Thread: A/C expansion valve

The valve normally in question is the one on the compressor but probably better to change the entire compressor than risk all the labour on an older vehicle.

I recently replaced the compressor and evaporator on my SDV6, it is not an easy job at all. Quite the mission. I read somewhere the workshop guideline is 4 hours but no one I saw online has done it in anything like that. Took me probably 10-11 hours and it is a real pain in the butt job. I don’t think I’d do it again. Plus you need to flush the system so I had to buy a tool for that, unless you can get a mobile guy to come and flush then come back when you have put it back together. All in all it’s a bastard of a job.

There is a video somewhere on it. The entire dashboard, lower consoles, everything has to come out to get to the ac box and valve. It looks like a horrendous job. I hope you’re sure it needs replacing because on these, it’s avoided at all costs and not something you do routinely like on other vehicles.

Did Screaminkiw replace the TX valve and was it a dash out job? I've removed the aircon compressor and condenser/drier, which took me a good 8hours. Now I'm told that I should flush the lines and replace the TX valve, looks like a dash out job.
What is the special tool for flushing the system? Should I also be replacing the evaporator as there were metal flakes in the large bore pipe at the condenser.
Dreading the dash removal, but if I have to...
Any advice gratefully received.