EVs bringing new air con service opportunities to workshops

Traditional service set to decline but new opportunities are coming, WAECO reports

EVs bringing new air con service opportunities to workshops

Electric vehicle air conditioning and thermo management systems require “special attention”, WAECOs AirCon team has said.

When carrying out aircon services, they stress the importance of using the specific compressor oils and UV dyes.

With more and more EV fleets in the UK car Parc, we will see less traditional service in our workshops.

With this change new opportunities will arise as new systems in electric vehicles that need to be serviced and repaired.

A WAECO spokesperson said: “AC service has now become a major part of service and one aspect that is overlooked when servicing EV & Hybrid vehicles is that the air conditioning system now utilise an electric compressor.

“Here it is very important to ensure that the conductivity of the Compressor oils and UV dye is of the correct specification.

“A change in the conductivity could have serious effects, including Insulation test failure causing DTCs or non drive of vehicle.

“One drop of standard PAG oil through cross contamination in service equipment or using incorrect oil can reduce insulation properties of these oils by 10%.

“Also there are more issues surrounding use of new refrigerant R1234yf as it much more sensitive to moisture.”

How can moisture get into an otherwise tight refrigerant circuit?

WAECO says a source may unknowingly be in the compressor oil sat on your AC filling station, which is filled into the refrigerant circuit as part of the air conditioning service.

The original packaging, including the lid, is usually made of metal, and the PAG oil is charged with argon during filling by the manufacturer in order to prevent the ingress of moisture.

The spokesperson added: “With many air conditioning service units, however, it is often necessary to transfer the oil from the sealed metal can into a plastic container.

“And here lies a problem.

“The PAG oil most commonly used for this is highly hygroscopic I.E., it attracts moisture from the ambient air and binds it.

“What was relatively harmless with R134a but is an issue with R1234yf.

“And here especially in an EV or Hybrid where all components are operated electrically.”

In the long run, moisture penetration is not only bad for the lubricating performance of the PAG oil, but might also cause thermochemically unstable conditions in the aircon circuit.

This is when acids are formed. Keeping in mind that an E-compressors has wires inside which are in contact with the fluids, acid will attack components of the AC circuit causing corrosion and damage the components and insulation of wires and internal windings.

“This problem is eliminated when using WAECO’s patented storage and supply system, which has been proven to be a truly moisture-free system.

“There is no decanting into plastic bottles.

“The metal box can be connected directly. Inside the can is a metal bag that is emptied.

“In this way, no ambient air gets into the metal bag and the PAG oil is protected against the ingress of moisture.

“Dometic’s WAECO A/C service units are usually prepared for this kind of oil bottle system but it is also possible to use these special cans with other manufacturers service devices.

“Dometic Adapters for all mostly common air conditioning service units are already available.”

Have your say!

0 0

Lost Password

Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.