BXs are cool

[Jaba]

Just back from a run in the BX. It was cool.

This pic shows the temperature out of the air vent and in the car



Note the 27 degrees difference. This is an R12 system still. I wonder if the the newer refrigerant gases can do as well .

The outside temperature was probably the same as in the car. I noticed that if the speed dropped below 40mph then the air vent temperature crept up a bit until the speed picked up again.
This system gets the air temperature down to around 1 degree when it is not so hot. So it must have been working flat out today as it could only cool the air down to 5 degrees.
Does anyone have any figures to compare ?

[DavidRutherford]

Does anyone have any figures to compare ?

Yes... Ish.

Whilst I still don't have custody of the BX TZD+AC I got a while back, I do have a very similar A/C system in a 405. It too is an old R12 system, but has been retro-fitted with R413a as a drop-in solution.

With the frost sensor disabled, I've had -3 at the vents with an outside temperature of 28. Unfortunately the frost-sensor is a bit duff, and when re-instated the vent temperature rises to about 9 degrees.

I have yet to try a "proper" R134a system.

[Stewart (oily!)]

Impressive, my BX is currently being used as a community oven, you can get a nasty burn off the seatbelts and the leather seats have become purgatory, I am driving the Xantia which has aircon and becomes tolerable after about fifteen minutes, its showing 34 degrees outside after a ten mile drive, 40 when i got in roll on winter
Stewart

[Barnsley BXer]

No aircon Anybody want to bake some cakes

[DavidRutherford]

I left a roofing slate out in the sun earlier.

And fried an egg on it.

Tad warm isn't it.

[tom]

Yes, R134a systems will chill 30 degrees with no trouble. Mine was very pleasant yesterday!

[Mr B]

Mine too!

[Philip Chidlow]

Mine has RS24 in it and can bring it down from 50 to 28 fairly quickly...

And then gradually drops to around 20. If it's under 30 in the car to start with, and the outside temp's not outrageous it'll keep dropping until it gets too cold...

However, I know it's possible to still get R12 - but where/who does it? After all it's original spec - and works better, I believe.

[AndersDK]

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... highlight=

F&F's last post before Vanny's (at end) tells you about R12.

[Philip Chidlow]

R12's banned from new systems - as I thought - but what about old ones? I wonder if there's a source for R12 now?

[AndersDK]

Nope !

R12 is banned for good - including service usage. Only solution is a conversion (not that expensive that you may think).

[DavidRutherford]

However, I know it's possible to still get R12 - but where/who does it? After all it's original spec - and works better, I believe.

It does work better... it's a more efficient refridgerant than any of the modern non-CFC gasses.

But.

The only place you will get R12 from now in the western world is from people who bought loads of it in the very early 90's, and have stashed it. Anyone caught selling/recharging systems with it will face a very hefty fine indeed.

Plus, Black-market R12 is ~£50/Kg and rising. When you compare that with R134a at ~£6.50/Kg it's not even worth considering using R12 in a system that can be adapted for R134a.

The only reason that R12 is being kept and is so expensive is that there are some large industrial A/C systems that were designed into buildings in the 80's which can ONLY use R12, and the cost of replacement would be ridiculous.