Tested my air con temps today.

[Welly]

I carried out some tests with my digital thermometer and got the following results:

All taken with a probe in the face vents:

• Start up temp = 22 deg C
  
  After 5 mins = 5.7 deg C
  
  After 10 mins = 3.5 Deg C

Looks like last years new condenser and regass is still holding out.

I shall be nice and cool this summer

[jameslxdt]

i cant be arsed measuring the temp of my a/c, all i know was, the main reason i bought was coz the a/c was soooooooooo flippin cold
totally unlike a 406

[TooT]

I want, i want, i want, im gonner have to get my aircon sorted

[Benner]

I have to say I am very pleased with mine. It's like sitting in a fridge.

[darrenwall]

After 5 mins = 5.7 deg C

After 10 mins = 3.5 Deg C

bloody hell thats good , my mate who got his own air conditioning company regassed mine 2 weeks and that was blowing 5 deg C after 10 mins and he reckons that is about as cold as a 406 gets

[Blue406]

If I knew it would be simple, I'd get mine fixed to.

Unfortunately I know it will likely need a complete overhaul.. so I'll stick with opening the windows.

[Welly]

After 5 mins = 5.7 deg C

After 10 mins = 3.5 Deg C

bloody hell thats good , my mate who got his own air conditioning company regassed mine 2 weeks and that was blowing 5 deg C after 10 mins and he reckons that is about as cold as a 406 gets

The benchmark for vertualy all a/c cars is between 5 and 8 deg C and you will be fine. If your only getting 9 or 10 deg C after 20 mins of driving then it is struggling to cope.

I got 3.5 deg C with the car having been sat in the shade of the garage so the interior ducts etc were relatively cool to start with. TBH the day before it wouldn't go below 5.7 and that's why I was pleased to get a 3.5 just to prove to me it was OK.

It was an easy test for it I suppose especially as the interior wasn't that warm anyway so I was getting slow airflow across the evaporator which results in maximum cooling and very low air off temps.

[paul]

Having just collected my 406 I thought I would try the aircon on the way home but at best it was hugely inefficient and didn't make much difference when the outside temp was (apparently) 21, so I turned it off.

It's 7 years old and from reading on here it sounds like the condenser will probably need replaced. Is there any way of telling this without going and getting the system pressure tested? I recall seeing some pics on here to look for leaks but despite a bevvy of keyword searches I can't find them. I definately want it working well for a trip to the south of france in june.

[mjb]

I just wedge a matchbox-sized digital thermometer in the vent-mounted phone holder and it says about 5c so I'm happy

[Welly]

Having just collected my 406 I thought I would try the aircon on the way home but at best it was hugely inefficient and didn't make much difference when the outside temp was (apparently) 21, so I turned it off.

It's 7 years old and from reading on here it sounds like the condenser will probably need replaced. Is there any way of telling this without going and getting the system pressure tested? I recall seeing some pics on here to look for leaks but despite a bevvy of keyword searches I can't find them. I definately want it working well for a trip to the south of france in june.

Well this is how it looks when it starts leaking, but to be fair you can only really see this for a few weeks and then it dissapears.

I would say go for a pressure test, they will be able to inspect the condenser through UV light and see if it's been leaking, this is normally the favourite place.

Be prepared to spend £300.00 and try and get an air-con place with it's own garage facilities rather than mobile, but thats just my opinion, you may know someone mobile who's very good etc.

The green stuff is the refrigerant oil and the picture shows it seeping down under and past the water radiator behind the condenser. Around the front there is a black plastic fan cowling and this is where leaves and dirt get trapped over the years and rot the aluminium condenser through. Apparently the D8 does not suffer this

[muffindell]

Just had my system overalled. Took to car to one of chain repair garages (Autocentres) to be tested, they said my condenser was leaking. They never got back to me with a quote so I contacted a independent mobile A/C specialist. After he replaced the condenser (which was saggy and weeping from the middle section he declared that the bigger problem had not been spotted. One of the metal pressure pipes (which runs across the front cross member) had been worn through by the plastic fixing bracket. He said this a was a common problem on 406's that was worsened by poor drainage and dirt build up around the area. He said greasing the mounts may prevent the problem in the future. The whole job including new pipes and condenser, fitting, pressure testing and regassing cost just under £300 and was done on my drive way. I guess the guy spent 3 hours doing the complete job, so I consider it to be good value. He also gave a 12month warranty on everything he did. My vent temp is 6.8c after 5mins in full sun with a outside indicated temp of 28c - job sorted. I can't recommend this mobile service highly enough.

[Welly]

Can you easily see this pipe/bracket normally or is it under the condenser when you remove it?

[muffindell]

If you take the grill off you can see all the pipes (high and low pressure, silver coloured), and all the mounting points. Mine fractured very near where it went into the condenser, the guy sprayed copper grease over the clips and joints.

[Welly]

Thanks for that, I never knew it was a problem on these, I shall have a looky.

The Mitsubishit FTO I had suffered badly from the clips wearing the pipes as it does with most Mitsi's....crap idea.

[mjb]

borrowed a decent digital thermometer from work this evening...

3.2 in the shade with the radiator fans going
4.5 on the motorway
71.2 on the heater

Interestingly both upper and lower limits came from external air (not re-circ) and the fan on minimum. I'd have thought the opposite would have given better results.

Also it turns out to get the aircon to blow really cold for an extended period you should open the window to let warm air in, otherwise it goes "sod off, I'm cold enough"


I love my car