Arteon 2018 ➤ , Atlas 2017 ➤ , CC 2012 ➤ , Caddy 2016 ➤ , Crafter 201 ...
Air conditioning systems with refrigerant R1234yf - General information - Edition 07.2017
1.4.4
Detecting leaks in a vacuum test using
air conditioner service station , or in a
pressure test
All vehicles
CAUTION
Risk of freezing injury caused by escaping pressurised refrig‐
lk
erant.
There is a risk of injury to the skin and parts of the body due to
freezing.
– Wear protective gloves.
– Wear protective goggles.
– Extract refrigerant and open the refrigerant circuit immedi‐
ately afterwards.
– If more than 10 minutes have passed since the refrigerant
was extracted, repeat the extraction process before opening
the refrigerant circuit. Pressure could build up in the refrig‐
erant circuit from continued evaporation.
– Switch off ignition.
♦ Detecting leaks in a vacuum test using air conditioner service
station , or in a pressure test
⇒ “2.5 Evacuating refrigerant circuit”, page 140
Note
♦ Smaller leaks in the refrigerant circuit (less than 100 g refrig‐
erant loss per year) cannot usually be found by means of the
vacuum test or pressure test. The amount of air entering the
system or the nitrogen-air escaping it is too low to detect the
faulty area through noise.
♦ It is also not always possible to detect leaks in the refrigerant
circuit with more than 100 g refrigerant loss per year by means
of the vacuum test or pressure test, depending on the envi‐
ronmental conditions (noise around the area, location of leak,
etc.). The air entering the system and nitrogen escaping it
could be too low to generate a noise that would be noticeable
in the faulty area.
♦ Larger leaks in the refrigerant circuit (e.g. more than 100 g
refrigerant loss per day caused by a stone hitting the con‐
denser) can be detected depending on the environmental
conditions, e.g. noise coming from the faulty area, which is
noticeable during the vacuum test or pressure test
⇒ “2.5 Evacuating refrigerant circuit”, page 140 .
– Perform vacuum or pressure test ⇒ page 143 .
1.4.5
Detecting leaks in a pressure test (with
nitrogen or compressed air)
♦ Perform a vacuum test using the air conditioner service station
to see if any leaks can be found
⇒ “2.5 Evacuating refrigerant circuit”, page 140 . If a leak can
be detected but not the exact location of the leak, an additional
pressure test can be performed using nitrogen or compressed
air ⇒ page 143
1. Refrigerant circuit
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