N e w s l e t t e r 03

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Dear VCS Member,

We are pleased to present you the third edition of the Valeo Clim Service Newsletter. We have also attached a copy of the second edition and a Technical Service Bulletin on how to maintain your Valeo ClimFill. In this bulletin we are going to look at a vehicle that has been around for a while and is still quite likely to turn up in the workshop for repairs to the A/C system. Please feel free to provide us your feedback and suggestions for the next publications.

Issue 3 includes:

NEWS

SERVICE - Gas and Air Conditioning Systems

TECHNICAL INFORMATION - Repairing and Servicing a 1999 Honda Civic 5 dr

COMMUNICATION

NEWS

Welcome to our new Valeo Clim Service members:

DISTRIBUTOR GARAGE TOWN OWNER

ABERGAVENNY BRAKE JOCKEY GARAGE Pontypool Paul Chapman ALS MOTOR FACTORS MOTORQUIP Newton Abbott Alan Madams DISCOUNT CAR SPARES TUDOR MOTORS Fetcham Todd Tinney DISCOUNT CAR SPARES KEYDRIVE Leatherhead Gary Dunford DISCOUNT CAR SPARES TRAFFIC GARAGE Walton on the Hill Colin Griffi ths DISCOUNT CAR SPARES EPSOM CAR CARE CENTRE Epsom Paul Thomas DISCOUNT CAR SPARES WEST HORLEY MOTOR WORKS LTD. West Horsley Daryl Gould DORSET AUTOSPARES MOTCOMBE GARAGE Shaftesbury Chris Rose KEVIN COOPER SAM EDWARDS & CO. LTD. Bude Tony Thorald MIDLAND VEHICLE COMPONENTS P H AUTOS Coventry Paul Hobden MILL AUTO SUPPLIES VOLKS CITY Plymouth Ken Thomas MOTORSERV R & C MOTORSERVICES Cranfi eld Carl Hardwicke MOTORSERV YEW TREE MOTOR WORKS LTD. Finmere L G Hastings MOTORSERV LAKESIDE MOTOR COMPANY Milton Keynes Mark Webb PCS CAR SERVICES Sutton in Ashfi eld Philip Tomasevic PCS DMS & COPPICE FAST FIT Nottingham Dave Marrland PCS HIGH STREET GARAGE Chesterfi eld Shaun Shearan PRIORSLEE MOTOR FACTORS THE GARAGE Eccleshall Peter Cooke

4 Communication

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May 2007

www.valeoservice.comValeo Service (UK) Ltd, Heming Road, Washford, Redditch, Worcestershire, B98 0DZTel : 01527 838300 Fax : 01527 523732 www.valeo.com

Be comfortablein all seasons

In addition to our current offer, new tools have been released:

Oxygen Free Nitrogen Kit (ref 699990):This tool is perfect to perform:

• pressure test for leak detection

• Flushing of Component

Comes with a spare bottle of gas (1kg) ref 699991

1 - New Tools

With the increasing number of cars fi tted with Air conditioning it is necessary to educate customers about the

importance of air quality in order to maximise your business potential.

You may have heard about customer complaints regarding smells, odours or allergic reactions. These are signs that

need to be taken into account. Each Problem has its cause.

Smells and nasty odours:

Why?Either there are bacteria in the evaporator and/or the

cabin fi lter has not been replaced in the last year.

What to Do?

It is required to clean the ventilation system with

Valeo Clim Pur once a year. Its specifi c formula

cleans the evaporator and kills all bacteria and

micro organisms. The system is purifi ed,

disinfected and odours are removed. When you

perform this maintenance, don’t forget to

change the cabin Filter (once a year or every 10,000 miles)

Allergic Reactions:

What?Pollen, Pollution, Dusts…These particles need to be

fi ltered. When a customer complains about air quality

or allergic reaction, it may be necessary to perform

maintenance.

What to Do?You have to check and replace the pollen fi lter. This

component cleans the air intake by retaining all the

particles present in the air. Service this item once a

year or every 10,000 miles.

Air quality in the vehicle is not only a matter of comfort;

it is also related to vigilance and security.

