Airconditioning, lack of.

[Roo]

Hi all,
My air conditioning is non functional. Beofre I go to a specialist, are there any checks I can do myself? I've had a quick browse on the forum but cant find anything specific to my problem.
My AC is totally dead, upon activating the AC there is no click, noises, changes in temp at all. i'm guessing there should be a clutch engaging or something like that which I would easily hear, then cycling periodically etc?

[DiscoPol]

Hi Roo,

what age is your motor? the condensers rot through on the 406s at about 8-10 years old allowing all the gas to escape, from that point on your ac clutch wont click on as the pressure sensor is telling it there is no gas so to protect the compressor it wont kick in, no gas=no lubricant for the pump so its a fail-safe to stop the repair bill getting higher and higher.

HTH

Disco

[Roo]

Hi Roo,

what age is your motor? the condensers rot through on the 406s at about 8-10 years old allowing all the gas to escape, from that point on your ac clutch wont click on as the pressure sensor is telling it there is no gas so to protect the compressor it wont kick in, no gas=no lubricant for the pump so its a fail-safe to stop the repair bill getting higher and higher.

HTH

Disco

Thanks for that, Certain sounds like I have a total loss of gas. My 406 is a 2001 so past the 8-10 year old mark. If I do need a condensor, are there any recommended retailers for this?

[Doggy]

I used a Valeo - a few people have used 'cheap' ones and regreted it - wangled a bit of discount from the local factors & paid around £110 2 years ago.

Have a look at this thread: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=7606&p=74908&hilit ... ser#p74908

[Roo]

Superb! Thanks! I'm off out to the car now for a quick look before lunchtimes over with...

[Roo]

Right, a small update and request for further advice! I took the grill off tonight and had a good look around the condenser and its all dry. I've also checked the system by pressing the two valves by the battery. The system is empty.
When I bought the car it had a new clutch, master cylinder and slave cylinder. My question is, would having this work done require the ac system to be removed/affected?

[Doggy]

No, that work shouldn't have affected it AFAIK.

I started from about the same place as you - everyone told me it would be the condenser, but I got an a/c place to find the leak, (which was of course the condenser). Diagnosis confirmed, £40 poorer.

Try ringing round to see who'll find the leak cheapest?

[puggy]

Shouldn't have thought so , could be you are lucky and the gas
has gone due to normal leakage this is apparently why you should have
them regularly re-gassed . Take it to have it re-gassed they should perform
a vacum test first which will tell you if you have a leak .

[Roo]

Ok,
I'll probably do that, take it to a place to find the leak, then repair from there. I'm sure there was a place locally that advertised a no cooler, no fee offer but I cant find it now! I'll have a ring around later.
Thanks for your input again.

[DiscoPol]

no cooler, no fee offer

wasn't it Kwik sh1t that were offering that on a national basis? I honestly have no more info on it as I based in Poland and we don't have (thank god) kwik fits here.

[Roo]

no cooler, no fee offer

wasn't it Kwik sh1t that were offering that on a national basis? I honestly have no more info on it as I based in Poland and we don't have (thank god) kwik fits here.

Yes you're right, i'm going to phone them today to see what their deal is.

[Roo]

Booked in for Saturday for a recharge. Essentially it will be a free leak test as I'm sure the system has one. No cooler, no charge though so either way its a result.

[Roo]

Well my trip to kwik fit resulted in me knowing I have a leak, finding the leak and not opening my wallet! They filled the system so far until a leak developed. My drive home was cool as a cucumber thus proving the system worked and once home I could hear the gas escaping. Turns out, I have an o ring gone. It is on the lower pipe entering the condensor at the bottom right. (as you stand at the front of the car)
Are these readily available?

[Doggy]

I got some form the stealers cheap enough - about £5 a set - 'cept they turned out to be the wrong type and I had to re-use the old ones.

IIRC the 'old' pattern is 2 o-rings per joint, 'new' style looks like 2 o-rings moulded together to make something shaped like a wider band with a groove inside & out, half-way along. (I hope that makes sense, pictures of both on my condenser swap howto).

See if the dealer will give you a couple of both styles on 'sale or return'?

[mjb]

Three things of note here:

First, you'll probably find the car has snap-lock connectors, which are a royal pain in the backside to pull apart even if they're not welded together with corrosion. You may find it necessary to buy half a damn system just to sort out one joint, like I did. Be aware that there are several configurations using different pipe routings and connector sizings. Mine turned out to be a hybrid of the two official setups for my model, leading to buying even more AC parts just to replace one damn leaky joint....

Secondly, be aware that refrigerant is nasty stuff and can cause you to suffocate if you inhale any. DO NOT lie underneath an open or leaking system or you may not get up!!!

Lastly, it is now illegal to work on an aircon system without appropriate certification, even in a DIY setting, with the maximum penalty being prison time


Oh, and a handy hint is that you'll have had your system filled with UV dye when you went to kwik-sh*t. Get a UV light and you'll be able to see exactly where you're leaking