XM Air Con Pipe Needed

[ragger]

Hi Everyone

My M reg. V6 XM is in need of an aircon pipe without the big hole the current one has. The part is no longer available from citroen I am told but the part number is: 6457V7. If you have access to the parts diagram it is number 4. If anyone can help me source one of these, I would be very grateful.

Rob

[steelcityuk]

I'm told Pirtek can be very helpful for this kind of thing.

Steve.

[kenhall]

Hi Rob,

That looks like a fairly convoluted piece of bent alloy tubing with fancy O ring sealed ends.
I see that Citroen Service still list a price of £60.96 for it but the parts list has the dreaded 'NFP' which I very strongly suspect is some French abbreviation that means 'no longer available' as you have already said above.
I doubt if anyone could come up with a less suitable material of constuction than unprotected aluminium alloy for a/c system components (eg pipes and condensers) on UK salt doused cars - they are just wallet emptying disasters waiting to happen.
Does anyone know if brazed copper is compatible with R134A refrigerant + PAG oil ? - I suspect not.
Good luck in your search for a replacement pipe.

m640820c.jpg

Ken

PS Anyone looking for a new dryer for their A/C system should search Ebay - lots of newDelphi ones currently on offer for £4.99 + £7.00 p+p

[xmexclusive]

Double check the Delphi dryers against actual part not just Delphi's description.
There is a fairly large batch been on ebay for a while.
They are marked 2.5TD but they actually fit V6's.
When I told the seller I got ignored.
Went to a trade show last week and spent and interesting hour or so on life extension of alloy rads.
Getting a sample of an external treatment that has proved to more than double working life.
He had a interesting idea for controlling internal corrosion as well that is worth trying.
The fact he wants as DS19 as a hobby car helped a lot.

John

[citroenxm]

I MAY be able to help with that pipe, as I have junked the R12 systems for R134a systems, so should have those/that pipe somewhere in the shed, which should not have a hole in it either..

System removed from a 1993 V6 SEi 12v... which did have R12 on it...

Paul

[ragger]

The car is an "M" reg series 2, and so, I assume, has the later system.

Rob

[kenhall]

'Getting a sample of an external treatment that has proved to more than double working life.'

A thin coating of the hard black lacquer (currently used on Citroen hydraulic lines) applied during the car's manufacture would be a good start in slowing down the alloy corrosion process.

Ken

[xmexclusive]

Having just sorted the leaking hydraulic pipes on the rear axle of an R reg car I have very serious doubts about the quality of the Citroen pipe coating. It seems to be no more than than an enamel paint. Lots of patches of corrosion under it when you scrape the paint off.
The XM subframes get a similar cursory black paint treatment which also fails.

John

[kenhall]

Unfortunately UK winter salt and grit will beat any coating eventually - all you can hope to do is slow it down by frequent underbody washing and the use of additional protection, in my case I apply the thickest grease I can find to all exposed hydraulic pipes and unions.

Ken