A/C Compressor Refrigerant Control Valve

The line on the ac is d/c'ed b/c we needed to get the alternator out. reconnected it. I bought 2 cans of R134 and filled the low pressure line with a cheap gauge from Wally world with the engine running.
Initially worked fine with cold air, went to take a few laps around but at the end of the driveway moor became rougher heard a bunch tearing and breaking so I shut her down. Under the hood have both fan blades shredded. Replaced chassis, motors and fan blades.
AC light is on when turned on but o cold air. Checked low pressure line and it has zero psi.
Leak, sticking valve or??

You probably need to replace the expansion valve and drier. Then evacuate the system and recharge with the correct mass of R134.

Tony
Sent from my e-diesel fleet

just fixed 06 Jetta with delayed cooling problems, it already had the compressor changed 3 years ago to a Sanden one, before it had the Zexel compressor with same problem. Just swapped the rcv valve to a Sunair one ($ 50 on eBay) , 30 minute vacuum to the system and recharged with 18 oz of R134..........Success!! 33oF vent temperature!!! low side pressure= 33PSI high side pressure 155PSI. ambient temperature 90oF. Better than ever!!!

Would 2012 JSW have snap ring

Anyone know what the chances a 2012 JSW DSG TDI would have a bolt-in RCV?

I had my engine cover off and shot some pix of my compressor a couple months back to prepare for this, but then my phone got stolen. I am now ready to replace my RCV. I'm certain it is a Sanden compressor, and I think it was a the snap ring style RCV, but since I had a pix, I figured I'd confirm when I made the order. I'd hate to pull the cover to double check and wasn't having much luck reading the tag with a mirror.

2011 Jetta TDI. One compressor replaced at 58,000 miles under extended warranty. Again, intermittent cooling at first, then no cooling. Dealer wanted to replace it again at 109k for a mere $900+. (Sanden PXE16) Bought the RCV from Polar Bear. Replaced it this past weekend and the AC is chillin again!
When is VW going to take ownership of this issue and/or engineer-out the problem?

PilotUH60 said:

It seems that I have this problem on my 2010 Jetta TDI. I currently have a Sanden compressor model number 1601 with the snap ring RCV. I am going to try and order the correct RCV and replace it, I will post the results.

Click to expand...

I also have a 2010 Jetta TDI with a Sanden PXE16 compressor. This part failed at around 67,000 miles. The control valve is held in place with a snap ring and can be removed without having to take out the compressor. I obtained the replacement part from Polar Bear, Inc. Webstore (Product #: EV019) for $62.34.


NOTE: It is a tight fit getting your hand in there to remove the snap ring. You will need a snap ring tool with a 90 degree bend. It is also a good idea to tie back the radiator and refrigerant hoses with some string so you can maneuver your hand more easily. There is enough flex in the hoses to do this.

You should have the new replacement part ready for immediate insertion, as some refrigerant oil will seep out when you pull out the old part. This oil is necessary for proper operation of the compressor. Wipe some of it onto the o-rings of the new part, then firmly push it in place. You will feel a definite "click" as it seat itself. Then make sure the snap ring is evenly seated in the groove to hold the valve in place.

Prior to removing the defective control valve, I took the car to a Conrad's where they evacuated all the refrigerant for $56, with the understanding that upon return they would recharge they system at no cost if I showed my receipt.

So my AC is back in working condition with a $62 replacement part from Polar Bear Inc. Webstore plus a $56 charge for refrigerant service at Conrad's.

Interesting to note that the VW stealership does not carry this part. In addition, their service department solution to this problem is replacing the entire compressor at a cost too painful to list here.

Thanks. You answered my one question of how to do this as a DIY without bleeding refrigerant all over the atmosphere. Now I just have to find someone willing to do the bleed and recharge. My AC just never feels cold enough unless I'm running above 50 mpg for at least five minutes.

My 10 TDI Jetta's AC also stopped working. Interesting thread. So, I just had my system evacuated and pulled the valve out. I connected it to 12vdc power supply and nothing happened. However, that power supply is a pretty low current one so connected it to a small gell battery. It did click a bit but saw no movement. Took apart like the tread said (c clip flavor) and did find some gunk in the shaft movement. Cleaned out with some carb cleaner till the gunk stopped and was running clear. Tried again with battery and what a difference. It bounced on the desk. Tried again with the lower current power supply and it again did a hefty click. So I thought that must have fixed it. PUt back in and had system recharged. No AC.

I have also seen a few posts that the compressor has a shear pin to protect the serpentine belt. I can see the outside clutch does not engage. How can I tell if this shear pin is bad?

Thanks.

Where do you press the electrical connector while pulling and wiggling it? I'm guessing that I need to press down in the direction of the arrow? I can't quite see if there's a tab there. Thank you. I can't get picture to display here, so added the link instead.

http://blg.nikonsrc.com/image/NYEan...KdA90BoDwmtoKug6n4_vWgJX930eKw/item.JPG?rot=1

Alco,

the little tab your yellow arrow is pointing to needs to move away from the connector. (up in your photo)

helps to push the connector in, and I use a pair if needle nose pliers to move that latch a bit till it clicks. (I did this not on the connector on the RCV, but similar connectors all over the car)

you can do it with your thumb if you are lucky.

push it in a bit to make it easier to release the latch.

