[XDCX]

I have a 2015 Smart Electric Drive that suffered a minor hit to the front and I've had a hard time identifying two parts that were damaged in the collision.

The parts attach to the underside of the car and connect to two rubber hoses that come from the back of the vehicle and also connect to the A/C pressure lines. I'm not sure what the purpose of these two parts are - it's almost like they're using the vehicle's cooling system to help extract heat from the A/C system?

I've searched the Internet and various Smart parts websites and figured I'd find the parts in either the Cooling or HVAC section but I still haven't been able to find a description or part number for the two parts.

So my questions are, do you know the name/part number for the parts, do you know what their purpose is and are they unique to the Electric Drive or are they common to all Smart Cars?

The two parts were originally coupled together but the aluminum tube that connected them was severed. I reinstalled the aluminum part with the cooling fins to the two rubber hoses so I could fill the cooling system and charge the HV battery.

Thanks in advance for any assistance that is provided.

Here are the pictures:

 

[gtdump]

It is a control valve for the A/C system.
You will need to refill the refrigerant with R134A, but have it checked out first. If the system isn't sealed anymore adding more will just be throwing money away as the refrigerant leaks out.
Any decent shop should have all the test equipment to check and fill. If you know any serious car guys chances are good they will have what's needed as well.

 

[Bob Ricewasser]

The part is called an expansion valve & it controls the amount of refrigerant going into your evaporator. It is part of your HVAC system, more specifically your A/C system.

 

[XDCX]

I appreciate the replies but I'm not sure we've solved the mystery yet.

While I agree that the second picture looks very much like an A/C expansion valve, the A/C expansion valve that's supposed to be on the car is still on the car - this is a different part that lives under the car and is bolted to the floor pan.

Concerning the possibility that one of the parts is a "control valve" - I did a Google search and I'm not coming up with anything that looks like the part in question.

Thanks again to both of you for replying and I'm still open to new ideas....

 

[gtdump]

I beleive @Bob Ricewasser is correct

Any part numbers or other identifying marks o nthe part under the car? Perhaps a better image?

 

[XDCX]

I beleive @Bob Ricewasser is correct

Any part numbers or other identifying marks o nthe part under the car? Perhaps a better image?

Thanks for the message.

I agree that the under car picture is poor. I'm currently on the road and will try to get a better picture when I get back on Saturday.

The best way I can describe the situation is to say the two parts in question live under the black plastic shield that's on the bottom of the car and they're both bolted to the floor pan. I agree that the second picture looks like an expansion valve but there's already a part that's on the car that looks like an expansion valve and it lives near the firewall of the vehicle. As before, it's almost like the purpose of these two parts is to allow some AC heat to dissipate into the cooling system

To provide a bit of background, when I got the car it had already been torn apart. When I first saw the two parts in question I was convinced they were from another car. It was only after I re-installed the radiator and filled it with coolant that I discovered a leak under the car. Upon further investigation I found the two black rubber hoses that come from the back of the car were leaking coolant. I installed the first part in question (the one poorly photographed) and that solved my coolant leak problem and allowed me to charge the HV battery. (The second part in question is connected to the first part by an aluminum tube that's been severed - the part is then connected to the AC pressure lines.)

Thanks again for the help - I'll get better pictures once I get back on Saturday.

 

[Palleyne]

I googled the part number got this. Imagewww.egelhof.com › air-conditioning
Web results
Combination valve (TXV+SOV) - Egelhof Group
tbf-lso 1d from www.egelhof.com
Thermal expansion valve with axial (TBF-SO) or lateral (TBF-LSO) shut-off unit; Used in automotive a/c systems with several evaporators in front, rear or roof air ...

Here is the main link.

Combination valve (TXV+SOV) - Egelhof Group

Control valve in A/C systems which can be switched on and off as required.

www.egelhof.com

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[XDCX]

Here's a picture from the front of the car. The area that I've framed with the red box is shows the existing expansion valve and the green box shows the A/C lines where the condenser will be attached. (The reason I don't think the part in question is an expansion valve is because there's already an expansion valve in place attached to the firewall.)

Here's a better picture of the underside of the car where the two parts in question live - the photo was taken from the driver's side of the vehicle.

The picture shows the unidentified finned aluminum part that's connected to the two black rubber hoses that come from the rear of the vehicle and are part of the vehicle's cooling system. The other unidentified part is in the second photograph in this thread and it connects to the finned aluminum part with an aluminum tube (which has been severed) and is then bolted to the A/C lines seen in the above picture.

As you can also see from this picture, a portion of the black plastic under-vehicle cover has been broken - this cover would hide the two parts in question if it wasn't broken.

Thanks again to all who have offered their thoughts - I appreciate the help.