Omega Owners Forum

Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: bestseany on 19 January 2007, 13:02:52

Title: How do you remove this air con pipe
Post by: bestseany on 19 January 2007, 13:02:52
I'm buying a replacement air con pipe off someone breaking an Omega, but he having trouble working out how to get it off the car.

It's the pipe with the orange arrow pointing at it in the picture. The bottom goes to the compressor but the other end disappears under the scuttle panel.

http://www.seand.prodigynet.co.uk/omegapipes.jpg

Any ideas?
Title: Re: How do you remove this air con pipe
Post by: tunnie on 19 January 2007, 13:45:38
Air-con is the only thing i take to specialists.

Personally I would not attempt to remove / fix any air-con parts. The system is pressurised, and the gasses need to be disposed of properly. Also the air-con system is very expensive, any small wrong move and its big £££ to get it fixed.
Title: Re: How do you remove this air con pipe
Post by: bestseany on 19 January 2007, 14:46:44
Quote
Air-con is the only thing i take to specialists.

Personally I would not attempt to remove / fix any air-con parts. The system is pressurised, and the gasses need to be disposed of properly. Also the air-con system is very expensive, any small wrong move and its big £££ to get it fixed.

The long pipe I've pointed out is split on my car. The pipe is £100 new, but a lot cheaper second-hand. The guy I'm buying it off is having trouble finding where the other end of the pipe goes when it disappears under the scuttle panel.

A air con specialist will be fitting it back on to my car.
Title: Re: How do you remove this air con pipe
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 19 January 2007, 15:26:29
Just behind the oil filler neck is a fast fit connector, pull out the rubber seal and use a set of circlip pliers to remove the circlip and you can then pull the whole gubbins out in one go...

The compressor end requires removal of a bolt from above to allow the flange to be disconnected from the compressor, there is also often a mounting bracket on the sump pan to support the two pipes.

The expansion vessel is bolted to the inner wing just below the battery tray (small cylidner with pressure switches near it.).

The final section bolts to the condenser/dryer flange section witha single bolt....under the slam panel...

Reality is that there is normaly a second small fast fit connector in-between the compressor and condenser assembly.....

Now, I am doing this from memory so apologies if there are any mistakes.....
Title: Re: How do you remove this air con pipe
Post by: bestseany on 19 January 2007, 15:28:48
Quote
Just behind the oil filler neck is a fast fit connector, pull out the rubber seal and use a set of circlip pliers to remove the circlip and you can then pull the whole gubbins out in one go...

The compressor end requires removal of a bolt from above to allow the flange to be disconnected from the compressor, there is also often a mounting bracket on the sump pan to support the two pipes.

The expansion vessel is bolted to the inner wing just below the battery tray (small cylidner with pressure switches near it.).

The final section bolts to the condenser/dryer flange section witha single bolt....under the slam panel...

Reality is that there is normaly a second small fast fit connector in-between the compressor and condenser assembly.....

Now, I am doing this from memory so apologies if there are any mistakes.....

Thanks for that mate.

So to just remove the long air con pipe, a clip is removed? The pipe seems to go inside the car under the slam panel though?
Title: Re: How do you remove this air con pipe
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 19 January 2007, 15:31:35
Trace the main pipe down to the compressor adn then faollow the return pipe back up the front of the radiator....is there a union or fast-on fitting (bulge) in front of the cooling fan?
Title: Re: How do you remove this air con pipe
Post by: bestseany on 19 January 2007, 15:34:55
Quote
Trace the main pipe down to the compressor adn then faollow the return pipe back up the front of the radiator....is there a union or fast-on fitting (bulge) in front of the cooling fan?

It's the main pipe that I'm trying to take off though mate. It comes from the scuttle panel and goes down to the compressor, and it's got a metal canister half-way along it.
Title: Re: How do you remove this air con pipe
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 19 January 2007, 15:36:54
Exactly.

Can you get a pic of teh main pipe between the oil filler neck adn bulk head plus anotehr of teh pipe work inbetween the rad an aux belt.

The connector setup changed around 1995/6.....
Title: Re: How do you remove this air con pipe
Post by: bestseany on 19 January 2007, 15:40:43
Quote
Exactly.

Can you get a pic of teh main pipe between the oil filler neck adn bulk head plus anotehr of teh pipe work inbetween the rad an aux belt.

The connector setup changed around 1995/6.....

Ah, right, sorry  ::)

I'm in work at the moment, but I'll get some pictures when I get home  :y
Title: Re: How do you remove this air con pipe
Post by: Matchless on 19 January 2007, 16:02:58
The pipe you are after is part of an assembly which has both of the compressor pipes, they cannot be separated.
On the pipe you arrowed there will be an inline connector before it passes from engine compartment into cabin. It is a threaded fitting on early cars...just undo with two spanners. On later cars it is a 'quick release' fitting.....without the special tool you have to dismantle the joint to get it apart....pull back the green rubber bit and there is a circlip, remove that and the joint pulls apart. You only need the pipe which is the male part of the fitting but you might as well keep all the washers, spacers, O rings etc that come out.

The pipe runs down under the compressor, remove a bolt to free the pipe(s) from a fastening to the sump.
Use a socket (15mm ?) and long extensions from around power steering pump area to undo the pipe-compressor joint bolt.
Unbolt the compressor...3 bolts at front, 3 at back. Rotate compressor anti clockwise as it is pulled forward, it should wriggle out.
Follow the second compressor pipe to either a smaller version of the quick release fitting dismanted earlier or a metal block connector under the battery tray, undo the central bolt to separate this connector and wriggle the whole pipe assy out.

You need to be sure that the pipe you are getting is the same as the one in your car, there are a few different types and they cannot be interchanged.
Dont be tempted to hacksaw through the pipes upstream of the quick connectors etc, any swarf that got into the pipe would wreck your compressor if not found.
Title: Re: How do you remove this air con pipe
Post by: Matchless on 19 January 2007, 16:06:30
Has the old pipe burst? Was it damaged or weakened in some way which allowed it to split?
IF not it could point to a problem due to excess pressure or a faulty compressor.
Title: Re: How do you remove this air con pipe
Post by: bestseany on 19 January 2007, 16:17:22
Quote
Has the old pipe burst? Was it damaged or weakened in some way which allowed it to split?
IF not it could point to a problem due to excess pressure or a faulty compressor.

Thanks for that, I'll that info on to the guy taking it off to see if it helps him out.

It looks like my pipe has worn through due to a jublilee clip.

This picture shows where the pipe has split. The compressor was replaced last month anyway due to the bearings being worn in the old one.

http://www.seand.prodigynet.co.uk/splitpipe.jpg