Thread: D3 AAircon compressor

You are going to get a lot of opinions, so here’s mine. I flushed my front and rear evap using a flushing tool on my air compressor. I used shellite as my flushing agent. Flushed back and forth through both evaps. They say you can’t/shouldn’t flush through the TX valve, but I did and many do.
Lot of air afterwards to dry out the shellite.

As for oil, you should use AT LEAST as much as the design says. Your manual will tell you. I used a bit more to be sure. I had about 100ml in the compressor - maybe a bit more - in the sump. I drained it from new, measured how much was in it, then refilled it with the amount I wanted. I then added enough throughout the system to give me at least what was needed, plus I added an extra 30ml I think. It’s meant to be 160ml - I was around 190ml all up. I added some into the condenser, some into pipework.

New, genuine o-rings at any point I opened. New schrader valves on your connectors.

I installed a new compressor, condenser and drier. Had a shop degas and regas.

Getting the compressor out is a battle. I took the front off my D4 and most of the side to get mine out. Didn’t have to remove any suspension components, but did remove the power steering pump.

Good luck!

When I accessed the plastic coolant inlet very close to the AC pump i also changed all turbo hoses to silicone.

I removed upper arm to get a better shot at the retaining bolt.

You need to remove all the heat shields and from memory there’s is a well hidden very fiddly bolt to release the solid turbo hose joiner in order to get that out of the way. Lots of bleeding from the hand region I recall.

Shane Shed did a video of changing his on YouTube. I have that very same comp in my spares after he parted out the car soon after that.

I was going to comment, but DJ covered pretty much all of it, so just a general comment or two. Too much oil "slightly" impairs the efficiency of the system, while too little eats compressors. Doesn't *really* matter where the oil is added provided you don't slug it into the suction side of the compressor. It gets moved around within minutes of firing up. In the past I've just put it into the compressor sump.

Shellite is also what I use for flushes, just make sure it's *all* really out before you gas up.

Originally Posted by BradC

I was going to comment, but DJ covered pretty much all of it, so just a general comment or two. Too much oil "slightly" impairs the efficiency of the system, while too little eats compressors. Doesn't *really* matter where the oil is added provided you don't slug it into the suction side of the compressor. It gets moved around within minutes of firing up. In the past I've just put it into the compressor sump.

Shellite is also what I use for flushes, just make sure it's *all* really out before you gas up.

Yeah, I erred in the side of caution and used a little more oil. Probably unnecessary, just felt better about it.
I had Josh Huber advising me. He also got me the parts. Legend.

Miss Josh. A lot. He was very knowledgeable and helpful. I can only hope he's gone to somewhere that pays him a ****load where he can't risk reputation by posting here.

Originally Posted by BradC

Shellite is also what I use for flushes, just make sure it's *all* really out before you gas up.

Or on bigger systems we use CPS Proflush,which seems to have R11 in it.
R11 was the best flushing/cleaning agent for Refrigeration systems,and other cleaning applications by a country mile,we could get it in 200L drums back in the day.

The 45KW Ac system we recently had that was full cooling tower water,we used CPS Proflush,and it seemed to work well.

I had no trouble removing or installing one recently on a 3.0 D4, following the LR WSM instructions which included removing the inner guard. The PS pump wasn't removed, nor was any suspension component other than disconnecting the height sensor arm as it was across the middle of an access opening. I couldn't pull the coolant inlet hose off the housing so pulled the housing out still attached to the hose. Similarly I couldn't push the new hose onto the installed new housing so then fitted the new hose with the new housing already attached, albeit with the clamp not tightened. The job takes time though.