Air Conditioning

[ThwartedEfforts]

I bought a CX

Problem is that while my car is in very nice order throughout, the air conditioning isn't. Now, the nutters CX owners tell me that either A. it's highly unlikely to find a CX with fully working aircon, and that B. even when in good working order, it's not actually worth turning on anyway. You're better off opening the window.

My question is, is this worth pursuing or - as I suspect - is it pure folly? Not having the car functioning as it did when it came out of the factory will only annoy me, even though I'm not an aircon devotee (my XM doesn't have it), but I'm prepared to overlook the problem if the general consensus here is that I'd be wasting my time!

Not to mention trying to find the right parts...

Cheers! Phil.

[Andmcit]

Congratulations on the new arrival!

I'll have to exempt myself from contributing here as I fall into the totally biased and a Cx nutter
category and the answer precedes me!! Plus I'm a roof and windows open driver anyway
and likely to feel slightly claustrophobic if at least something isn't open so AC is pretty much
redundant anyhow! Probably why I have a grudge with Xm's where 85% of them don't have a
damned sunroof that works - tilt would be enough - I'm not asking for the moon on a stick.

CX ventilation with AC 'should' make some kind of difference as much as the bad press says it won't!
The most likely candidate here regarding AirCon will be Shane where he regularly mutters about how
hot Cx's can get inside and working AC is more than preferable!

If some items are required for the CX, I'm sure I'll have something to help.

Is this the blue one from Harpenden/St Albans?

Andrew

[kenhall1202]

Hi Phil

I retrofitted a salvaged aftermarket a/c system to my last CX (a DTR Turbo2 Safari) and despite the pain and blood loss from a thumb gashed in the process I thought the end result was worthwhile for such as holiday camping trips to the hotter parts of France.
Two drawbacks spring to mind, the first is the lack of any decent ram airflow through the CX which necessitates running the noisy fan to get the full cooling benefit from the a/c. The second is the fact that most CX aircons probably used the now banned R12 refrigerant (mine did), so you might be faced with some equipment modifications to permit the use of a modern refrigerant.

Regards

Ken

[peterh]

Edit: and then I saw that this was about a CX. Me and my big mouth.
The only useful thing I can say is "congratulations!"



This post has been edited by peterh on November 19, 2008 09:39 pm

[Citroenmad]

We need more details and pictures of this newly arrived Cx!

[Andmcit]

The clues are in Phil's signature! E 88 GTi auto

It's going to be a s2 2.5 with the kit that comes with the GTi spec and may not have a sunroof
as it's got AC = may be a blessing as ths sunroofs and surrounding area does rust...

BTW. Talking about CX's and yet another topic twist...

Chris, do you fancy another 22TRS seeing as how you were smarting at missing that blue one
the other day!? I'd imagine Phil won't need it with his new arrival and it's a manual anyhow.
It's silver and has about 9 months MOT! 72k ish miles; late G and one owner for previous 16 years!!

All to be checked and confirmed as it's not mine though - price dependent on wheels spec but from
£750. Seller loves the car and blows hot/cold whether he needs it or the space as many other cars!

It's a good'un! Anyone?

Andrew

[ThwartedEfforts]

We need pics Andrew - show and tell

[Andmcit]

Original listing ad when it was decided he was going to sell it earlier in the year!!

Please don't take this as a hard sell; I'm just hoping to be matchmaker
if this works for you! It my pal's car (Peter) and I've hummed and harred
about having it (I've actually said on several occasions that I WILL have it)
but I really REALLY mustn't as my collection needs thinning as you may
no doubt already know!

Peter's circumstances have changed (again!!) and this will need to find
a new home even though at one stage he'd decided it'd be a long term
'keeper'.

Silver Cx22trs 2165 cc petrol on a G plate.
Car located in Cowbridge [nr Cardiff]
Mileage is just under 73k.
Would make an ideal practical first CX!!

IT WILL BE SOLD WITH A BRAND NEW FULL MOT!!

This is one of the last saloons with the VIP extra spec over the
ordinary 22 TRS and all the gizmos work - GTi/Turbo black
herringbone/sawtooth velour interior, electric windows all round
and metal sunroof and ABS. NO real rust issues.

Cosmetically, there are some details that DO need addressing sooner
rather than later to make the car a real looker - there's some signs of
paint needing sorting around the sunroof where it's been anti-rusted
and there's some bubbling on the hinged area inside the driver's door
on the main frame that you don't really see and it's not structural
- there's a scuff or two on the plastic bumpers and the nearside front
wing (again anti rusted).

