Air Con

[Jerry Shaw]

I'm sorry if this has been asked before but I cant seem to find anything specific in a search.

I have just bought a 98 2.0 GLS estate and am very happy that everything works as it should apart from the air con.

It doesnt get cold at all and the compressor doesnt seem to kick in when I press the switch and turn the fans on.

I am fairly competant with electrical stuff and so my basic questions are:

a) Is there anything other than the switch that needs to be on? Apart from the fans.

b) The fuse is ok but the relay doesnt seem to click either, is there anything else connected that I should check before I assume the compressor is duff?

I hope that made sense.

Thanks, Jerry.

[Rambaud]

I had similar problems with one of my previous cars (Audi 90 quattro).


IIRC, lack of gas can prevent the air-con coming on - I could be wrong as I also had a duff compressor!

[Nick VR4]

Sounds like you need a re-gas unless the AC is used it kinda dries up and stops working

[Wouter]

^^^^^What they said! ^^^^^

[Jerry Shaw]

^^^^^What they said! ^^^^^

LOL, thanks.

I did wonder if there was a pressure switch somewhere that would maybe disable the system if the pressure got above or below certain values.

What should I be looking for on a system that is working fine?

[ANTHONY]

What should I be looking for on a system that is working fine?

cold air

[Beastlee]

Get a £30 Artic Freeze top up can and hose/connector. Youll see straight away if it's low and may save some money if it has been holed as you will know without the extra call-out cost.

[SGHOM]

cold air

[Jerry Shaw]

cold air

lol

Ok, I'll elaboroate. I have noticed what looks to be a sight glass on top of the condenser.

Should anything be going on in there?

I am assuming the engine speed will lower as the compresor kicks in and it should be audiable.

Get a £30 Artic Freeze top up can and hose/connector. Youll see straight away if it's low and may save some money if it has been holed as you will know without the extra call-out cost.

I have just had a look on the Halfrauds website at these kits. Do they only top up or is there enough refrigerant to completely fill the system?

Obviously I have no idea on how much it takes to recharge from empty.

[Paul Beazer]

All full dry and re gas should only cost £80 (not from a dealership). Search for air con in the yellow pages...

[Beastlee]

Ok, I'll elaboroate. I have noticed what looks to be a sight glass on top of the condenser.

Should anything be going on in there?

There should be a green fluid in there when running, no bubbles should be present as this indicates low gas/ air in system.

I am assuming the engine speed will lower as the compresor kicks in and it should be audiable.

At any speed the compressor clicks as it builds up pressure.

I have just had a look on the Halfrauds website at these kits. Do they only top up or is there enough refrigerant to completely fill the system?

Obviously I have no idea on how much it takes to recharge from empty.

Aa Far As I Know (AFAIK) it should be. The main point is that they normally have a guage and it would allow you to pressure test the system for leaks at minimal cost to you.

If you're in th Suffolk area I have a full can here and would be willing to let you try it out if it helps.

[Jerry Shaw]

Sorry, double post for some reason.

[Jerry Shaw]

There should be a green fluid in there when running, no bubbles should be present as this indicates low gas/ air in system.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you're in th Suffolk area I have a full can here and would be willing to let you try it out if it helps.

The sight glass is clear. Lol, I'm not even sure if the system is actually operational but if it is a case of putting some juice in it, then its worth a go.

Thanks for the offer but I am in Scun thorpe so its a tad too far.

Hmm, another text filter that wont allow S****horpe, lol, They should change the name of this town, lol

[Kieran]

If you are going to use a recharge kit, that's fine but make sure you don't over pressurise the A/C system - The gauge will probably be marked with 'safe' and 'danger' zones, but don't rely on these - they're generic.

FYI - According to the service manuals, with an ambient temperature of 20 degrees C, the discharge temperature at the air vents should be between 2.5~4.5 C (with maximum cooling, air recirc selected and max fan speed, at an engine speed of 1000rpm). The low pressure side of the A/C system (where you fill it with a recharge can) should read between 40-135kPa (5-19psi).

[Beastlee]

Jerry,

I used to live in Lincoln until last year, always the way isn't it!

[Eurospec]

The air con system has a number of electrical components, as well as the more obvious mechanical stuff.

Reasons why yours might not be working:-

1. It just ran out of gas!
There is an electrical pressure switch in the system which will prevent the system running when dry (low pressure). This is there as the refridgerant carriers oil which lubricates the pump. If you short out the pressure switch temporarilly you will be able to see if the air con clutch kicks in.

2. The air con clutch.
The electro magnetic clutch on the end of the pump is only triggered if the pressure switch is on AND the electronics inside the car is calling for cooling. Since Mitsu in their wisdom located the aircon pump at the bottom right in the way of any crap being thrown up fro the road, the clutch can fubar. Normally it will make a noise. The favourate is a gone bearing in the clutch itself.

3. The pump.
These sometimes split! Like there entire casings! They are not cheap. Even a recon is the best part of £400!

Hope that helps,

Cheers,

Ben.

[Paul Beazer]

I would be wary of using the refill kits for a non working system. Mainly because you can overfill it or put too much oil in the system. I know as i did it in mine earlier this year. If you overfill the system, it will keep cutting out as the pressure increases the pressure cut off kicks in. Problem is you wont notice until you drive the car. The pump speed is determined by engine revs, so an idle speed test may be ok, but when running over 25oorpm it willstart cutting out.
It probably just needs filling up with gas and oil, but its an unknown quantity at this point.
A full service should consist of draining all oil and gas from the system, a vacum and dry followed by a pressure test then putting the correct amount of oil and gas in the system and finally a full working test.
That way you know everything is working fine. Once you've got it working by all means use the refill kits to top up the system anually.

Oh and Kwik Fit will do an air con service for approx £45 (i'd forgotten about them). From what i can see most of their branches now offer it. Plus if it screws up they can be blamed for it!!!

[Beastlee]

Paul, that's a good thinkg to know. If I ever manage to replace the condensor on the SAAB I'll get KF to do a service

[White Lightning]

Although a small amount of gas can be lost over time it's not normal for all of the gas to be lost from the system so it's possible you may have a leak. When you get the system re-gassed you can get a special dye put in that is only visible under ultra violet light. That way, if it does leak you can see where it is leaking from.

In terms of pressure, the air con system is a highly pressurised system and I am fairly sure can run at around 300psi when running.

[Kieran]

In terms of pressure, the air con system is a highly pressurised system and I am fairly sure can run at around 300psi when running.

Yeah, that's an important tip, I'm sure you already know it, but leave the high pressure side of the system well alone - a high pressure refrigerant escape can be very dangerous, if not potentially lethal!