cooling ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE 2010 Owner's Guide
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: ASTON MARTIN, Model Year: 2010, Model line: V8 VANTAGE, Model: ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE 2010Pages: 947, PDF Size: 43.21 MB
Page 635 of 947

Air Conditioning (A/C) System (12.03)
Climate Control (12.00)
12-3-2 Workshop Manual May 2007
Major Components
Compressor
• Engine mounted, driven by the accessory drive belt
• Variable displacement type
• High-pressure relief valve, to avoid system over-pressure
• ECU controlled clutch energised via a relay
Receiver drier
• Vertically mounted on the right-hand side of the engine bay
• The high-side charge port is installed to the high side entry pipe to the receiver drier
Condenser
• Multi-pass fin-over-tube type, mounted in front of the engine cooling pack and directly to the radiator
Trinary switch
Located in the compressor discharge pipe
• Provides a signal, via the A/C module, to the PCM, to disengage the compressor clutch should the refrigerant
pressure be less than 2 bar or greater than 30 bar
• Provides a hard-wired signal to the PCM, to switch the cooling fans to HIGH speed at 22 bar rising pressure and
to LOW speed at 17,5 bar falling pressure
• Provides a hard-wired signal to the PCM, to switch the radiator cooling fans to LOW speed at 12 bar rising
pressure and to switch the fans OFF at 8 bar falling
pressure
Expansion Valve
The expansion valve is located on the outside of the A/C unit
and comprises of a diaphragm, connected by a capillary
tube to a temperature sensing bulb, which regulates the
valve according to temperature variations at the evaporator
outlet pipe. This component is not serviceable.
A/C Unit
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Page 637 of 947

Air Conditioning (A/C) System (12.03)
Climate Control (12.00)
12-3-4 Workshop Manual May 2007
Storing Refrigerant
Handling Insufficient Refrigerant Level
Handling Compressor Oil
Refrigeration Cycle
Operation
1. The Compressor (1) dr aws low pressure, low
temperature, refrigerant vapour from the evaporator (5)
and compresses it, raising th e refrigerant pressure and
temperature.
2. This high pressure, hot, refrigerant vapour enters the condenser (2), where it is cooled by the flow of ambient
air and changes state into a cooler, high pressure liquid.
3. From the condenser, the liqu id passes into the receiver
drier (3) which has three functions:
• Removes moisture from the refrigerant using a desiccant
• Filters the refrigerant to remove system contaminants
• Stores the refrigerant to cope with varying system refrigerant demands
4. The filtered liquid refrigerant, still at high pressure, then enters the expansion valve (4). Here it passes through a
controlled orifice and emerges as an atomised liquid
spray. This has the effect of reducing the refrigerant
pressure and temperature. The cold refrigerant spray
now flows into the evaporator (5).
5. As refrigerant passes through the evaporator core, it cools the incoming airflow. Heat is absorbed by the
refrigerant, during this process and it once again changes
state, from an atomised cool liquid into a vapour. The
refrigerant vapour then returns to the compressor for the
cycle to be repeated.
An automatic safety valve is incorporated in the compressor,
which will open if the system pressure rises above 41 bar.
The valve will reseat when the pressure drops below 27,6
bar. When the safety valve is open, the compressor will 'free
Warning
The refrigerant container is highly pressurized. If it is subjected to high heat, it could explode, scattering metal fragments and liquid refrigerant that can
seriously injure personnel. Store refrigerant at
temperatures below 40
oC (104 oF).
Caution
If an insufficient refrigerant level is detected while
troubleshooting, do not char ge (add) the refrigerant.
Because an accurate amount of refrigerant cannot be
determined from the pressure indicated on the
recovery / recycling / rechar ging unit, never charge the
refrigerant.
Caution
If there is too much or to o little refrigerant from the
refilling, there may be secondary problems such as
damage to the refrigerant cycl e parts, or a decrease of
cooling performance. Therefore, if it is determined that the refrigerant level is insufficient, completely remove refrigerant from the refriger ant cycle and refill with
refrigerant to the specified amount.
Caution
Use only ND8 compressor oil for this vehicle. Using a PAG oil other than DENSO OIL8 compressor oil will damage the A/C compressor.
Caution
Do not spill the ND8 compressor oil on the vehicle. A drop of compressor oil on the vehicle surface can
damage the paint work. If oil gets on the vehicle, wipe it off immediately.
Caution
ND8 compressor oil has a high moisture absorption
efficiency. If moisture mixe s with the compressor oil,
the refrigerant system could be damaged. Ensure caps
are installed immediately afte r using the compressor oil
or removing refrigerant system parts to prevent moisture absorption.
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