Some advice on A/C service, from recent experience | FerrariChat
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Some advice on A/C service, from recent experience

Discussion in '348/355' started by f355spider, Jun 10, 2010.

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  1. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 29, 2001
    18,055
    USA
    #1 f355spider, Jun 10, 2010
    Hey, Ferrari brothers, I just had a failure of the A/C this week. Diagnosis was failure of one of the two schrader valves in the system and total lost of R134.. I would advise that anytime you have a major service (mine was just two years ago) that you ask the dealer to replace those valves. They are cheap....so my repair came to $330 for two new valves, pressure test and refill. Probably a rare event, as I have never heard of it before, but worth noting for future reference. Especially since the parts are probably less than a dollar. ;)
     
  2. INTMD8

    INTMD8 F1 Veteran
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Jun 10, 2007
    6,815
    Lake Villa IL
    #2 INTMD8, Jun 10, 2010
    Did you not have the plastic caps on there?

    I've found that most schrader valves will leak very slightly over time, which is the reason for the caps.
     
  3. jm3

    jm3 F1 Rookie

    Oct 3, 2002
    4,364
    United States
    Full Name:
    JM3
    #3 jm3, Jun 10, 2010
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2010

    Bingo. In my experience, they ALL leak, and you need the caps with nice o-ring. (just like stock)

    I have noticed the F355 AC to be very finicky in terms of R134 vs AC oil, and I am glad F355Spider spent a couple of extra bucks to have a good shop recharge it, and prevent problems with the super low mounted compressor.
     
  4. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 29, 2001
    18,055
    USA
    #4 f355spider, Jun 11, 2010
    Last edited: Jun 11, 2010
    Cap was there, according to the service adviser, the cap alone couldn't hold it back...he said there was obvious evidence of leaking for a while from the area around the valve (according to info relayed from the service tech) so this was more that a "slight" leak...heck I used it just a few weeks ago and it was fine. Maybe the cap was not installed tightly? They showed me both valves replaced from my car...one looked perfect, the other had a tiny amount of residue or something on it.

    We all replace valves with each tire change. Seems simple enough to me that the valves on the A/C should be changed every major service (3 to 5 years).
     
  5. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    37,288
    Cowboy Capitol of the World
    Full Name:
    Brian Crall
    #5 Rifledriver, Jun 11, 2010
    Leakage of the valves new or used is very common. The caps even with the O ring in place will not stop a loss of refrigerant no matter what you might think. They are there to prevent the ingress of debris during charging. Schrader valves do not generally just start to leak on their own, they fail to reseal when the gauges are removed and if not checked carefully at that time eventually the A/C will stop being cold. It is a very common problem.
    Replacing them at the service is a good idea but not foolproof.
     
  6. jssans

    jssans Formula Junior

    Jun 1, 2005
    839
    St. Louis
    Full Name:
    Josh
    #6 jssans, Jun 11, 2010
    We need another option. Could be the biggest piece of junk on the whole car besides the manifolds.
     
  7. MarkJ

    MarkJ Formula Junior

    Sep 10, 2006
    729
    NW Arkansas
    Full Name:
    Mark Jones
    #7 MarkJ, Jun 11, 2010
    But less expensive.
     
  8. V.W. Porto

    V.W. Porto Karting

    Nov 10, 2003
    52
    San Diego
    Full Name:
    Vincent W. Porto
    #8 V.W. Porto, Jun 11, 2010
    I just finished resurrecting the A/C on my 328 GTB and found the same problem - one of the schrader valve cores had actually separated internally from the seal portion causing a leak. If you are doing this job yourself do yourself a favor and put a little Nylog (Red for R12, Blue for 134a) on the valve core(s) before you install them. The stuff has the look and feel of snot but it really seems to make a difference. Nylog is also good for lubricating and keeping the O-rings pliable which should increase their longevity. Also make sure the new valve cores, valve entry ports, and O-rings, etc. are scrupulously clean. Any dirt/dust/grime can easily cause a new valve to not seal properly and leak.

    Ciao,

    Vince
     

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