Cleaning the air conditioning evaporator on the XM

[gasa]

To post a topic related to air conditioning, specifically cleaning the evaporator.
There is a lot of work involved in removing it, but it is the only way to clean the evaporator properly and keep the air conditioner running at full capacity.

In principle, every air conditioner on the XM is in this condition, because not all of them have an air conditioner filter, and also heating, the air circulation is weaker because the air from the fan always first goes through the air conditioner evaporator and then to the heating radiator. Until I find the original air conditioner filter for the XM, I installed a filter for the hood used in the kitchen, a P-605 filter can be used, but it needs to be modified a little.

[gasa]

[gasa]

And here you can see how clogged the condenser is with dust, leaves ..

[gasa]

In the end, this is what it all looks like, I'm sorry I didn't find a new air conditioner evaporator to install, I couldn't find one on offer anywhere, but it will still cool properly.

 

[Dr.Jones]

vor 17 Minuten schrieb gasa:

I installed a filter for the hood used in the kitchen, a P-605 filter can be used, but it needs to be modified a little.

do you have a picture of it?

[gasa]

Сервисирао сам и вентилатор, замењене су четке и очишћене од прашине, цурио је радијатор па сам и њега заменио.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gasa]

I didn't take a picture, just buy a filter for the aspirator and use some thin wire to fasten it nicely over the fan's protective grille, it prevents dust and leaves from entering very well.

[schwinge]

12 hours ago, gasa said:

In principle, every air conditioner on the XM is in this condition, because not all of them have an air conditioner filter, and also heating, the air circulation is weaker because the air from the fan always first goes through the air conditioner evaporator and then to the heating radiator. [...]

Yes, every XM's evaporator core I looked at is at least partially clogged up by debris. This is a breeding ground for bacteria and funghi and also decreases aircon performance. It may be possible to try cleaning it by removing the fan motor and heater core. So that you can blow compressed air from the heater core side and suck up the dirt from the fan side. For now, this is just an idea in my head I've yet to try.

For getting access to the evaporator, I prefer pulling the whole dashboard and steering column as one unit. 
The second picture is just a mockup of the evaporator back inside the car for illustrational purposes. 

 

My filtering solution consists of glueing a stainless wire mesh onto the intake and sandwiching a fleece filter like the ones for bathroom fans between the wire mesh and the original plastic grille.
I first installed this setup in my personal car back in 2020, and it turned out working very well and also is very low maintenance. Cleaning of the filter is only neccessary every few years, unlike paper filters which ought to be replaced on a more regular schedule.

 

 

[gasa]

The only and proper way to clean the condenser is like this, to take everything apart and wash it, there is dust, leaves have been sitting there for years and everything is stuck together, they could not be cleaned with just air.
That's how I solved the filter for now, with a filter for the kitchen extractor fan, I have used such a system on the BX for many years, it keeps dust and dirt off very well, I put a new filter in once a year.

Some XM models have original air conditioning filters, until I find the original filter box, this is how the air purification will work.

Bearbeitet Montag um 09:39 von gasa

[VolkerXM]

how long did it take to remove the dashboard?

[gasa]

...the control panel is removed in 2 hour,without any hurry.