[jimbo1907]

I noticed that the AC on my 1997 DB7 coupe was not blowing cold. This turned out to be slightly low R134a, which was easy to fix, but we also noted disintegrating pieces of foam which we think is coming from the air handler box inside the dash, and ending up inside the dash vents. Getting this out helped a bit. A few questions, and thank you all in advance for any information or advice:
-can the airhandler box be repaired or serviced?
-time to remove airhandler from dash- we estimate 8-10 hours?
-have other DB7 or contemporary Aston-Martin owners had this problem?

We think the condenser, compressor and evaporator are okay. We think possibly the deteriorated foam is making it difficult for the air doors to effectively direct air flow through the AC core as opposed to the heater core.

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions. Much obliged.

 

[WinstonC]

I noticed that the AC on my 1997 DB7 coupe was not blowing cold. This turned out to be slightly low R134a, which was easy to fix, but we also noted disintegrating pieces of foam which we think is coming from the air handler box inside the dash, and ending up inside the dash vents. Getting this out helped a bit. A few questions, and thank you all in advance for any information or advice:
-can the airhandler box be repaired or serviced?
-time to remove airhandler from dash- we estimate 8-10 hours?
-have other DB7 or contemporary Aston-Martin owners had this problem?

We think the condenser, compressor and evaporator are okay. We think possibly the deteriorated foam is making it difficult for the air doors to effectively direct air flow through the AC core as opposed to the heater core.

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions. Much obliged.

You have to understand that AC is a closed system. If the Freon is low, there’s a leak somewhere. As the Freon is leaking, you might be losing oil with it. Just adding more Freon doesn’t add oil unless you specifically add it. The loss of oil can lead to compressor failure.

 

[jimbo1907]

Noted, and thank you. We have removed as much of the deteriorated foam as we could. Yes, tehre is probably a small leak and at some point we'll have to find it. Ironically, the weather in MD is now cold so testing the AC system will have to wait until it's hot again here. Apparently the airhandler CAN be opened and serviced or repaired, we think. We would like to wait until next winter to tackle this if possible.