Hello all
I bought a kit to top up the air con on my 2000 3.7. I've been searching under the bonnet for the 'low pressure' cap. I can't find it, I'm not even sure I've found the aluminium pipes!
I've just looked through your service manual and it indicates the system shouldn't be topped up anyway. Is this correct? Main dealer empty and refill only? My dealer in Chandlers Ford is very expensive and I got done the last time I went.
Any advice please?
Gary
Air Conditioning Top Up
-
Lancia 2000
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Mon Mar 17, 2025 1:52 pm
- Location: Hampshire
-
MikkiJayne
- Posts: 209
- Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2023 6:26 pm
Re: Air Conditioning Top Up
My standing advice is to not mess with aircon. The DIY kits have no facility to measure the amount of gas in the system and can therefore either over or under-pressurise it leading to failures or poor performance. The manual is correct that the system should not be 'topped up. The correct procedure is to remove all the refrigerant from the system under vacuum (with a dedicated machine), hold it under vacuum for 10-20 minutes to verify there are no leaks, and then reinstall a precise weight of refrigrant. With a DIY kit, you can do none of this, plus on a D2 its practically impossible to do without a machine anyway (see below).
However, this is far from dealer only - many independent garages have the machines and the required 'F Gas' certification to use them. Expect in the order of £100-150 for an empty and refill, depending on local labour rates.
The RHD D2 is a bit odd in terms of refrigerant ports. The 'low side' is up on the passenger side between the ecu box and the heater box and is practically impossible to reach unless you are an octopus. In addition, it has a unique fitting which generally does not exist in the UK so even if you could get to it, there's nothing which will actually connect to it properly. The high side port though is easily accessible on the front of the condenser on the driver's side, and with the proper machine you can easily fill from the high side port only. With the system under vacuum, it'll pull in the refrigerant just fine through the high side and the machine can make sure it takes the proper weight. Just be careful when doing this to let the car sit for 5 minutes for the pressure to equalise before starting the engine, otherwise its possible to hydrolock the compressor.
Hth
However, this is far from dealer only - many independent garages have the machines and the required 'F Gas' certification to use them. Expect in the order of £100-150 for an empty and refill, depending on local labour rates.
The RHD D2 is a bit odd in terms of refrigerant ports. The 'low side' is up on the passenger side between the ecu box and the heater box and is practically impossible to reach unless you are an octopus. In addition, it has a unique fitting which generally does not exist in the UK so even if you could get to it, there's nothing which will actually connect to it properly. The high side port though is easily accessible on the front of the condenser on the driver's side, and with the proper machine you can easily fill from the high side port only. With the system under vacuum, it'll pull in the refrigerant just fine through the high side and the machine can make sure it takes the proper weight. Just be careful when doing this to let the car sit for 5 minutes for the pressure to equalise before starting the engine, otherwise its possible to hydrolock the compressor.
Hth
-
Lancia 2000
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Mon Mar 17, 2025 1:52 pm
- Location: Hampshire
Re: Air Conditioning Top Up
Thank you so much. I'll try a garage I have had success with before. TBH most garages are pretty hopeless these days.MikkiJayne wrote: Mon Jun 01, 2026 4:07 pm My standing advice is to not mess with aircon. The DIY kits have no facility to measure the amount of gas in the system and can therefore either over or under-pressurise it leading to failures or poor performance. The manual is correct that the system should not be 'topped up. The correct procedure is to remove all the refrigerant from the system under vacuum (with a dedicated machine), hold it under vacuum for 10-20 minutes to verify there are no leaks, and then reinstall a precise weight of refrigrant. With a DIY kit, you can do none of this, plus on a D2 its practically impossible to do without a machine anyway (see below).
However, this is far from dealer only - many independent garages have the machines and the required 'F Gas' certification to use them. Expect in the order of £100-150 for an empty and refill, depending on local labour rates.
The RHD D2 is a bit odd in terms of refrigerant ports. The 'low side' is up on the passenger side between the ecu box and the heater box and is practically impossible to reach unless you are an octopus. In addition, it has a unique fitting which generally does not exist in the UK so even if you could get to it, there's nothing which will actually connect to it properly. The high side port though is easily accessible on the front of the condenser on the driver's side, and with the proper machine you can easily fill from the high side port only. With the system under vacuum, it'll pull in the refrigerant just fine through the high side and the machine can make sure it takes the proper weight. Just be careful when doing this to let the car sit for 5 minutes for the pressure to equalise before starting the engine, otherwise its possible to hydrolock the compressor.
Hth
Gary