xantia Aircon / Bitron disconnect

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redzzed
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Joined: 17 Jan 2011, 21:40

xantia Aircon / Bitron disconnect

Unread post by redzzed »

Hi All , im not a mechanic or techie but have sussed out that my apparent overheating/warnings are linked to the airconditioning
in my 1997 xantia 1.9td sx a/c , which i DO NOT USE .
And am therefore looking for advice on the quickest way of nullifying it (fuse/solonoid)
My car is late 1977 and i suspect that my fuse diagram is not accurate for my model .

I get the fans on a lot of the time with STOP warning light along with temp gauge orange light on .
there is plenty of water in the rad and the temp rarely gets up to 80 degrees .
the warnings nearly always go off after about 2 mins , and often come back on again .

I looked at other posts which said there is a brown a/c relay close to the fuel filter , i dont have it ..
i got a green , another two which are red and yellow and another red one on the other side if the filter .
i dont think they just pull off anyway .

advice pls .

there is often a whine when i turn off , like a turbine/jet engine , the car performs fine otherwise .

i'm not interested in getting the aircon going , just sorting this prob. thx .

obviously the a/c isnt switched on , also the filter hasnt been changed for years ..the prob is intermittent but more prevalant
in warm weather .
current : 1997 xantia 1.9 td sx a/c
previous cars :
1997 zx memphis td
1996 zx volcane td
1994 zx volcane td
Hell Razor5543
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Re: xantia Aircon / Bitron disconnect

Unread post by Hell Razor5543 »

If the heater controls are set to de-mist, the aircon is automatically turned on (it doesn't turn on the green light on the switch, BTW), as it helps to dry out the air. The 'turbine' sound is the compressor spinning down. If the aircon is running (for any reason) both fans will be running.

It might be worth getting the aircon re-gassed. If there isn't enough in the system, then the compressor has to work harder to do its job. I wonder if this is what causes your problem. I had this done recently on Gracie, and (if I am reading the paperwork correctly), there initially was 398g of gas, and afterwards there was 825g (and a lot colder, with no warning lights). Formula One autocentre charged me £49, which was for both the cleaning option and the re-gas.

I would also change the pollen filter. They are not expensive (around £10), and are simple to change (takes about 20 minutes if you have all the bits/tools). A clogged pollen filter could cause poor airflow into the cabin.
James
ex BX 1.9
ex Xantia 2.0HDi SX
ex Xantia 2.0HDi LX
ex C5 2.0HDi VTR
ex C5 2.0HDi VTR
ex C5 2.2HDi VTX+

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Xaccers
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Re: xantia Aircon / Bitron disconnect

Unread post by Xaccers »

On a Mk1 the air con doesn't come on when the blower is set to demist.
The turbine sound is your radiator fans spinning down from fast.
The a/c being on makes them spin slow, the engine being hot or the bitron thinking it is hot causes the fans to run at full speed.

Cassy has exactly the same symptoms and her a/c compressor cannot be activated because I've used a shorter belt to bypass it (bearing on the compressor has failed and I don't want it causing a fire by being forced to still spin).
At some point I will get to her bitron under the passenger headlamp, probably when I replace her rad in the near future.
Until then I just go by the temperature gauge and ignore the flashing STOP and overheat lights when they show up.
1.9TD+ SX Xantia Estate (Cassy) running on 100% veg
1.9TD SX Xantia Hatchback (Jenny) running on 100% veg for sale
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redzzed
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Re: xantia Aircon / Bitron disconnect

Unread post by redzzed »

Thx for the replies guys .
I will not be getting the aircon fixed/recharged , am already living on savings for 2 yrs and only essentials will get done ;-)

Aircon is an unneccesary luxury to me and i can and will drive with the windows down without any problem if i need to cool things .

the fans are going full on at times , will that do any harm ??
have disconnected the righthand one by removing fuse 14

thx Xac for that .

But does anyone know how to simply disconnect the a/c by taking out a fuse/solon . ??
current : 1997 xantia 1.9 td sx a/c
previous cars :
1997 zx memphis td
1996 zx volcane td
1994 zx volcane td
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Xaccers
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Re: xantia Aircon / Bitron disconnect

Unread post by Xaccers »

It's got nothing to do with the A/C.
If you look at the end of the A/C compressor when the engine is running, you'll see the end face isn't turning as the magnetic clutch isn't engaged unless you turn on the A/C and have sufficient gas pressure within the system.
If you want to stop the A/C from being able to engage, disconnect the 12v feed to the compressor.

I wouldn't worry about the fans running full blast, they'll wear out sooner of course but in countries around the Med, I'd imagine the fans are on pretty much all the time anyway.
I'll report back once I've found time to look at the same issue on Cassy. Just keep an eye on the coolant level.

