Help needed with 505 Aircon.

[Gamma]

I have just been told that their might be might be leak in the SII 505 aircon system, (no gas is a give away). This leak might be under the dash and will therefore take a crew of fifty highly trained technicians a week to fix, at great personal expense. X25

The system has been filled with the fluorescent dye and all I need to do is get at the heat exchanger to see if there is any colour under "black light". Where is it and how do I get at it. The Haynes is a little less than helpful in this regard.

Any one got pictures/diagrams of the unit????

Advertisement

Help before I loose a lot of $$$$$$. X lots.

[garryw]

I'm in the market for the same information. I think I have a slow leak also (one set of gas this summer so far). Only clue I have is the system smells of oil (any flown on a BAE146?) when the system is on recycled air, but not on fresh air. I find this odd, if the leak is in the evaporator, then I would expect the smell in both configurations. Any ideas?

Garry

[KIMDEB]

I have just been told that their might be might be leak in the SII 505 aircon system, (no gas is a give away). This leak might be under the dash and will therefore take a crew of fifty highly trained technicians a week to fix, at great personal expense. X25

The system has been filled with the fluorescent dye and all I need to do is get at the heat exchanger to see if there is any colour under "black light". Where is it and how do I get at it. The Haynes is a little less than helpful in this regard.

Any one got pictures/diagrams of the unit????

Help before I loose a lot of $$$$$$. X lots.

The use of the leak-check dye will certainly help to trace the leak.

I assume by "heat exchanger" you / they mean the condenser. This sits in front of the radiator, and is immediately visible behind the front condenser fan. Remove the small Philips crews securing the grille to see the condenser & fan.

The sources of gas leaks on 505's have typically been the gas pipe fittings to the condenser, the pipe fittings to the compressor ('O' rings leaking in both cases), or the compressor shaft seals. The TX valve located behind the silver soundproofing in the engine bay would be the next slim possibility, followed by the receiver/dryer unit next to the condenser.

I have not heard of anyone having to strip out the evaporator unit from the cabin, although I am sure someone is possibly going to put their hand up for that one.

Once the leak is traced, repair, then have the recharge station add a seal conditioner to the gas to preserve the life of all the components. Also, don't forget to check the main hoses between the compressor & condenser for chaffing, especially where they run past the battery & plenum chamber.

Cheers,
Kim.

[AndrewD]

Try this link: http://www.peugeot505.info/files/505_my86_hv.pdf

The workings of the 505 Series 2 climate control system were a dark mystery to me until I found this document.

Good Luck

[Gamma]

[KIMDEB]

Try this link: http://www.peugeot505.info/files/505_my86_hv.pdf

The workings of the 505 Series 2 climate control system were a dark mystery to me until I found this document.

Good Luck

Many thanks for posting that pdf file. Whilst I had a reasonable grasp of the principles, the inclusion of a wiring diagram is now invaluable.

Cheers,
Kim.

[Flacko73]

I just had my 505 regassed with HR12 after having it degassed 2 years ago due to a blown motor, didn't leak then, but he put dye in anyway. couple of days later was replacing the main fan and shroud which had come loose and chewed the fan and noticed dye leaking out of the top of the receiver/dryer. took the car back and the leak was confirmed as the lead plug in the r/d that is there as a safety measure, most newer r/d's have a valve that if triggered will reseal whereas the lead plug won't. the new r/d cost me $40 plus fitting and he did the gas the second time for free. aparently this isn't an uncommon spot for leaks to occur in older vehicles. the HR12 works brilliantly with temp down to 1 degree at the vents in 40+ weather on fresh air and other than the new r/d no parts needed changing. total job cost $200.

[bowie]

1degree at vents in 40 degree weather.!! im going to see your mechanic!

[KIMDEB]

1degree at vents in 40 degree weather.!! im going to see your mechanic!

I agree - that is as good as the old days of the R12 refrigerant. Maybe even better!

I assume that the HR12 gas is from the same family? Does it replace the very disappointing R134?

The 505 S2 airconditioning performance (airflow & temperature drop) has seemed to me to be inferior to the S1 models. I think the redesigned dash & vent layouts on the S2 car took something away from the very good performance of the S1 airconditioning.

Has anybody else noticed this?

Cheers,
Kim.

[Bruce Llewellyn]

This is an olde thread, but...

Changing from R12 to R134a means that, a few years on, the old black O rings die. The evaporator / TX valve ones in 505 GTi (S1 and S2 )can be accessed by the following method;

1) Raise front of car on stands.
2) Remove fan and fan shroud.
3) Drain coolant and remove radiator hoses.
4) Disconnect steering at rubber coupling (flector) (under car)
5) Remove front set of engine cross member bolts, replace with longer bolts (405 head studs are quite good)
6) Take weight of engine with crane or trolley jack.
7) Remove rear set of engine cross member bolts.
8) Lower engine / cross member assembly approximately 75mm, allowing it to slide down the long bolts. Do not let the weight of the engine rest on the front pulley.

It may be necessary to disconnect the exhaust mount at the back of the gearbox.

This makes enough room at the back of the engine to move the sound deadening forward without butchering it. A crow's foot spanner and a large screwdriver can then be used to undo the unions between the TX valve block and the evaporator.

Jack the engine back up and refit everything afterwards.