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C4 2012 HDI - AC evaporator replacment |
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vexorg
 
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  Member No: #48843
Joined: Jul 06 2017Location: Scotland |
Are you sure it's the evaporator before going too deep? | ||||
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Natoqc
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   Member No: #61207
Joined: Sep 21 2023Location: Paris |
So, to answer my question, I finally unclipped the wiring harness from the dashboard, it seeemed easier than unplugging everywhere as there are many "offshoots" from the main harness. Next problem, I finally managed to remove the evaporator unit, apart from the fact that it was full of fluid which I did not expect, it does not seem to have any holes and since it was full of fluid without any leaks, I do not think the problem came from there  . I will change it in any case since it is out and see what happens. |
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Natoqc
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Member No: #61207
Joined: Sep 21 2023Location: Paris |
vexorg wrote ... Are you sure it's the evaporator before going too deep? The car belongs to my daughter. She took it to two garages who both said it was the evaporator. Maybe they thought she was a young girl and could make an easy target but I don´t think so. They used a tracer. Unfortunately I could not speak to the garage mechanic as they are 600km away. There is definitely a leak since there is no gas pressure. Having taken the evaporator out, I am wondering if it is not the junction between the aluminium pipes of the evaporator at the firewall. They are extremely loose and move around easily. I do not know how to access the bolt that retains the pipes on the engine side of the firewall without having to remove the engine? Maybe by removing the battery tray but it would still be quite a reach. Does anybody have any suggestions? |
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Natoqc
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Member No: #61207
Joined: Sep 21 2023Location: Paris |
Another question. When I removed the evaporator there was about 1 litre of liquid that came out. I was always under the impression that there was a small amount of lubrication fluid and gas in the system (liquid under pressure). I was not expecting such a large amount of liquid at air temperature. Is this normal?  For those wondering what all this looks like, here is a picture of the evaporator partially extracted  |
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Natoqc
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Member No: #61207
Joined: Sep 21 2023Location: Paris |
Ok, so it seems that it is not the aircon evaporator but the heat exchanger for the heating! That is why there was so much liquid, it is was the yellow coolant and it is meant to be a closed circuit! So where is the air conditioning evaporator? |
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Natoqc
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Member No: #61207
Joined: Sep 21 2023Location: Paris |
To answer my question, the evaporator seems to be inside the ventilator/heater bloc (the big white thing in the photograph). There is a YouTube video for a Peugeot with a very similar system (Peugeot and Citroen are the same group after all and I am told the Peugeot 308 has many common components to the Citroen C4). It helps a little but I have not worked out how to disconnect the bloc from the firewall as I do not know how to access the air conditioning lines behind the engine that go along the firewall in the engine bay. |
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vexorg
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Member No: #48843
Joined: Jul 06 2017Location: Scotland |
The condenser is far more likely to be the cause, it's at the forefront of any incoming stones and often will get damaged and leak. | ||||
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Natoqc
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Member No: #61207
Joined: Sep 21 2023Location: Paris |
Continued... After taking out the battery and managing to get a light behind the engine I can see the aircon lines entering the firewall. There are two bolts that must be removed.  (for some reason the photograph is upside down but rotates properly when clicked upon) I am going to need to have a very flexible arm and wrist to get into there . I hope the metal plates that are holding the lines in place rotate around the bolt and will not fall when I release the nuts. |
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Ap0qalypto
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 Member No: #52161
Joined: Sep 21 2018Location: Republic of Serbia |
If you have freon leak, 99% it is a air con radiator. Which is very close to the fan, in front of the car. | ||||
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hitcat
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Member No: #62250
Joined: Jul 31 2024Location: Kent |
Hi, after some advice, especially on if the DIY attempt was successful. I "believe" I need a new evaporator, although I'm yet to get a clear answer from my mechanic, just a few videos and "big job". I've attached the videos (admin permitting) he has sent me. Mainly I'm concerned that I need to get this sorted in next two weeks so considering fixing myself before getting refilled. URLS https://youtube.com/shorts/SDHN0U68ROs?feature=share [link]https://youtube.com/shorts/1XklNSyj6T8?feature=share[/youtube] Would welcome advice or thoughts in the spirit of "need to drive car in hot weather with family". Best, Robin, Citroen C4 Cactus, 2016, 1.2, Needs wash. |
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routemaster1
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 Member No: #574
Joined: Jul 08 2007Location: Dorset |
Videos don't work. Try just pasting the URLs in you post. | ||||
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hitcat
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Member No: #62250
Joined: Jul 31 2024Location: Kent |
rosiandrashkov wrote ... Rizwan wrote ... Anyone here remove their dash to get to evaporator I ended up removing my dash to change the evap. I did it myself since I do have some experience with working on my own cars and the quotes I got from repair shops were absurd. The only thing I couldn't figure out is how to remove the steering wheel with it being so weird. Anyway, I got to the climate control box thing and the evaporator really is sealed shut in there. I had another climate unit ready for me to purchase here locally but I thought why not try to extract the evap and replace it when I have the option to buy it separately. I carefully hacked the plastic with a dremmel and took out the old evap. It had a couple of corroded holes right in the middle of it so it was not repairable. I cleaned the whole inside of dust and refrigerant liquids, the new evap fitted right in there and I "welded" the plastic with a soldering iron and hot glue. Ever since then I've been blasting my AC all summer with no issues at all. I did a lot of excessive unnecessary removing of parts because I was figuring everything out on my own and the whole thing took me around 4-5 days with me never having something like this done before. Hi, I don't suppose you have any more pictures you can share? Looking to attempt this job myself. |
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