Do not hesitate to resort to leafl ets provided within

the Communication Package.

For more information, contact your distributor.

Replacement Hoses for Climfi ll:They will give you morefl exibility by replacing thestandard hoses providedwith the machine. Ideal formobile work, trucks andcoach applications…

2 Lengths are available:

5 Meters

• High Side Replacement Hose Climfi ll 5M ref 699985

• Low Side Replacement Hose Climfi ll 5M ref 699986

7.5 Meters

• High Side Replacement Hose Climfi ll 7.5M ref 699987

• Low Side Replacement Hose Climfi ll 7.5M ref 699988

Did you know that, as a member of the Valeo Clim Service network, you are eligible to a dedicated technical Hotline?If you need help, explanation or knowledge update about one specifi c issue you may encounter on Air conditioning or any other products, a Technical Hotline with unlimited usage is available. Do not hesitate to use this special tool, included in the Valeo Clim Service Package. PS: If your hotline membership has expired (12 months after signing up to Valeo Clim Service)or is about to expire and you wish to renew it then please order the following part number (955361)from your VCS distributor giving them your contact details.

Just Call

0870 241 6932 To get the answer you need. Note: To access the Hotline, Please quote the customer number that has been given to you when you joined Valeo Clim Service. If you do not have it, please call Exponentia Hotline and they will provide you with your customer logon.

For further information, please contact your distributor.

Flushing Kit for Climfi ll:

• Flushing Kit Adaptor ref 699992

Enables your Climfi ll Station to be converted toaccept liquid refrigerantfl ushing.

All Valeo Climfi ll are fl ushing prepared: Connectors are already fi tted on the side of the machine to accept this fl ushing kit.

• Universal Adapters for Flushing Kit ref 699993

Includes all the necessarybridges and adapters toenable open circuit highpressure fl ushing and leak detection. Fits 95% of allEuropean and Japanese vehicles.

2 - Technical Hotline

Please contact your VCS Distributor for Pricing details

3 - Air Quality

Why not create a

special offer by using Menu Pricing

Clim Pur Injection

+ Cabin Filter Change

From £39

698984

RENEWALOFFER£90

per year

VCS Newsletter Issue 3 Nov06.indd 1-3 4/5/07 17:26:21

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Once the pressure test has been completed used OFN can be vented to atmosphere, air contains 78% nitrogen by volume. Another advantage of using OFN is that it absorbs moisture and starts the drying process completed by the vacuuming.

It is possible to achieve satisfactory results from an OFN pressure test, recharge the system, run it, and still have a minor leak of refrigerant on the high side. This is because the compressor creates a pulsing unlike the static test of the OFN.

Best practice is always to utilise every form of leak check available before recharging and also after such as electronic leak detector. The use of green dye and a UV lamp will help checking a system after it has been run, the dye is circulated in the oil by the gas so is only useful in a system that is running, but it is always worth checking a failed system for signs of dye that may have been installed previously. Dye leak detection should be considered to be a long term leak detection method. To comply with environmental legislation, if a leak is detected therefrigerant must be removed and recycled immediately.

N e w s l e t t e r • N e w s l e t t e r • N e w s l e t t e r • N e w s l e t t e r • N e w s l e t t e r • N e w s l e t t e r

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Service

Using OFN to Pressure Test

Many guidelines and best practices have been written for testing A/C systems. It is important to follow these guidelines and to avoid allowingrefrigerants to leak into the atmosphere by not testing the system before it is charged. A policy of partially charging a system and testing for leaks is not acceptable and could be illegal. An A/Csystem is a pressurized system it should be testedunder pressure, the leak check used by most A/Crefi ll service stations including the Valeo ClimFill uses vacuum to test the vehicles system for being leak free.

This is done automatically by the machine creating a vacuum, and testing the system is capable of holding it over a period of time. A leak check ofthis kind is likely to show a major leak but if a rubber hose has a defect or an O ring is leaking a vacuum is quite likely to pull the rubber in and seal the leak whilst under vacuum condition.

