Technical Service Bulletin

87-18-06 - Air Conditioning, Cleaning of the Refrigerant Circuit (U.S.
Only)

Transaction
No:

2019947/15

Release date:

6/11/20

Condition
Applicable Vehicles
Model(s)

All Models
(except Routan)

Year

Eng. Code

Trans. Code

VIN Range
From

VIN Range To

1998 - 2017

All

All

All

All

2018

All

All

All

All

Jetta

Revision Table
Instance Number

Published Date

Version Number

Reason For Update

2019947/15

6/11/20

87-18-06

Metadata adjustment.

2019947/14

5/12/20

87-18-06

Tool number added to
table. Removal of Behr
Flush Kit
VAS 6337/1A

2019947/13

11/7/19

87-18-06

Note added to technical
background.

2019947/12

4/17/18

V871806

To add new flushing
device adaptor 6338/74
for Jetta, Passat and
Beetle, plus include
model year 2018 Jetta.

2019947/1

4/29/09

V870903

Original publication.

Debris can be dispersed throughout the refrigerant circuit after A/C system component damage. In order
to maintain A/C operating efficiency, it is important to flush the refrigerant circuit after A/C component
repairs.

Page 1 of 15
© 2020 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and
other intellectual property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any
time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin

87-18-06 - Air Conditioning, Cleaning of the Refrigerant Circuit (U.S.
Only)

Transaction
No:

2019947/15

Release date:

6/11/20

Technical Background
In cases where an A/C system component (such as a compressor or other system component) has failed
and debris from the compressor or system component is circulated throughout the refrigerant circuit, the
refrigerant circuit must be cleaned of any and all debris or damage to the replacement components will
result.
Note:
Any replacement of A/C compressors-regardless of the reason for failure must complete the AC
flush procedure to ensure the proper amount of oil is reintroduced into the refrigerant system.

Production Solution
No production change required.

Service
Tools
 Use the ROB134APF Air Conditioning Service
System with VAS 6337/1A Air Conditioning
System Flushing Device (Figure 1) Used for
effective refrigerant handling and air conditioning
circuit flushing after air conditioning component
failure.
 Now air conditioning system refrigerant recovery,
evacuation, recharge and refrigerant circuit
cleaning after component failure can be performed
with a single servicing station.

Figure 1. The ROB134APF Air Conditioning
Service System with VAS 6337/1A Air
Conditioning System Flushing Device.

Page 2 of 15
© 2020 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and
other intellectual property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any
time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin

87-18-06 - Air Conditioning, Cleaning of the Refrigerant Circuit (U.S.
Only)

Transaction
No:

2019947/15

Release date:

6/11/20

The VAS 6338/1 Adapter Set for Refrigerant Circuits. Along with an additional adapter (VAS 6338/33
for the front expansion valve bypass for the Touareg) this kit contains the adapters necessary to
complete a thorough flush operation of a contaminated circuit.
Elsa contains the technical information for each model regarding the necessary adapter
applications and connections of the servicing station for the flush operation. See Heating,
Ventilation & Air Conditioning >> Refrigerant R134A-Servicing >> 00 General Technical Data>>
Refrigerant Circuit removing contaminates>> Refrigerant Circuit, Flushing with Refrigerant
R134A in Elsa.
All other refrigerant recovery, evacuation and recharge operations are performed using the usual
procedure specified in Elsa. An operations manual will accompany each servicing station that will
describe operation of the unit.
Procedure
Front A/C:
1. If an air conditioning component has been diagnosed as the root cause of the failure and this
component is suspected of releasing debris through the circuit, continue the diagnosis to determine if this
is the case.
2. Turn the power to the servicing station on and begin by recovering the refrigerant from the system
through the normal service fittings.
Tip:
During the entire process avoid interrupting the power to the station. The station's internal memory will
keep a log of all operations and can conveniently be recalled and printed. If the power is interrupted, the
station will lose the memory of the process, and the oil volume recovered, oil volume added, refrigerant
volume recovered, etc. will have to be manually determined.
3. Disconnect the service hoses. The VAS 6338/1 adapters will be used to bypass the following:
 Compressor.
 Receiver-drier.
 Expansion Valve/ Restrictor (if equipped).
If vehicle is equipped with a restrictor, remove the restrictor and reconnect the line.
Note:
For models with receiver drier desiccant cartridge the desiccant cartridge must be removed for the
flushing process.
For vehicles where the receiver drier is located on the condenser and DOES NOT have a remove-able
desiccant cartridge, the receiver drier must be left in the system and flushed through.After the flush
procedure is complete replace the receiver drier or drier cartridge.
Page 3 of 15
© 2020 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and
other intellectual property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any
time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin

