You have been choosing an air conditioning station for a long time and finally bought it. You already earn money by servicing AC systems, you buy refrigerant, contrast agents, PAG oils and, like most mechanics, you forget about servicing your station! This is a basic error.
In my work, I often met air conditioning stations at workshops that had not seen a review or a small service from the first start. I would like to devote today's article to the operation and maintenance of these stations. We must be aware that the quality of our services, but above all, the service life of the air conditioning station depends on the frequency of inspections. Of course, we can outsource it to specialized companies and pay from PLN 800 to PLN 2,000 net, but we are at a mechanical workshop! We can save and do the service ourselves. The condition is that our independent review does not interfere with the warranty conditions. Below is a list of steps that must be followed to carry out an independent service of your station.
Its task is to clean and dry the refrigerant that we recover from vehicles and transfer to the internal tank located in our station. Like any filter, it has a lifetime specified by the manufacturer of the device. If this element is neglected, there is a very high probability that we will apply contaminated refrigerant to our next customers, and thus expose them to failures.
The vacuum pump is a key element of the air conditioning station, its operation affects the quality of the vacuum, and thus the drying of the air conditioning system in the vehicle.
Like filters, this oil requires periodic replacement according to the manufacturer's intervals.
ATTENTION: if in the sight glass for examining the condition of the oil placed on the pump you see that the color of the oil has changed, e.g. due to mixing with UV contrast - change the oil immediately.
In most stations, the service life of the filter and oil is determined by the number of services performed or the amount of refrigerant transferred. Usually it is between 40 kg and 120 kg. In premium stations, information about the need to service these elements will be displayed on the device's screen, which, let's face it, is a great convenience.
After the service, remember to reset the service (if the station has such a function), thanks to which the next service interval will be counted again.
The condition of the quick couplers at the end of the blue and red hoses is important for proper operation. If they are bruised, dirty or simply worn, it may be associated with a malfunction of the air-conditioning station: - lack of tightness during leak tests, - refrigerant escaping during the procedure of filling the system in the vehicle.
That is why I encourage you to take care of the quick couplers, clean the connectors before connecting and use the fixings at the station after the work is done, especially since the cost of such a quick coupler ranges from PLN 100 to even PLN 300 net depending on the manufacturer. We must also not forget about the inspection of the hoses of our station - if we find burnt, cut or otherwise damaged places on them, we qualify them for immediate replacement.
Unsealing the internal regenerative system that is built inside our device can also cause us a lot of trouble. Here you can find various ways of connecting the solenoid valve block and other elements of the installation. Regardless of the solution used by the manufacturer, they have one thing in common: all connections must be tight. That is why it is worth checking, e.g. with spray foam to test cavities, whether everything is in working order. Remember to perform this operation with the station disconnected from the power supply.
The weight of the refrigerant can be checked by placing a weight of known weight on the internal tank and checking the available amount of refrigerant indicated on the panel - if it is consistent - the scale is working properly. If not - we have to look at the device manufacturer's manual and carry out the scale calibration procedure.
For the balance of oils and contrast, the procedure is similar, a small weight is placed on the container and the weight readings are compared before and after this operation. If the increase is consistent with the weight we have placed - the scale is working properly.
If you bought an air conditioning station in the Autos network and would like to service your device, just take a photo of the rating plate and send it to our Technical Advisors, and the next day you will be able to pick up the service kit at your Autos store .