With this in mind the pressure test using OFN (Oxygen Free Nitrogen) is the best way to establish if a system is leak free before attempting to charge it with refrigerant. OFN is available in cylinders to rent from national suppliers or in smaller disposable containers to purchase.

On the larger rental cylinder, it is necessary to purchase a regulator set to take the bottle pressure down from 2000 psi to approximately 150 psi before it can be connected to the vehicle. When making the choice between large rental bottle and small portable disposable container weight and legislation must be considered as well as cost. When transporting the larger cylinder a green diamond sticker must be displayed (pressurized gas non-fl ammable) on the vehicle as shown.

A rental of approximately £50 pounds per year is usually payable for the cylinder but the refi ll is less than £20 this makes OFN cheaper than wasting refrigerant and also it is a legal option. There are two sizes of rental bottle available 30kg and 15kg, rental is the same but the refi ll is actually more expensive for the smaller bottle. The bottle shown in the illustration above is the larger 30kg cylinder.

The OFN regulator should be connected to the A/C system via a manifold gauge or in the absence of a manifold gauge, a locally sourced adaptor can be used. The OFN should be fi lled from the high side and regulated to approximately 150 psi. If a major leak is present, it will be heard as the OFN escapes. OFN will not trigger the electronic sniffer so other methods such as soap solution should be used to locate smaller leaks. A plastic tube type stethoscope can often be used to detect leaks especially inside evaporator unit.

If no major leak can be heard, leave the system charged with OFN and disconnect the bottle from the vehicle thenmonitor over a period of time. Up to one hour is fi ne for a leak check but ambient temperature change must be considered. If the vehicle system cools down expect a drop in pressure, if it warms up expect an increase in pressure.

IMPORTANT NOTE OFN PRESSURE TEST IS A STATIC TEST, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES MUST THE SYSTEM BE RUN CHARGED WITH OFN - DAMAGE TO THE SYSTEM WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY TAKE PLACE.

33 Technical information: Repairing and Servicing a 1999 Honda Civic 5 dr

Start by removing the clips retaining the top of the bumper cover to the bonnet-landing panel, if removed carefully these clips can be re-used. By carefully pulling the panel forward and retaining it with a piece of wood the bumper can be left in place. Two brackets secure the condenser in place at the top these must now be removed. The lower pipe that connects to the receiver drier is best removed with the condenser. Removing it in situation can often mean damaging the end as it is diffi cult to free from the condenser, see below photo of broken pipe.Carefully lift out the condenser and lower pipe together then remove pipe retaining bolt and gently rotate pipe free from condenser.

Because the vehicle came into workshop with no refrigerant in system, air moisture will have en-tered the receiver drier, and the desiccant will be saturated. It is best practice to replace receiver drier when any major component is replaced or if the system has been opened up. The receiver drier should also be replaced every two years as a service item. Replacement of receiver drier is straightforward when condenser is removed. Re-member to replace the oil in the system to allow for oil removed in old components.When all new components have been replaced pressure test system with OFN before refi tting bumper cover. Once system is proved to be leak free, using clim fi ll recharge system and carry out performance test.The cabin air fi lter should be checked on any A/C service or repair; this is behind the glove box on the Honda Civic. It is advisable to wear a nuisance mask to protect ourselves from harmful particles trapped in the cabin fi lter.

Valeo Part No. 699990

In this issue we are going to look at the repair and service of a Honda Civic 5dr 1999

Like most vehicles the condenser is the most vunerable component, fi tted at the front and designed to give up the heat absorbed by the evaporator from inside the vehicle.The condenser must be light in construction to avoid excessive heat retention and as it is subjected to fl ying debris, vibrations and changing temp/pressure, it is a small wonder that the units last as long as they do. Another frequent reason for replacement is accident damage.

PIPE DAMAGE CAN BE AVOIDED BY SEPARATING

FROM CONDENSER AFTER LIFTING OUT

OLD CONDENSER SHOWING OBVIOUS SIGNS OF AGE

Please note that our Oxygen FreeNitrogen Kit (699990) is deliveredwith a pressure regulator, manifold gauge, connection hose and a 1kg bottle of gas.To obtain a larger cylinder please contact your local gas supplier.

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