Maintenance

Every year, it is recommended to:

• clean and blow out the condenser and engine cooling radiator,
• check that the condensation water drain of the cold air blower unit is not blocked.

Every four years, it is recommended to check the refrigerant charge, see refrigerant recovery.

WARNING

Strictly observe safety instructions when working on the refrigerant loop (see Safety instructions).

I - ANTIBACTERIAL AIR CONDITIONING CLEANER

Note: Treat the air conditioning system with a special cleaner after each winter period or prolonged non-operation to eliminate any odours.

• Spray the entire contents of the cleaner aerosol fitted with an extension through the cabin filter duct.

WARNING

It is strictly forbidden to spray the cleaner through the air intake, otherwise the air conditioning blower motor may be damaged.

Leave to act for 15 min.

• Run the fan very slowly for 5 min.

II - REFRIGERANT RECOVERY:

Note:

• The air conditioning circuit has only one filling valve; some stations only require the high-pressure hose (see the charging station instructions).
• Depending on the case, run the system for a few minutes before recovering the refrigerant to improve its removal.

IMPORTANT

It is essential to follow these procedures to avoid:

• gas spraying when opening the circuit,
• harm to the environment by releasing gas into the atmosphere when opening the circuit or during vacuum evacuation.

• For refrigerant recovery or charge checking, three cases must be considered:

• the engine and air conditioning are running (A),
• the engine is running but the air conditioning is not (B),
• the engine and air conditioning are not running (C).

Case A:

• Run the air conditioning until the cooling fan assembly has cycled on twice,
• stop the engine,
• carry out a first discharge (record this first value),
• wait 15 min,
• check that the relative pressure is less than or equal to 0 bar,
• repeat the cycles until the relative pressure is equal to or less than 0 bar,
• add up the values of the different discharges; the charge is confirmed correct if the total is equal to +35 g or -100 g of the specified charge.

Case B:

• Run the engine until the cooling fan assembly has cycled on twice,
• stop the engine,
• carry out a first discharge (record this value),
• wait 15 min,
• run the engine until the cooling fan assembly has cycled on twice,
• carry out a second discharge (record this value),
• repeat the cycles until the relative pressure is equal to or less than 0 bar,
• add up the values of the different discharges; the charge is confirmed correct if the total is equal to +35 g or -100 g of the specified charge.

Case C:

• Carry out a first discharge (record this value),
• wait 2 h,
• repeat the cycles until the relative pressure is equal to or less than 0 bar,
• add up the values of the different discharges; the charge is confirmed correct if the total is equal to +35 g or -100 g of the specified charge.

III - VACUUM EVACUATION

• It is essential to carry out a proper vacuum evacuation before charging, otherwise the air conditioning will not work correctly.

Two cases must be considered:

• the vacuum evacuation is carried out immediately after a refrigerant recovery (case A),
• the vacuum evacuation is carried out after a pause of several hours or days (case B).

Case A:

• the vacuum evacuation lasts 20 min.

Case B:

• the vacuum evacuation lasts 45 min in order to remove all traces of moisture.
• Carry out a leak test at the end of the vacuum evacuation (some service stations do this automatically).

IV - CHARGING

• Add oil according to the type and quantity specified, and to the work carried out.
• Start the charging.
• Empty the hoses of the charging station.
• Check that the system operates correctly.
• Carry out a leak search