Replace evaporator

It will need to be done by a licensed AC repairer as it involves regassing the system. If there is no gas currently in the AC system, then you can do it yourself, but chance are the AC guy will do the O rings again anyway. It is behind the dash, having never done one, I couldn't give you a how to, but it always helps to have a good look at it first and see if you can work it out.

Actually, just found this....looks like a pretty big job.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=734196089938469&story_fbid=1056905554334186

 

All I can say is wow!

 

Which year car have you got mate?

 

It's a bitch of a job, 5-6 hours labour. Basically you have to gut the whole dash out to r/r the HVAC unit.

 

If its like earlier Commodores, they hang the evaporator from a sky hook, then build the rest of the car around it.......

 

Digging this up a bit.
A lot.

Can anyone provide anything for removing the crash pad?
I have used the IQ upgrade guides and figured some of it myself.


Replacing the evaporator and heater core. Happy to do it myself, then I can take my time to get it together again.
I have an AC guy who will come out to connect it up and regas etc.
Have all the parts including a new TX valve, seals etc.

There's nothing on youtube.

Kinda hitting a wall now.

Who's done it?

 

I have nearly finished a vt.
Replaced the hvac (broken arm on one the doors). Replaced with one from the wreckers. Brought last June. Replaced the heater core, evaporator, condenser & compressor & the dryer.
Bought the parts over 6 months, plus l thought why l have everything out of the car, why not new carpet.

Got quoted to degas it & regas it, $60.00.Had it degassed last Monday. There was only 300 grams in it. The guy said when he last gassed it he had put in 800 grams. So l think its going to cost a lot more than $60.00.

Tuesday stripped it out. Left the old underfelt & carpet in & laid the new over the old.
Nearly finished putting back together today. Enough to drive it. Nice & quite. Heater works.
Tomorrow or Monday l'll put the new compressor, condensor & dryer in. Then have regassed.
Lot of work. I think its worth the effort.

Have looked at not abba fan post no 2 of this thread?
I haven't.
Good luck.

 

Yes I have looked at it. I also have a factory manual but the VE manual is somewhat vague and links don't work so I have to scroll the entire thing to find what I'm after.

 

Last time I removed one it took me close to 14hrs don't know if I would ever do it again. I need to replace the heater core, which in a VR Exec is less than 2hrs. Trouble is the parts are really exi and it's not something you want to do twice by risking used parts.

 

Have all new parts. The heater core is fine, but best to replace with a new one because it’s not a job I’d want to do again.

The VE is really different to the VZ in that it’s really obvious how much more complex the car is.

I did this job in a VP which was really a straight forward job that I was able to nut out for myself as I went. Fairly but time consuming. That’s ok.

Today I’m going to get the crash pad out and then I’m hoping I can figure out the dash frame and looms from there.

Spent about 4hrs removing the center console and stereo etc. Top trims from the windscreen. Getting the headlight/light sensor did my head in until I worked out it unscrewed rather than clipped in.

 

Sounds like your well on on the way to getting the hvac out.
When reassembling, make sure the wiring is where it is suppose to be. You don't want to be going back to taking something back out, because you can't access a few wiring looms. This happened to me a few times. Otherwise the whole job would have been finished by now, & regassed.

 

Out of curiosity, how is the evaporator diagnosed as being the part that needs to be replaced?

Or is it that the process followed is to replace all the easy bits and if that doesn’t fix the leak then the evaporator and associated bits embedded within the dash are the only bits left to change.

 

You can use dye in the aircon system and check with a light in the drain tube. The other way they do it down here is with a gas sniffer.

 

In our case it was through the above technique and had 3 different AC places diagnose it so we are sure.

 

Im at the point now where I remove the instrument panel carrier. (The big frame). All the harness is attached and comes out with the wiring attached.

Does anyone know how to remove/undo the fuse panel and harness on the pssanger footwell?
The manuals don’t cover this. Factory manual shows how to detach the carrier, no info on the wiring though.

I am taking photos and making notes as I go so will do a how to on this because there is nothing on the net. Nothingggg!

Here’s a thread relating to it:
https://forums.justcommodores.com.au/threads/help-ve-dash-harness-removal.275739/

 

I have disconnected the fuse panel and drivers side harnesses. Simple to do once I found out how. Took ages to to get to this point though.