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C4 - DS4 Owners :: Forums :: C4 2011 (B7) DS4 and DS4 CROSSBACK :: The Garage
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C4 2012 HDI - AC evaporator replacment
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Author Post
vexorg   
Sat Sep 23 2023, 05:51am
Member No: #48843
Joined: Jul 06 2017
Location: Scotland
 Are you sure it's the evaporator before going too deep?
Natoqc   
Mon Sep 25 2023, 07:14am
Member No: #61207
Joined: Sep 21 2023
Location: 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.
Natoqc   
Tue Sep 26 2023, 01:31am
Member No: #61207
Joined: Sep 21 2023
Location: 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?
Natoqc   
Tue Sep 26 2023, 02:56am
Member No: #61207
Joined: Sep 21 2023
Location: 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
Natoqc   
Tue Sep 26 2023, 07:01am
Member No: #61207
Joined: Sep 21 2023
Location: 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?
Natoqc   
Tue Sep 26 2023, 09:27am
Member No: #61207
Joined: Sep 21 2023
Location: 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.
vexorg   
Tue Sep 26 2023, 10:46am
Member No: #48843
Joined: Jul 06 2017
Location: 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.
Natoqc   
Tue Sep 26 2023, 12:19pm
Member No: #61207
Joined: Sep 21 2023
Location: 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.
Ap0qalypto   
Tue Sep 26 2023, 01:46pm
Member No: #52161
Joined: Sep 21 2018
Location: 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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