Xantia air-con gremlin

pete_wood_uk · Post by **pete_wood_uk** » 10 Jun 2005, 13:18

Hi All
I've got a gremlin (electrical, I <i>think</i>) in my air-con system, I was hoping that if I describe it carefully here, someone may be able to point me in the right direction.
The car is a 97 TD SX saloon, bought just after they started offering aircon as standard fit in the UK. It's hooked up through the climate control, so the compressor doesn't run all the time; when the actuator button is pushed on the dashboard, the compressor cuts in and out as the mood takes it. Always been like that, so assume that's normal. Been regassed once, works well.
When I come to the car (with a cold engine) and the car itself is reasonably cool, then I can start the car, push the air con button, wait a few seconds delay, <i>thunk</i> as the compressor kicks in, all's well.
If, however, the car's been sitting in the sun, then I can start the (cold) engine, push the button, nothing happens. The little dim light in the actuator button lights up, but the compressor doesn't clutch in. Operate the button as many times as I like, nothing happens. However, if I drive for a while, to get the engine half-warm (this may be a red herring, but it's what seems to work), then (in a convenient traffic queue) turn the ignition completely off and on again, stopping and starting the engine, then I can press the button, the compressor kicks in, and all's well.
So, that's my problem. With the car body hot, I seem to need to drive a while and perform an electrical reset before the compressor will clutch in.
This first started happening last year, after I left the car baking in the sun at Stansted airport for 10 days, but I kinda forgot about it over winter (as you do) and have just been reminded during the recent sunny spell.
That's as comprehensive a description of the problem as I can offer. I've no electrical or component-placement diagram for the air-con bits. Can anyone offer me any pointers, please, on what components or connections might provoke this? It's clearly not the end of the world, just annoying...
Many thanks
Pete