Help on A/C in a series I Disco

Hi Quiggers
I used to teach in the trades area at the Charles Darwin University so I have access to auto elec's other refrigeration mechanics, motor mechanics (one of them a series fanatic) Because it is a bloody intermittant fault it has never happened when I have have others help me look.

Hi Ladas
from what I have seen of the newer models they are much easier to work on so I'm not sure how much help the distructions on how to pull out a later model dash would help but thank you very much for the offer.

To pull the dash out I will probably have to start by removing the wheels and going from there.:confused:

Oh well life is never boring with a landy

blythe

Getting under the dash of the D1 is easy, as said. Remove the rest of the vehicle and you'll eventually get there. If I ever have to go there, I figure I may as well do a complete rebuild of the D1. (There's a dead bypassed heater in mine, been there for years....god knows what else...)

Voltage! I assume the air con works and given it's a sealed system which is variable by electrical input - I'd be looking for 12 volt probs, rater than the aircon system, just my bush mechanicking....)

there's that bloody song on the ABC!!! radio again "I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair". Grrrrrrr

Where's the gun?

GQ

that song has to be an oxy moron, nuff said

I'm not sure the problem is electrical, thinking about it the fan always sounds like it is running flat out? Gauges show that the system is sweet, except when the fan dies the suction pressure drops low enough to start to freeze up the evaporator then no air anyway.

Gunna try to sweet talk the auto air guys when they have third years apprentices in to see if they can have a crack at it, I think I have almost conceeded defeat. Except it is a mongrel driving up here with the bloody build up and no A/C I must be getting old!! or I need to start drinking again:eek:

blythe

try this now blitz.

'air con heater control panel fascia'

left slider down, right slider up

top cross slider to left

bottom left cross slider to left

bottom right cross slider to left

just tried this in the front yard for five minutes and there's air so cold it chilled my hand, out of dash vents

Yes i know most of this point towards red marker graphics, red must mean freezing....

by doing this the fan is on on max go, which is what is neede in the tropics, eh?

GQ

check the resistor pack, the contacts in the sliding switch then the bushes in the fan motor itself, assuming that its the fan speed thats changing.

or It could be a bit of paper like what happened to me in big red (nuff nuff award again).. a piece of A4 paper had been pulled up onto the side intake of the fan and for the life of me I could not work out why I wasnt getting full flow.... took it in to have it looked at....

yeah I know....

Could it be kicking out on HP safety through what ever reason? Overcharge? Restricted condenser? Condenser fan failing?
Maybe we are looking in the wrong place & maybe the problem is external & the comp. is kicking out?

Geez 4bee, that sounds very hitech for a Disco 1..........but????

GQ

Ahhhh.... the passanger side heat exchanger is icing up and preventing air flow.........

The thermostat controller is set too low. I didnt believe this was possable but this was the explination given to me by the guys who squared big reds aircon... While your aircon will work brilliantly in low humidity situations when the humidity in the vehicle rises a nice little feed back type loop develops.

apparently the temperature sender for the thermostat is not sufficiently in the core to do figure this one out so the center of the core ices up and blocks flow, the blocked flow allows the sensor to warm up and turn on again letting the compressor do its job and freezing the core even more... and the problem repeats.

the give away check is to work the aircon till it stops working then shut everything down, put a bucket under the aircon drain and see how much comes out, then take it for a drive and come back with the air con still working and redo the bucket thing.

The final way of proving the fault is not in the electrics of the fan, turn the aircon settings over to heat with external air and then run the fan in its various settings.

you could also try pulling the plug off the back of the reciever dryer that lets the system know it has pressure in it. The fan will still work but the compressor wont turn on.

Hope thats helpful.

If the coil is freezing up, as you know that is normally caused by a few conditions

Undercharged
Reduced or blocked air flow
Faulty TX valve
Combination of above

You have already said the gas charge looks 'sweet'

Is the coil dirty/blocked

Check the superheat across the evaporator - or as close as you can with just a temp probe. If the suction temp is quite high, and the gas charge is normal then the tx valve may be faulty

Quote:

---

You have already said the gas charge looks 'sweet'

---

...................... & if you are judging this solely by the sightglass, you could be getting a false view if the TX is semi-flat or out of adjustment ( but as I understand it, these days auto TX's are a fixed adj ), & it's banking up on the high side. Your gauges really should tell you most of this anyway. Low LP & possibly high HP.

If it's not electrical, then what ladas has said ^ ^ ^