The car rides 100% on recent spheres and has had a new timing
belt and service in its last 100 miles.

Peter drives a daily Xm or Xantia which he says reasonably grinds
the 1000+miles a week he does for his business but without much
in the way of excitement for him compared to that the Cx gives!
He still adores the car but really needs to find a caring enthusiast
home and he doesn't have garage storage space so it shouldn't
be left out in all weathers - if that's possible!!

It is fitted with a genuine Citroën towbar and the fitment of a
charging plug for a spare camping battery in the boot suggests
it has been used to tow a caravan by the previous owner.

I'm not personally involved in the £ value but it drives superbly and
it DOES look straight and smart; obviously there are cosmetics but
realistically these aren't that significant; I've suggested a ballpark
value for negotiation oiro £1000 to Peter but that's WITH THE
ALFA ALLOYS with perfect near new tyres as PICTURED on the
links below.

Reduce the price by 150-200 if you take it on with still legal but boring
steels (which it's currently being stored on)

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g318/Andmcit/DSC00041.jpg
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Inspections are welcome when given ample notice
- for more details contact Peter on pjones007@hotmail.co.uk
or call/text Peter on 07738 705007.

All the best,
Andrew

[UFO]

Mrs UFO is the owner of a now cold running CX 2500ie auto. Well it is cold inside at highway speeds - around town in heat it struggles to cool us at traffic pace.

However this is Australia and the AC comp is driving the front and rear evaporator. Aus delivered CXs had a rear evap system fitted when they arrived in the country. In fact the now retired gent who did the work lives about 2km from my place!

A heap of work was done to Mrs UFO's car to get the AC up to spec after we bought it. A leaking hose was repaired, TX valve replaced and eventually a new compressor fitted and the system filled with Hychill which is a direct replacement for R12 and can also be used in R134a systems.

Head over to Aussiefrogs and do a search for more info.

DoubleChevron has also done some research on better ways to get power to the underfed blower fan.

[ThwartedEfforts]

Many thanks for all the thoughts on air conditioning, it is greatly appreciated.

I think I may try and source replacement original parts and then take the whole damned lot to a specialist who might understand what to do with them - I certainly don't, and I don't fancy getting it all wrong.

Andrew, can you be of help here sorting the parts I might need, or perhaps people who might have them?

Your pal's CX looks like a good car and certainly worth the asking price. Quite a late example too, though as you pointed out not much cop for me - must have slush

Regards, Phil.

P.S. Pics at the weekend, no it's not from Harpenden.

[ThwartedEfforts]

Coincidentally I've posted a message on the CX Club message board regarding my CX's steering control unit. Rather than clutter this board up with discussion, if any of you might be able to lend me a hand over there

[Andmcit]

Hi Phil.

I'd be happy to help with parts or sourcing alternative avenues of search!
Are you looking for the whole AC kit components? A very valid point is the
compatibility of these (old or new) with the current 'green' gas.

What is your problem with the steering on the car, as I've not seen any
previous mention here?

Andrew

[Andmcit]

BTW, I don't see any harm in talking about Xantia and Cx's in this forum
- otherwise why have a specific area for them!?

Andrew

[ThwartedEfforts]

Having asked a question over at the CX board, I felt it may come across as bad manners to post the exact same predicament here and then effectively 'trade' the expertise against each other. In addition, people on one forum may not even bother replying on the assumption that I'd get an answer from the other!

Thanks for your offer re: A/C components. Given the state of my car currently I may not be needing them

EDIT: The CX board link is http://www.cxclub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=773

This post has been edited by ThwartedEfforts on November 22, 2008 06:55 pm

[Andmcit]

To be totally honest and candid, I got mentally totally worn out on the Cx forum recently:
not exactly sure why but it's very likely just me so I've taken a break off there for the past
few months...

...probably guilty of overdoing it as I used to virtually live there!

David will see you well with technical queries though!

I've rejected a prospective purchase for a CX in my earlier Citroening and have heard of this before.
It's either the actual steering column itself failing or dirt/restriction in the fluid flow to/through/from
it. In reality it'd be an easy job to swap the steering column DIRAVI system controller - and it's a
damnsight easier to remove on a s2 car too. The only big deal is accessing the feed pipes on the
engine bay side of the column.

I've got one you're welcome to try before you buy if the car is otherwise OK and something you
want to keep. A profficient DIY'er or garage will manage it quite easily so long as time/care is taken!

Andrew

This post has been edited by Andmcit on November 22, 2008 07:44 pm