Hey Guys can i jump in here? I have a 2009 TDI with 101k on it. we bought the car several years ago and the ac has always been intermittent. So my question is, if it kicks on sometimes it doesn't mean the part is bad correct? we vacumed the system pulled the part out and cleaned it. we checked for ohms and we got 11.9 but we never put a low 12 volt source on it to see if it clicked. I know that was a dumb move since we had it out, but it is what it is. so my question is can the part still be bad and work on and off as it does?

meerschm said:

... the little tab your yellow arrow is pointing to needs to move away from the connector. (up in your photo) ...

Click to expand...

Thanks very much meerschm. I seem to have the worst time figuring out electrical connectors on vehicles. Their often black-on-black construction combined with my aging eyes make it tougher than it has to be. I appreciate your help.

just go easy on it, no need to break some part off and further complicate the problem.

it just has to move a bit. I seem to be able to use a pair of needle nose pliers to move the angle required.

for me, pushing with a screwdriver is more likely to break something.

My 2010 Jetta TDI Sportwagen has had this problem for a while.I was planning on fixing it myself,but while visiting Monterrey MX I decided to check a local European air specialist.It was a small shop,but he knew exactly what I was talking about.I noticed four or five old valves laying on his work bench.I seems mechanics here try to fix things before replacing a complete assembly.They replaced the valve charged the system for 225 dollars.The air is much colder now and thanks to the information on this website I saved a lot of money .Thanks

Okay guys, I'm new to this forum and have always been a VW fan but this is my first TDI. When I bought my 06 Jetta the a.c. was cold. I think the owner knew that letting it sit at idle helped. I have intermittent a.c. at best and it seems to work better when I decelerate. After reading this post it makes me think the RCV is bad or needs cleaning. I have a friend that's going to hook his gauges up and check the system out. What numbers would I be looking for on the high and low side if bad and what numbers on the normal side ??? Thanks ... Mike

I fyou get ready to pull the RCV it may help to leave a few PSI in the A/C or at least not have any vacuum present to get the thing out. Sometimes they are a little stuck and difficult to remove, especially with a vacuum present on the inside!

I find it better to take the pressure to atmospheric, so you do not puke as much oil out. The put a flat blade screwdriver under the bottom of the electrical connection and pry by twisting it sideways a few times. They have been coming out well using this method. Did two this week with no issues. But if you want to leave a few PSI in, it is no big deal.

A good pair of 90 degree snap ring pliers is worth its weight in silver. Maybe gold if its over 95 degrees outside.

I have taken to NOT replacing the filter drier when I just quickly pop an RCV out and insert another. If it is open for longer than an hour or so, or I am taking the system apart, then I do use a new filter drier.

Thanks for the tips. I'm looking for my snap ring pliers tomorrow and can only hope my big arms can pull that snap ring. Is it easier to do this job from the bottom or top ?

From the bottom, up on a lift or jackstands for most of us.

On some vehicles it may help to pull some hoses and tie them out of the way. Just an inch or two can be invaluable.

By the way, while it seems that in 5% of the reports, replacing the RCV does not fix the issue, or it fails again soon, my experience, with about a dozen of them, is that it does fix it for an extended time - years.

Please remember that if your AC compressor oil is not clear amber color, with no metal flakes in it, the compressor is bad, and the RCV will not help long. All it takes is one tiny metal flake in the valve to cause it to stick. Dark brown or black oil or metal flakes means you must flush the system and put in a new compressor.

While the product may be snake oil, or worthless, I usually add a can of 1 oz. ICE32 additive, 1 oz. PAG oil, and 1 oz Ri34a immediately after the valve install, as the first part of the charge, done with the engine off. I hold the can upside down to get the liquid out (Which I would not do on a running compressor - 5 cc of liquid on a piston will hydrolock it and ruin the compressor) then with the engine still off put in 12 ounces of R134a, as a gas, to push the oil in, and to spread it out in solution through the system.

The can in the link has the oil, ICE32 and one ounce of R134a in it, though this is not clear from the product description anywhere on the web that I can find. It does say so on the back of the can.

A bucket of hot tap water (120 F or so) is very useful to keep the refrigerant boiling out of the can rapidly. I tie a wire on the bucket bail to hold the cans upright, so I get gas, not liquid.

Read the manual or the sticker under the car for the total amount of R134a to add. For most of the MK Vs, it is about 18 ounces or so - a can and a half.

I worked on 3 of these for family and friends in the last week. In each case the air temperature went from 60F or so before the repair to 38-40 F, when running the fan in fast, full cold, recirc mode, at 2300 rpm engine speed. This was in direct sunlight in 90 F weather.

