Is there an air conditioning FAQ anywhere?

I've a R-reg Moandeo which, not surprisingly, has lost its gas. I
presume the previous owner hasn't spun it from time to time to keep the
seals happy.

Can I...

a) replace the seals - presumably they're on the pump shaft. I guess
they're not easily obtainable, that'd be too easy.

b) assume that everything else will be OK or are there other bits that
will have degraded as well?

I wouldn't normally bother but we're going to France in August and it's
bound to be sodding hot.

--
Skipweasel
We have always been at war with Iran. [George Orwell - almost]

"Guy King" <guy.king (AT) zetnet (DOT) co.uk> wrote

Simple vaccuum test and recharge, most aircon faults are as simple as that!,
don't go looking for problems before they appear!, I have swapped pumps and
after a quick recharge had a reliable system,

I had an S reg Xantia 1.9td , no aircon for 6 months then recharged, worked
perfectly for a year then the pump self destructed, fitted a pump from a 307
hdi, worked perfectly for another year ( the mating of a xantia with a bmw
wrote the car off but the aircon still worked!)

Mind you her indoors 306, vacuum check OK, recharge found a major leak in
the condensor, oh well thats another £100.........thats the exeption that
proves the rule!!

Des

The message <5apfosF2pgqk3U1 (AT) mid (DOT) individual.net>
from "Dieseldes" <desmond (AT) orange (DOT) net> contains these words:

The refrigerant must have got out somehow!

--
Skipweasel
We have always been at war with Iran. [George Orwell - almost]

Why do you assume via the pump seals though. Far more likely that the
condensor has a small hole in it at that age.

"Guy King" <guy.king (AT) zetnet (DOT) co.uk> wrote

The seals need frequent lubrication to remain effective.
If the system is not run at regular intervals the seals can in effect dry
out and leak.
Often all that is needed to revive them is running the compressor with a
good charge of gas and oil.

A BMW I bought last year had leaked it's gas, and had not been run for over
6 months.
Was recharged in October and has been working fine ever since.

I'd advise you have it properly evacuated and recharged with gas and oil
before thinking about replacing the seals.
Mike.

The message <DwM1i.5566$nN5.5049 (AT) newsfe1-win (DOT) ntli.net>
from "Brian" <blecnospam (AT) tesco (DOT) net> contains these words:

Seemed more likely - but of course, that was why I was asking!

--
Skipweasel
We have always been at war with Iran. [George Orwell - almost]

"Brian" <blecnospam (AT) tesco (DOT) net> wrote

You could be right, but IMO it is more likely to be as Guy suspected. A
simple seal leak. IME, unless a condenser has been damaged I would expect it
to last 10 years and over quite easily. I've had several cars over 10 years
old with a/c that have never had their condensers replaced. 2 1990 Celica
GT4's and a '94 and 96 BMW at present.
I aso have a 1985 Rover Vitesse. The a/c on that was still working well
until a couple of years ago. It lost it's gas after being garaged for a few
months. I've no doubt it simply leaked out because it wasn't run during that
time.
In any case the simplest way to find out is to get it regassed with a dye
that will show up any leaks.
Mike.

On May 13, 2:32 pm, Guy King <guy.k... (AT) zetnet (DOT) co.uk> wrote:
well first apply a vac to the system. the system must have a leak. if
you have been retro fitted then just go to a shop and ask to have a
test done. 35$ they will likley try to sell you repair. just say no
and go home and add positive pressure. with a soapy bottle of water
spray it around joints and lines. locate problem and fix. have a
mobile a/c repair guy charge it.

The message <1179109179.264776.47090 (AT) w5g2000hsg (DOT) googlegroups.com>
from DUBINOUT <renegadeautoparts (AT) gmail (DOT) com> contains these words:

It's an original factory fit. As with most modern cars, access to all
the bits is - er - iffy.

--
Skipweasel
We have always been at war with Iran. [George Orwell - almost]

On Sun, 13 May 2007 23:30:12 +0100, Guy King wrote:

The molecules are so small these days that the system can never be
airtight and there will always be some loss at the seals even when
there is no fault.

--
Regards - Rodney Pont
The from address exists but is mostly dumped,
please send any emails to the address below
e-mail ngpsm4 (at) infohitsystems (dot) ltd (dot) uk