• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Auto-airconditioning

Share this page

T

tovarich

Freshman Member
Offline
I already asked the following question on the Rover site but did not get any reaction so : I own a Rover 75 Connoisseur 2litre 150 HP with auto-airconditioning and would like to know about maintenance. I only drive about 4000 kilometers per year.Paul
 
About all you can do is to run the a/c unit for a few minutes every time you drive. This will prevent the front compressor seals from becoming dry. Otherwise, just be sure that the system maintains a full charge. If the refrigerant leaks out, moisture will work its way in, and that is bad for the compressor and expansion valve. But when the recharge day comes, you'll learn that there is no R-12 anymore, and you will have to convert the system to R134. There is nothing else that can be done with the refrigerant loop part. Do not know how the auto part functions on your car; if it is vacuum operated you can only see that the hoses are good; if electric motors drive the doors, then again there is not much that you need to do.
 
I have found it wide to turn off the compressor and let outside air run through the system for 30 seconds before shuting the car down. Cars my wife and I have done this in have not needed recharging for 100,000 miles, where cars we haven't done it in need it between 40,000 and 60,000. I typically turn the system off and to fresh air about half a mile from home.
 
I don't follow how that would make any difference because the compressor would not be running either way.
 
When I was told about it years ago it had something to do with all the condensation sitting in the lines. Letting the warm air through them reduces it which somehow helps things. I don't remember the whole explaination, but it has definitely worked for me. I sold my old '88 beemer with 90K on it and the air was still as cold as ever. My wife's first Ford Explorer needed recharge between 30-40K. She started using this trick on her second Explorer a couple years later and it never needed recharge in the 60K we put on it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
i've been using a product called "freeze 12" in my range rover ac unit. supposed to be a direct replacement for R12. it's available on ebay fairly reasonably.
 
Back
Top