Air Con receiver / dryer

[mroberts]

Where is the receiver / dryer located on the MK2 BKD?

 

Is it easy to get to and replace?

[DJSmiley]

Aircon dryer is located on the condensor, at the right side, just behind the front grill.

 

Not possible to replace it seperately, you need to replace the condensor also. Had mine done last year, the plastic top of the dryer was leaking, so I had barely any refrigerant left in the system (and the AC wasn't working)

 

I was lucky the ac pump was still functional (lack of refrigerant might cause a defective pump as well). After replacing the condensor, vacuuming the system and refill with refrigerant everything was working properly again.. and still is.

 

I did a small writeup of this:

https://www.skodaforum.nl/forum/i/o2-airco-condensor-vervangen.33273/ (you might use google translate, since I've written it in Dutch, but feel free to ask questions)

Note: Since I'm Dutch, my car is a LHD. I assume the aircon is similar on a RHD vehicle.

 

Basicly, you need to remove the front grill and bumper parts. Removing the radiator is not nessecary, I was lucky to be able to clear just enough space to remove (and re-install) the condensor.

 

Edited 9 February, 2018 by DJSmiley

[mroberts]

Blimy that's a lot of work to replace the condenser.

 

My A/C pump is dead anyway, so I need that replacing.

[DJSmiley]

It took me about 5 hours to fix. But I'm an IT guy, not a car mechanic, so it can be done a lot faster I think (but you still need some time to evacuate the system)

 

When replacing the AC pump you also need to add some oil (depening on the amount already in the pump). 

 

In my case it would cost me approx 600 eur to get it fixed (major brand condensor, labour, refill and so), so I did it myself. Bought a cheap condensor (70 eur) since my car is unlikely to last another 10 year, so I decided I don't need an expensive major brand thing..  Refrigerant was 40 eur or so (Some german Ebay shop send it to me.. Although its not allowed to work with refrigerants without certification.... I still received it). Of course, you should take care of the environment.

But since my local shop simply refilled it, and added some UV dye (Just come back in a few months)... I thought: I can do it myself as well.. And since the circuit was empty anyway I didn't expose any refrigerant to the environment...

 

The top 'valve' of the dryer is a known part to leak, which was in my case also the culprit. When driving alot on dirt tracks or country side, you might consider adding an grill too. By default, the condensor is directly exposed to everything which passes your grill.

VAG has a additional filter available to prevent small stones (and crappy animals) to hit your condensor directly, which decreases the risk of leaks. 

 

From another forum:

Schutzgitter mit Clipse für Klimakondensator (1K0820746)  (On UK Ebay )

 

 

You can also DIY : See eg here

Edited 9 February, 2018 by DJSmiley