The problem with not regassing the A/C is that if it's not used, the bearings can seize up from rust resulting in an engine fire.
The rust can end up doing the equivalent job of the magnetic clutch by locking the part the belt spins with the rest of the pulley.
I can't remember the length of belt we fitted to Cassy to bypass hers, I'm in the process of trying to source a known good 2nd hand compressor to swap over in which case I'll be able to measure the shorter belt for you.
Regassing in the Winter is normally half the price of the rest of the year, so £25 against £50, and many places offer it for free if they can't complete the gassing due to any issues or if the temperature isn't colder. Sign up to some of the voucher sites like Groupon or Living Social and they often have regassing for £14.
Definitely replace the pollen filter, they can be picked up on ebay for a few quid. Remember the air you breathe inside the car goes through it, so if it's black and full of mould/leaf mulch/dead bird parts etc, you're breathing that in!
I hope you're also saving money by running her on vegetable oil. If you can get access to Costco or other cash and carries, veg can be bought for about 89ppl at the moment. If you can get access to waste veg from the chippy/takeaway you can save even more (although that needs a little bit of work while veg straight off the shelf can just be poured into the fuel tank).
1.9TD+ SX Xantia Estate (Cassy) running on 100% veg
1.9TD SX Xantia Hatchback (Jenny) running on 100% veg for sale
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Xaccers
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Re: xantia Aircon / Bitron disconnect

Unread post by Xaccers »

To get to the Bitron it turns out it's a bumper off job, so bugger that for a game of soldiers, and apparently they don't go wrong at that end often.
So it's the Bitron sensor that can go wrong and cause the lights to come on.
Face the engine from the front of the car, at the front of the black fuel filter housing (the side you're looking at) are two sensors, the one on the left is light blue and has just 1 wire (this is the temperature gauge sensor), the one on the right is brown and has 2 wires (this is the Bitron sensor).
To remove the sensor plugs for cleaning you have to pull out the metal wire spring clip (once the plug is off, re-fit the clip. To re-fit the plug to sensor, just push it back on).
Give the contacts in the plugs a good spray with contact cleaner and see if that makes any difference.
1.9TD+ SX Xantia Estate (Cassy) running on 100% veg
1.9TD SX Xantia Hatchback (Jenny) running on 100% veg for sale
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redzzed
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Re: xantia Aircon / Bitron disconnect

Unread post by redzzed »

Thx Xac , hardly using the car at the mo. and last time i used it , it didnt happen !!
however i will follow those directions later .

i have 3 friends also living entirely off savings , all over 50 . i'm not complaining ,not much point , at least my health is good .

have been using straight veg oil from tescos for past 18 months .even in cold weather if u store it indoors at room temp.
and are doing a decent run , 90 miles , u can pour 10 litres straight in .

i do still use a mix of diesel of course.

as for filtered , have done , but last lot messed me up , i dont have facilities and the guy whom i got it from assured me that it had been filtered to 5 micron ..i had a nightmare journey down the m4 with engine cutting out , or running
with hardly any power , unable to get up hills .brakes/steering losing power .

had to get the tank drained , new filter , 30 litres thrown away..........we live and learn .

dave
current : 1997 xantia 1.9 td sx a/c
previous cars :
1997 zx memphis td
1996 zx volcane td
1994 zx volcane td
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Xaccers
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Re: xantia Aircon / Bitron disconnect

Unread post by Xaccers »

We've had one or two members fall foul of iffy waste and a blocked fuel filter, definitely worth keeping a spare filter in the car if running on waste.
1.9TD+ SX Xantia Estate (Cassy) running on 100% veg
1.9TD SX Xantia Hatchback (Jenny) running on 100% veg for sale
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redzzed
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Re: xantia Aircon / Bitron disconnect

Unread post by redzzed »

tescos are doing 2 X 5 litres of veg oil for £10 just now .
And i had a £2 off voucher for when i spend £20 in any one transcation .
so ... it was 20 litres for £18

about 90p per litre .
current : 1997 xantia 1.9 td sx a/c
previous cars :
1997 zx memphis td
1996 zx volcane td
1994 zx volcane td
redzzed
Posts: 75
Joined: 17 Jan 2011, 21:40

Re: xantia Aircon / Bitron disconnect

Unread post by redzzed »

Face the engine from the front of the car, at the front of the black fuel filter housing (the side you're looking at) are two sensors, the one on the left is light blue and has just 1 wire (this is the temperature gauge sensor), the one on the right is brown and has 2 wires (this is the Bitron sensor)
gave the outside of these wires/sensors a spray with gtx oilspray which i just happened to have at hand and .........problem has gone away completely ..that was a month ago and have had no recurrence .
thx for that info Xac, it has done the job , thx again . =D>
current : 1997 xantia 1.9 td sx a/c
previous cars :
1997 zx memphis td
1996 zx volcane td
1994 zx volcane td
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Xaccers
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Re: xantia Aircon / Bitron disconnect

Unread post by Xaccers »

redzzed wrote:
Face the engine from the front of the car, at the front of the black fuel filter housing (the side you're looking at) are two sensors, the one on the left is light blue and has just 1 wire (this is the temperature gauge sensor), the one on the right is brown and has 2 wires (this is the Bitron sensor)
gave the outside of these wires/sensors a spray with gtx oilspray which i just happened to have at hand and .........problem has gone away completely ..that was a month ago and have had no recurrence .
thx for that info Xac, it has done the job , thx again . =D>
Excellent :)
1.9TD+ SX Xantia Estate (Cassy) running on 100% veg
1.9TD SX Xantia Hatchback (Jenny) running on 100% veg for sale
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redzzed
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Re: xantia Aircon / Bitron disconnect

Unread post by redzzed »

Still no re occurrence after cleaning the (exterior) of the sensors .. saved me a lot of money/worry and hassle that has .
current : 1997 xantia 1.9 td sx a/c
previous cars :
1997 zx memphis td
1996 zx volcane td
1994 zx volcane td