BXProject

Went to have me a/c recharged on the BX last weekend, but he did a test first and found a big hole in the condenser rad (prob a stone chip)
Anyone know if this is an easy repair (solder or silver solder a patch?????????) or where to get new ones?

How big's the hole Bandit? I did one years ago that was 1/4" dia. Using 1/8" round solder with flux core and a blow torch. I just put a ring of solder round the outside of the hole but slightly overlapping it. Then i caulked it almost closing it, then finished it with solder, sealing it.

You need to be careful with the flame as the body on the one I did was pretty thin so I tinned about an inch round the hole after I had closed it.

I bought mine from http://www.ariazone.co.uk/, after a fair amount of searching (nowhere else even listed the BX!) My old one wasn't repairable, as it had failed in several places due to corrosion.

Vanny may know of a supplier given his job...

Thanks for linky Matt, I'll have a butchers in a mo!

About 1/8" I'd guess Phil. What did you chaulk it with?

That's the problem as Matt points out, I could mend it only to find another hole (s) but if I can self test it with a foot pump and a water bath I stand a good chance I spoze! What's the pressure of the a/c system?

There multi hole spurs on the valver so i'd be sorely tempted to squirt in some liquid metal and crimp the edge thats leaking. I mean erm thats not the correct way, and wouldn't work on a rad unless you where desperate, but you'll likely get away with it.


There aluminium, and there are 4 little tubes (about 1.5m/1m) inside each spur (running top to bottom) so it will likely only be leaking from one of these 4 little tubes, sealing one or two up won't make shit all difference. You could even weld them up solong as you dont make a porous weld or warp/distort the other mini pipes.

The correct way is to braze them, we get the factory to do it.

Try Autokool for a condensor, if its not on there website then call them and they'll get you a price.

Oh another thing, it might be the same as that fitted to the C15 van, in which case DENSO and possibly Delhpi still sell them new. I can't get discount (which is shit) but you might be able to get them through ECP head office.

Brazing! What an ace idea - my Dad has the gear, thanks Van. I've not whipped it off to have a look so I'll need to check.

On another note, this looks bloody tempting, being that my compressor sounds like it's dropped a bearing or something. Question is, is the compressor already converted to R134a? If so, it makes a complete R134a conversion very tempting too. Does the use of PAG100 signify r134a suitability?

Compressors are no different for R12 and R134a (very different for R1234yf though). The differences to make one work for R12 and one for R134a is a) Oil, b) pipe seals.

I'm not so well read up on oils, we use ND8 for R12 and R134a, and ND12 for R1234yf and i think electric compressor. ND8 is obscenely expensive, and hard to come by. You might try a Landrover dealer for oil for a Mk3/4 Discovery, then cry as he repeatedly rapes your bank account. I suspect most oils that you can get for compressors 'off the shelf' will work fine.

Seals are neoprene rather than rubber.

That compressor is cheap, but to you need it? You can down load the maintenance manual for the Sanden compressors from there website, i suspect the clutch bearing will have failed and (compared to rebuilding a gearbox) is relatively easy to do. Might want to check if there are special tools for them though? You'll normally get your bearing and change for a pint from £5.

I caulked it with my little 1/4 pound ball pein hammer. Just gently tapping to spread the solder and close the hole nearly.
That was on the body though Bandit. As Vanny says you need to identify yer hole first
The pipes must not be ally though, if you want to braze as you can't braze ally.Far too hot.

Well they manage to braze ally pipe onto ally block connectors in the factory just fine (by hand, for prototypes) so there must be a way!

I 'think' you do need special tools as I've seen them advertised somewhere but it may be easy to make one? Dunno, need to have a look at the maintenance manual.

Don't know what the noise is. It sounds very much like a dry bearing on an idler roller for example. But it's a new idler bearing, so it ain't that. After about 20 mins the noise stops. Hard to know what exactly is wrong with it till I take a look. I thought at £60 it would be a cheaper hassle free alternative to repairing my existing one but from what you say probably not.

Off to the Sanden website.......

well unless they have new materials/techniques I'm unaware of, iron based metals must reach around 700 degrees for hard braze to attach, using borax.
Ally melts long before that so......thats why you soft solder ally to stuff like copper, brass, bronze, zinc etc. Even then ally and zinc must be tinned all around the attachment point first.

Dural has an appreciably higher melt point, are they using that?

So I would be interested to know what technique they apply.

Philhod wrote:
Dural has an appreciably higher melt point, are they using that?

I thought manufactured bits were mainly aluminium alloys rather than pure aluminium wherever possible due to the pure stuffs propensity for oxidation and degradation when in contact with even just the atmosphere?
Certainly Dural was favoured in the old electronics industry for Chassis and Panels as it was more durable - hang on, that's where the trade name of Duralumin came from as Durable Aluminium is contacted to Duralumin.

That's why I said Dural instead of duralumin. Duralamin is a specific mixture of ally, Copper, Magnesium and Manganese, in exact quantities, but there are a lot of other recipes nowadays, not necessarily made by the Duralumin company for lots of different applications.
Pure ally does tend to carbonise fairly quickly BX rear sussy cylinders are a good example

Any of these will lose structure by less than 500 degrees.
As with stainless steels, there are a range of different consumables for joining purposes..

There is a concoction which is similar to Duralumin but with slightly more copper and less magnesium, that will weld different types successfully, using pure Argon and a Zirconated Tungsten tip.