My aircon worries.....

[milesg]

Hi guys, picked up a 2007 3.0d se with Sports spec from my sister.  She has had the aircon charged twice and it is still cold.  Unfortunately no idea of what the pressure was like before the second fill.  When I turn the aircon on nothing happens and I cannot hear / feel any pumps or slight load on the engine and it is still blowing normal temp air. 

Any ideas on what it could be and any suggestion on costs.

Anyhow - glad to be on board.  Appreciate your help in advance.

M

[awj85]

Hi and welcome! 

I remember in 2010 i bought a 55 plate Corsa and that also had exactly the same as you have described with the air con.

I took it to be re-gassed, and before topping it up completely they half filled the gas and added some green dye.  Low and behold when the air con was switched on ............ nothing.  : Chair:

Think the company then diagnosed to compressor or condenser was not functioning fully and pipes had spilt.  I can’t remember how much they quoted me for the total repair and re gas but i know it was £200+ :holdbreath:

[milesg]

Cheers AWJ.  Do you think a dealer can plug it in and read a fault or will it need stripping to find out what is wrong?!  Could be pricey..........

[Horizon]

Could be as simple as a fuse,or a drive clutch, or even a burnt out compressor, or a leak.
Lift the bonnet and get some one to turn the air on on and see if the clutch mechanism on the Aircon compressor is being driven by the belt at the front of the engine, if so is the pipe from the compressor to the condenser radiator getting hot. Either get your dealer or indie, or even an Aircon specialist to have a look at it.
Good luck, and welcome to the forum

[milesg]

cheers Horizon!

Will drag the wife out later and get her to help me.

M

[Steamyrotter]

My first Aircon car (E39 touring) had same issue.  Found the front clutch plate completely missing so compressor would not run...

Threre is also a pressure switch in the system - Worth checking that is operating correctly otherwise system will not run.

Put a volt meter on the clutch coil supply (connector on side of compressor.) ensuring the leads are out of the way then start up the car and air con.
If clutch supply OK then clutch coil a poss, if no supply then pressure switch, fan control or fuses....

[milesg]

Right, it is booked in with an indy on Saturday but.....

It was raining today and the car misted up, I turned the aircon on (not max, just fan on 4 and aircon button illuminated) and it cleared the screen etc instantly but the air coming out was still warm (on 16 deg, settings show 3 blue bars on individual settings).....

Is this a sign the air con is working but it is a sensor / temp issue?
Would it clear the screen if there was a leak on the system which was not picked up on the last re-charge?
If the condenser / air con pump was not working would it still clear the screen?

I would really like to give the indy some clear pointers of what to check using the knowledge from the forum rather than them charging me 3 hours labour for rattling some pipes...!

Thanks in advance again guys.

M

[shadrack]

[quote="milesg"]
Right, it is booked in with an indy on Saturday but.....

It was raining today and the car misted up, I turned the aircon on (not max, just fan on 4 and aircon button illuminated) and it cleared the screen etc instantly but the air coming out was still warm (on 16 deg, settings show 3 blue bars on individual settings).....

Is this a sign the air con is working but it is a sensor / temp issue?
Would it clear the screen if there was a leak on the system which was not picked up on the last re-charge?
If the condenser / air con pump was not working would it still clear the screen?

I would really like to give the indy some clear pointers of what to check using the knowledge from the forum rather than them charging me 3 hours labour for rattling some pipes...!

Thanks in advance again guys.

M
[/quote]

if hes a good indy he will not take kindly to been told his job from what is actually guess work from a forum, a good indy can fault find quickly and if he knows nothing on aircon systems then go to another indy what does

[milesg]

Will not know if he is a good indy until this first visit, just come from company cars. 
Says he knows aircon systems but would prefer to have some idea from systematic problem solving underpinned with knowledge from enthusiasts on the site.

[milesg]

After an hour the Indy regassed again and so far still cold.  They had run out of dye so if there is a leak I can take it back and they will run some through it and repair.  Thank him upstairs that it was not a condenser or compressor.  New favourite Indy!!