I told my brother in law about this issue, and he told me he would help me do this next Saturday. My brother is a mechanic and has all the tools to do this, but I only know how to change a battery, change a tire, change my oil, etc.

to make a long story short, I need to try to find out what rcv I have so I can buy one to have it here by Saturday. Is there a simple way to find out which kind of RCV I have? I would just order one, but from all the reading I've done I see there are two types, and my luck is if I just order one I'll get the wrong one. Any chance Auto Zone, Advanced Auto Parts or O'Reilly's sells them?

You need to go look at the car.

the local car places will have a mirror on a stick, that can help you read the label, get the part number of the compressor, and see the valve end.

Some of us use the camera on our phones to get a snapshot. It may take a few t ries to get everything lined up.

http://www.polarbearinc.com/PBPC/Homepage/products_Comp_Valves.html#SD6V12

If you have a Sanden compressor on a Mk V, which is all I have ever seen, then your RCV is either ex014 or ex 019 on the page above. The difference is whether or not it is held in place with a spring clip or a bolt with an internal hex head on it. The one on your car, if it is held in place with a bolt, likely does not have a pigtail on it, like the one from polarbearinc.com, but the pigtail one is the one to buy for a replacement. The bolt is above the valve when it is bolted to the compressor.

You can see this from above on some cars, but only from below on others. In either case it is hard to see due to the angle and interference of hoses.

One significant more obvious difference is that on the bolted RCV, the can that holds the electrical coil is mostly above the compressor body, standing out. The snap ring valve body and electrical can are mostly shrouded by the compressor body see post #63.

So far I have seen the bolted body RCV only on the high line models of the cars, that have the dual temperature controls and LED readouts, one for each side of the car, and the spring clip valve on the simpler, single temperature models that just have a manual dial. However there is no technical reason for this. Either compressor would work on either car.

shuddyssoup said:

Okay guys, I'm new to this forum and have always been a VW fan but this is my first TDI. When I bought my 06 Jetta the a.c. was cold. I think the owner knew that letting it sit at idle helped. I have intermittent a.c. at best and it seems to work better when I decelerate. After reading this post it makes me think the RCV is bad or needs cleaning. I have a friend that's going to hook his gauges up and check the system out. What numbers would I be looking for on the high and low side if bad and what numbers on the normal side ??? Thanks ... Mike

Click to expand...

You need the low side numbers to be between 25 and 30 when the engine is sped up to 2300 rpm and held. The low side numbers on a healthy system are often near 35 psi at idle with a hot car and a hot day. Even with the compressor putting out full load it cannot lower the pressure any lower.

The high side pressure will vary so greatly with ambient temperature that it is hard to say, but I would expect about 125 to 225 psig.

What can be even more telling is evaporator temperature and air outlet temperatures and control signals on VCDS. The evaporator temperature should be 5 C or less on a healthy system after a minute or so at 2300 rpm, with the fan on fast speed. The air temperatures should drop down to within 2 or 3 degrees C of evaporator temperature.

On systems with RCV problems, I was seeing outlet air temperatures of 50 degrees F (15 to 18 C) or higher at 2300 rpm during highway operation and fan on fast. After replacing the RCV, I would typically see air temperatures of 40 C or so in the same conditions.

I added a little gas to the system, as I was afraid to put too much pressure on the socket. It shot out like a bullet when I touched it. Problem solved. I spent too much time with the China made snap ring pliers messing with the ring. Glad I didn't loose it.

just did the RCV replacement for my 2011 JSW TDi. had a local mechanic do it and he was generally very curious to see if just replacing the valve would work and happy it did.
$150 labor (including discharge/recharge of freon) and $70 for valve is so much better than replacing the whole compressor.

Thanks for reporting.
That is a very good price, amazing for NYC area.

Just did one this week on a '10 Sportwagen. Very simple and quick. I second the correct snap ring pliers.

I agree about the drier. If your oil is a nice clear amber and the RCV is out and in in a few minutes, then not to worry. Vacuum the system down, check that it holds, then recharge. Really very easy.

Another Successful RCV replacement

My 2010 JSW TDI 130K miles had limited cold air only at highway speeds. Went to PEP Boys to have the system evacuated. Replaced the RCV snap ring EX 019 version purchased at Polar Bear online $81, 3 day shipping. With a good pair of right angle snap ring pliers the snap ring came out easily. The rcv was stuck a little because of the vacuum but came out using needle nose pliers on the circular plastic and leveraging against the holder. Pep Boys charged $62 to evacuate 7 ozs R134 and recharged the system with 19 ozs 134A for $91. The a/c seems like new. Thank you to everyone who participates in the TDIClub Forums. I saved a bundle.

2 WEEK UPDATE: On about 4 occasions, short trips, the a/c failed to come on or was slow to turn on. Once it starts it blows extremely cold air. not sure what to do next???

4 WEEK UPDATE: Continued to be intermittent. Took it to VW dealer and only the compressor and seals were replaced. Back flushed. Cost $950.

Hey guy just wanted to report back in that we swapped out the RCV on my 09 TDI and the AC is working amazing. This forum has saved me a ton of time and money and i just wanted to say thanks to all that helped me out!