Diavia Aircon info thread.

[Andy Brookes 0]

Thanks borderair. No caps have been fitted, so will need to replace the oil. Sure you can see this coming....ummm so how do you change the oil?? And whats the best way to flush out the evaporater and the hoses?

[Andy Brookes 0]

Just found this http://www.sanden.com/support/servicema ... tents.html think it fully answers the question I had re the oil.

[Storm 0]

Borderair,

 

I wasnt confident in my ability to get you templates for the hard lines so went down the road of rubber hoses again, I need to change the oil in accordance with you post above. Does the compressor have to come out for this?

 

Andy,

Cant find my blasted digicamn cable, so I drew the attached pic. I have spent 35 mins typing and explanation for the pic, but Internet Exp crashed out and I lost the lot. I pm'd you my number the other day. Give me a call and I will talk you through the whole thing.

[bigpants baby 0]

ill get those pics of the other set up for you tomorrow andy

[Bruno 4]

The fans are different makes on the two systems I have, ones a Spal and the other is a Valeo. The boxes are also slightly different moldings.

 

Andy, the Valeo one is an original VW housing, the SPAL one is much, much more powerful and breaks down in 5 years, and is the one that should come with the Diavia. A few people replace the SPAL head by removing the rivets on the SPAL housing clamp and screwing a motor for one of the vans (cant remember which, but I can supply the part no if necessary). The original corrado blower motor is too weeny to handle the aircon so forget that.

 

If you have a VR6 engine dont bother about the idle speed reference, its a complete waste of time, however if you have a 4 cylinder thats very different. One needs to take a tap off the ECU. Its mentioned in the wiring diagram.

 

By now you should have bolted down the condensor to the rad. Both pipes route round the n/s, go round the corner and run round the back of the cross member to either feed the pump (strapped to the cable harness plate thats next to the oil filter ( to stop it fouling the fan housing)0 or routed back, under the battery clamp extension plate (this overhangs on the front o/s part of the battery) runs under it back to the bulkhead.

 

The a/c relay assy bolts to the side of the fan relay. And if you got all the bits you have to fit the a/c sensor to the third thermal sensor hole by the thermostat housing.

 

Let me know how you get on. PM me if needed and I'll send you my home no.

[Andy Brookes 0]

Got a new hose made at http://www.hampshirehose.co.uk/ for £20. They will do them while you wait which is good. They used a new type hose which is the same bore as the original, but the OD is much smaller than the old hose. The hose is made by the same company as the original. I'll post some pics once I have the hose and the camera in the same location.

 

Will be calling the guys in glos for a new condensor and 2 dryers, hoping they will do a seal kit too.

[Andy Brookes 0]

Got everything now, work will commence next weekend on one of the cars, maybe mine first as I have just bought my wife a new beetle, which means I have the Ibiza back as a daily hack to work. Can give the C a rest from its M27 pounding each day!

 

Will keep this thread updated as process is made.

 

Cheers Andy

[Andy Brookes 0]

12 hours, cut knuckles, knacked back, 40 Marlboro lights and a few beers and the job is done!

 

Spent saturday an a couple of hours on sunday morning fitting the first kit into my mate petes VR6. He took it to a local airconitioning place to be gassed up this morning and it WORKS!!!! thank the lord!

 

Will post a load of pics and the wiring diagrams that I have later on today.

 

It all went in really well, and concidering it was the first time I had touched an aircon system I think we did well to do it in 12 hours. The 12 Hours included removing and replacing the front bumper, slam panel, lights and grill etc, most of the dash except for the main structure, seats.

 

The finished install is the neatest I have seen, as some of the dealer fitted ones I have seen are terrible, pipes and wiring just tossed into the engine bay!

 

Will be doing mine soon, but need to install an LPG kit that I bought of James R into me wifes new beetle first. Why do I do it!

 

Cheers Andy

[Bruno 4]

The finished install is the neatest I have seen, as some of the dealer fitted ones I have seen are terrible, pipes and wiring just tossed into the engine bay!

 

Congrats Andy. I'd be interested to see how you got around the difference in shelf sizes between the o/s and n/s areas for routing the pipes. Mine were routed through the n/s shelf and it totally mucks up everything else.

 

One thing, do make sure that the ABS pump cables go nowhere near the aicon rubber pipes. I've found after 5 years of it that the pipes chill the ABS wiring to the ABS brain so much that frost forms, condenses, runs as water along the ABS brain's cable by capillary action. Once the sheathing is soaking, it then acts as a water pump which then knackers the ABS brain.

[Storm 0]

Andy,

 

Well done. Just goes to show that if your capable anything is possible. :D

[fla 9]

Didnt really want to start another thread so apologies if this is too tangential - i need to take the aircon blower out to check the diverters as there is a continuous wheeze when putting the aircon on, as if the diverter is trying to move but cant. Bruno, Andy Brookes, anything you could advise here and would i need to get it regassed ie will removing the blower open the refrigerant circuit?

TIA

[Bruno 4]

will removing the blower open the refrigerant circuit?

TIA

I presume this is the dash blower you are talking about, not the aircon pump in the engine bay. If so, the answer is no. The blower is part of the normal non-pressurised air circuit.

- Remove the glove box; it makes sense later.

