Removing Diavia aircon system

[Jim Bowen 1]

While my car is in bits i have decided i don't really want or need the aircon, in 5yrs of owning the car i've never used it.

 

I can see i need to removing the extra rad and some cylinder thing in front of that, also need a smaller aux belt iirc.

 

What is there to remove in terms of electrics and bits in dash?

 

Will put it up for sale, but tbh i've never used it, when i bought the car i was told it needed a regas, i tried it a couple of times and got a little cold air, but never really tested it all out properly.

 

What are the likely things to break and is there ways to test them before i remove it all?

[Supercharged 2]

I'd be very interseted in this if you were taking out mate!

 

Only issue is I think the heater box and fan are different so you'd need to replace those

[tony_ack 0]

I think the heaterbox itself is the same, but the fan box is different. If you're particularly slim-fingered you may be able to get it out without removing the dash. You'll obviously need a fan and ducting off a non aircon Corrado. I would also get a standard glovebox and lower pasenger dash shelf, and include the ones in your car as part of the aircon setup, as the aircon requires a shallower glovebox.

 

There is a loom - I am not 100% sure but I would guess it runs from the a/c switch to the fusebox. There will also be some of the loom in the engine bay, connecting to the fan controller, the pressure switch in the aircon pipes, and the brown temp sender (this should to be replaced with the standard sender) There are some relays that make up part of the aircon too.

 

Make sure you include the support brackets for the aircon rad. The cylinder thing is the drier, and don't forget the compressor as well. You are correct in that you need a different aux belt (about £20 from ECP). Finally make sure that you also include the pipework when you sell.

 

Testing is pretty tricky if the system is down on pressure, as the compressor won't engage if the pressure is too low. You should be able to see if the compressor clutch engages by giving it a 12v supply briefly.

 

I would have been interested in some of the engine bay bits to finish off my Climatronic conversion, but to be honest it's fairer that you sell it as a complete system to someone who wants it.

 

Parts needed to go to standard:

Heater fan and ducting

Dash blank (to replace a/c switch)

Glovebox (you can keep the lock and fascia from your current glovebox)

Lower passenger shelf

Aux belt

Stage 3 temp sender (yellow?)

[quicky1980 0]

I'd be very interested. Happy to exchange for my standard air system and help with the removal if close enough

[24V Renshaw 0]

Don't install a diavia system they are absolutely abismal and all the ones I have seen so far on Corrados are butchered in with rough holes cut in the firewall for the pipes and nasty loom all over the place behind the dash. Install a modern Climatronic system instead.

 

Jay

[tony_ack 0]

Don't install a diavia system they are absolutely abismal and all the ones I have seen so far on Corrados are butchered in with rough holes cut in the firewall for the pipes and nasty loom all over the place behind the dash. Install a modern Climatronic system instead.

 

Jay

 

Easy as that :-)

[Jim Bowen 1]

thanks for the info very useful.

 

most of the front end is off the car, so engine bay bits should be easy to do, have got to remove bits of dash anyway so may try and take the dash off.

 

i do agree the system is quite an after thought and squeezed in there

 

---------- Post added at 09:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:54 PM ----------

 

@quick1980, i'd be up for you helping to remove it, am in stansted essex so not too far away

[quicky1980 0]

cool, only issue is I'm fairly busy for the next few weeks and it sounds like youve already started. I'm still happy to help take it out and am certainly happy to exchange for my non aircon bit inc belts, air box wiring etc...

 

I could take a day off work if that helps?

[Jim Bowen 1]

i work really slowly, car has sat there for about 1yr already, am not in a rush as no point me finishing then getting car back on road for winter time, will probably be next year now before i finish. So if you did want to come down and check it all out etc, you'd be welcome anytime.

[Jim 2]

Don't install a diavia system they are absolutely abismal and all the ones I have seen so far on Corrados are butchered in with rough holes cut in the firewall for the pipes and nasty loom all over the place behind the dash. Install a modern Climatronic system instead.

 

Jay

 

Fancy writing up a how-to guide when you, inevitably, do this install on your new motor? :)

[24V Renshaw 0]

It's a while away yet, but I plan on doing an OEM style install with all solid pipework etc so might be able to produce a "kit" and instructions.

 

Jay

[Jim 2]

I'd imagine you'd get quite a few takers for that!

[Jim Bowen 1]

started removing mine today, got a few pipes off, the rad and that round cylinder in front of rad.

 

had pressure in the system still as it hissed out for a while.

 

looks a bit harder to get at the dash bits, but will remove dash if i have to

[Jim 2]

Might be worth doing the heater matrix when you do.. one less job to do in the future (if you haven't already!) :)

[Jim Bowen 1]

i asked the guy who owned the car before me and he said he had done it once before, but will check it out.

 

i think i have an interesting discovery to make behind the dash, was something dripping once, looked up from footwell and saw/felt a big lump of mastic or sealant, didn't look like it was meant to be there, so i never looked again and it never leaked again, might of been some sort of aircon thing.

[24V Renshaw 0]

It would have been condensation from the evaporator pipes. Diavia wrapped them up in a mastic goo and left it at that, so any gaps and you would get condensation and drips. Unfortunately as I said before the installs they did were not pretty!

[Jim Bowen 1]

i agree, found some pretty shocking bits.

 

There is some wiring/pipe that that have just poked through a grill in the scuttle area, the grill looks like they have just stabbed through it with a screwdriver :lol:

[24V Renshaw 0]

Yep, they are all the same!

[Jim Bowen 1]

do i need to take both these big bits out?

 

 

pulled the hoses through and got them out now, its just the electrics to do.

 

can't get to them very easily as they are behind that lot

[joebloggsVR69 0]

Yep, that whole blower needs to come out, along with the pipework in the middle of the pic.

You'll need another blower box to replace it, one from a non -aircon car

[Jim Bowen 1]

Is the blower the round one on left?

 

The box on right says diavia on it so taking that out.

 

Also where is the heater matrix meant to be?

 

learning as I go really.

 

Sent from my X10i using Tapatalk

[fla 9]

yes, onl the left, but the remainder comprises the airbox. The heater matrix will be fitted to the back of the airbox, more likely inside it

[Jim Bowen 1]

Finally removed everything and looking to replace this bit now.

 

 

Got the big duct bit (thanks to cazzaVR) and took the actual blower and motor out of original bit, but they don't seem to go together?

 

 

Do i also need a new blower with motor?

 

also just to add to the thread, i bought another corrado glovebox and its exactly the same as my aircon one.

 

[24V Renshaw 0]

Yeah fan is different too. You need everything for non aircon. Glovebox is never different, just the bottom shelf is butchered by the Diavia installers.

 

Jay

[vornwend 0]

Don't install a diavia system they are absolutely abismal and all the ones I have seen so far on Corrados are butchered in with rough holes cut in the firewall for the pipes and nasty loom all over the place behind the dash. Install a modern Climatronic system instead.

 

Jay

 

That's not my experience Jay - when charged mine is fantastic, so cold on max that I put a thermometer on the dash vent and it recorded down to 6 or 7c IIRC!