87-18-06 - Air Conditioning, Cleaning of the Refrigerant Circuit (U.S.
Only)

Transaction
No:

2019947/15

Release date:

6/11/20

Figure 2. Example of a flushing attachment
port.
 This connection strategy allows for a system flush in the opposite direction of the normal refrigerant flow
(Figure 3).

Figure 3. Connection strategy: Vehicle to service station to flushing device.

Page 4 of 15
© 2020 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and
other intellectual property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any
time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin

87-18-06 - Air Conditioning, Cleaning of the Refrigerant Circuit (U.S.
Only)

Transaction
No:

2019947/15

Release date:

6/11/20

 The flush program will begin with an evacuation
of the system and a rate of rise test. This is
necessary to test the integrity of the connections
before the flush cycles begin. If the rate of rise
test passes, the program will proceed into the
flush cycles. (Figures 4 – 6). These cycles will
occur automatically in succession.

Figure 4. The first cycle.

Page 5 of 15
© 2020 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and
other intellectual property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any
time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin

87-18-06 - Air Conditioning, Cleaning of the Refrigerant Circuit (U.S.
Only)

Transaction
No:

2019947/15

Release date:

6/11/20

Figure 5. The second cycle.

Page 6 of 15
© 2020 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and
other intellectual property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any
time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin

87-18-06 - Air Conditioning, Cleaning of the Refrigerant Circuit (U.S.
Only)

Transaction
No:

2019947/15

Release date:

6/11/20

Figure 6. The third cycle.
 The debris is then rinsed from the circuit and contained within the filtration in the flusher. After the
flush program, the system will be evacuated.
5. After the system is evacuated, remove any adapters that were installed from the VAS 6338/1.
6. Replace Expansion Valve (if equipped), Receiver-drier and Restrictor (if equipped).
7. Connect the station in the usual manner through the service fittings and perform the normal evacuation
and refrigerant recharge operations.
8. Print a log of the job and attach to the repair order.

Page 7 of 15
© 2020 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and
other intellectual property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any
time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin

87-18-06 - Air Conditioning, Cleaning of the Refrigerant Circuit (U.S.
Only)

Transaction
No:

2019947/15

Release date:

6/11/20

Touareg with Four Zone Climate Control – Rear A/C
For Touareg with four zone climate control, the flush process will be repeated for the additional air
conditioning unit (rear of vehicle) according to the repair information in Elsa.
1. Separate the front and rear air conditioning
systems for individual rinse operations (Figure 7).
The VAS 6338/1 contains the necessary adapters
to separate the systems for the individual rinse
operations.

Figure 7. The location of the connections inside the
left front wheelhouse on a Touareg with four zone
climate control.
2. Bypass the rear expansion valve with an adapter
(Figure 8).

Figure 8. Location of rear air conditioning unit and
expansion valve.
3. When complete, remove any adapters that were installed from the VAS 6338/1.
4. Replace defective components.
5. Connect the station in the usual manner through the service fittings and perform the normal
evacuation and refrigerant recharge operations.
6. Print a log of the job and attach to the repair order.
Page 8 of 15
© 2020 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and
other intellectual property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any
time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin

87-18-06 - Air Conditioning, Cleaning of the Refrigerant Circuit (U.S.
Only)

Transaction
No:

2019947/15

Release date:

6/11/20