- Remove the passenger shelf,

- If needs be, remove the passenger seat (it gives you lots more room to manouvre).

- unplug the power leads to the motor on the blower.

- trace the self tapping screws that hold the "snail" housing with the motor to the dash airducting.

- slowly and carefully remove the thing. DONT bend, dont break the fan itself.

Test it on its own. Usually the bearings have gone. They cant be replaced without a complete motor swap. If its the italian one they have a web site, you can order one. If its the french one, then you have to get the motor from the Stealers. .

 

The wheezing sound relates to two poss things

(i) the dryer at the front of the condenser is knackered. If it was exposed to normal air during the plumbing it must be replaced.

(ii) the thermostat (trace the bulb and copper tube) is stuck in a place which causes it to sense the carpet, not the heater exchange temp.

In other words wheezing should have nothing to do with the blower. But taking out the parcel shelf and tracing pipes and cables will help to understand if the thermostat is sited in the wrong place.

PM me if you need more data

[fla 9]

Bruno, thanks mate, will have a lay this weeknd and get back to you. Looking in Bentley it seems there is a sequence to the flaps movement for Norm & Max operation, hence my thought that the wheeze may have been due to these flaps sticking. Its the same noise as when the engine cooling fans trip in (at 94C) although the wheeze stops as soon as the fans trip out too. Doesnt really sounds like bearings, but you never know.

Incidentally, there is a thermocouple-type wire running underneath the passenger shelf to a rotary switch (potentiometer) fixed to the shelf wall. Seems to have a click-off position too. Any idea if this is also related? Will try and post some pics this evening if its not clear.

 

Many thanks

[STORM 2 0]

So when are you gonna turn this into a weekend sideline, Andy?

I'd pay you to do mine but I wouldn't have the know it all to locate all that I would need

 

What controls did you use? The VW ones on other cars?

[Andy Brookes 0]

Finally got a couple of spare mins to add the wiring diagram and some pics from last weekend.

[Andy Brookes 0]

More pics

[Andy Brookes 0]

The finished install is the neatest I have seen, as some of the dealer fitted ones I have seen are terrible, pipes and wiring just tossed into the engine bay!

 

Congrats Andy. I'd be interested to see how you got around the difference in shelf sizes between the o/s and n/s areas for routing the pipes. Mine were routed through the n/s shelf and it totally mucks up everything else.

 

One thing, do make sure that the ABS pump cables go nowhere near the aicon rubber pipes. I've found after 5 years of it that the pipes chill the ABS wiring to the ABS brain so much that frost forms, condenses, runs as water along the ABS brain's cable by capillary action. Once the sheathing is soaking, it then acts as a water pump which then knackers the ABS brain.

 

The pipes are no where near the ABS wiring, where do your pipes run??

 

Havent modded the undershelf yet, but will just be a case of making it shorter. Dont under stand what you mean about the o/s as I didnt need to disturd that side at all.

[Andy Brookes 0]

So when are you gonna turn this into a weekend sideline, Andy?

I'd pay you to do mine but I wouldn't have the know it all to locate all that I would need

 

What controls did you use? The VW ones on other cars?

 

Dont think I'll be doing more than twice! its a fair old job, but felt good finishing it!

 

The switches are pictured in one of my earlier posts. I'm thinking about making my setup climate control from a mk4 golf.

[borderair 0]

If anyone needs a compressor clutch coil, clutch bearings or complete clutch for a Diava or Alpinair VR system i have some spare.

 

Also recirc motors / gears, reciever dryers and pressure switches

[Andy Brookes 0]

Will keep that in mind, thanks Borderair.

[benson 0]

Jay-sus!! :shock:

 

It's been quite a while. Enjoying a quick look around the site for old times' sake and blow me if my old car isn't the subject of an air-con install! Good to see she's still alive and kicking and that Pete has embraced the spirit of things (doubtless with some subtle encouragement from Mr Brookes!)

So, slightly off topic - sorry mods - but got any more recent pictures of L264 VBY?! PM me if you like. Would like to know what's been happening with the old girl since last October... Regards, George

[Andy Brookes 0]

Hi George,

 

The old girl is doing good, Pete's put a couple of scrapes on the D90's, but those are the only scar's. We have also fitted a milltek exhaust to it and I have a short shift and some MT90 gear oil sat in my garage waiting for a spare few hours to fit.

 

Pete's enjoying the aircon with the black leather!

 

Just need to sort my aircon out now, maybe over the winter as I now have an old diesel for getting to and from work.

 

The S2 sounds interesting.

 

Cheers Andy

[ross.taylor 0]

I'm pretty sure that the system I have is a Davia system. It's fittied to my 1994 VR6. But the buttons on the dash move about side to side - do other peoples?

 

Also they light up when pressed but with the lights off! They dont light up at any other time, surely this cant be right. I assume that they will not light up in the same way as the ones around them as they are aftermarket.

[Goldie 2]

Does anyone know if parts are available for these systems and if so wheres the place to get them from??

[yorkshireone 0]

hi can anyone help?

my diavea a/c doesnt seem to be working, when i switch it on norm/max i can hear the change in revs that indicate its taking power from the engine, but the air doesnt seem to get any cooler. Ive been told I just need to get it recharged but im not sure?

any ideas? :?