complicates a Citroen?!
The TX valve, eh? Electric widget by the evaporator, isn't it? I think Citroen call it a pressure release valve.
BTW: TX to us radio boys means transmitter or transmission. What does it mean in refrigerese, just to satisfy my curiosity?
alan s
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Post by alan s »

"Thermostatic expansion valve" & there is absolutely NO electrics involved. It is solely a restrictor for the refrigerant. It is in the black box on the glovebox side of the matrix and which requires the glovebox to be removed to gain easy access to.
Alan S
tomsheppard
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Post by tomsheppard »

Thank you. Now I get it, (I think).
alan s
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Post by alan s »

Just to confuse things a bit more for you; in case it needs replacing, it's known in this case as an "Eaton Block Valve."
Alan S
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Post by ghostrider »

Tom, From time to time I do work at Denso in telford, they make air con components for nearly every manufacturer, I get on fairly well with the guys there, If you give me some sizes for the bits you require next time I'm there I'll ask, the production line I was on the other week had a rack of around 500 condensors (audi A6) so I'm sure I can con something out of them
Pete
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Last edited by ghostrider on 22 Feb 2011, 05:49, edited 1 time in total.
alan s
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Post by alan s »

Pete,
I presume Denso is the company associated with "Nippon Denso" the people who make the air/con and electrics for all the toyota vehicles?
If it is, you won't have any worries about quality Tom. It's top shelf stuff!
Alan S
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