Air Con serviced but not working on GP

[reef2k]

Air Con on my 07 Grand Pic was serviced last year by Citroen indy. This was before i owned the car,but have invoice for the work carried out,but not only is the temp not very cold,but i often get smells from outside in the cabin,which i'm guessing would indicate a missing filter ?

I'd like to get it sorted before i really need it,so any help is much appreciated,thanks.

[GiveMeABreak]

Several possibilities:

• The AC is low on refrigerant
• There is a leak - check the condenser for signs of a bad stone chip, or get it leak tested with a dye.
• The AC compressor is shot

You can get ATS or Kwik Fit to top it up or pay a little more for a service where they will extract the oils and gas, clean and test and refill the system. For a top up, they normally don’t charge if they can’t get it 10% cooler that when it comes in.

The compressor will be disengaged if the refrigerant is too low as a precaution. But until you have topped up the gas you may not be able to see if the compressor is shot because of the low gas situation. Normally pressing the AC on should always engage the radiator fan and you should hear the click of the compressor kicking in. So if it not engaging with the AC button in, it will be gas or the compressor.

You may still have a leak somewhere, so if you get it topped up and it looses cooling again shortly, you know you have a leak.

I had a very small leak that was hard to detect even with a dye. It turned out to be the condenser which had been holed by a stone chip.

[RichardW]

It's probably a leak in the condenser....think ours needs a new one - and I had to do the 307 when I got it.

The pollen filter won't stop smells, it's designed to catch small particles that would otherwise stick to the AC evaporator and then go mouldy. Changing the pollen filter on a RHD manual C4 Picasso is a good game, so it may well not have been done recently.

[Michel]

Changing the pollen filter on a RHD manual C4 Picasso is a good game, so it may well not have been done recently.

Bring it to me, 10 mins of a job

[Michel]

Air Con on my 07 Grand Pic was serviced last year by Citroen indy. This was before i owned the car,but have invoice for the work carried out,but not only is the temp not very cold,but i often get smells from outside in the cabin,which i'm guessing would indicate a missing filter ?

I'd like to get it sorted before i really need it,so any help is much appreciated,thanks.

Look on Groupon for an A.C. service or regas deal near you. It's usually ATS or Mr. Clutch, I got mine cleaned, vacuumed down and regassed for £30 last summer. If it's leaking they'll generally tell you and not charge you.

[RichardW]

Changing the pollen filter on a RHD manual C4 Picasso is a good game, so it may well not have been done recently.

Bring it to me, 10 mins of a job

I know, but we've not all got 5 joints in our arms, and fingers a foot long For us mere mortals it's at least half an hour of swearing!

The MK2 appears to need the end taking off the dashboard to do it!

[Michel]

Changing the pollen filter on a RHD manual C4 Picasso is a good game, so it may well not have been done recently.

Bring it to me, 10 mins of a job

I know, but we've not all got 5 joints in our arms, and fingers a foot long For us mere mortals it's at least half an hour of swearing!

I seem to have an ability to do awkward jobs very quickly that annoy others.

This doesn't mean I'm competent at any of the normal jobs! Far from it!

[reef2k]

Thanks for all the information. Just found the invoice for the air con service last April,when dye was used to find any leaks,but none found,which also included replacing the pollen filter,which has been changed at every service (allegedly)
I wondered if it may have been some other problem,having been recently serviced,but from your replies,it looks like one of the usual suspects,thanks,i'll get it looked at.

[reef2k]

Just had a thought ..i had the timing belt changed a few weeks ago,and wonder if anything could have been damaged in the process ?

[GiveMeABreak]

A distinct possibility, the condenser is very fragile and not much stronger than tin foil! It won’t take much to damage the thin vanes in there. That’s where mine was and it took the main dealer 3 attempts to locate the leak with dye. So can be very easy to miss.

So easiest thing to do is check the AC is operational by seeing if the fan starts when the AC or Climate Control is on Auto. If it starts and then stops when the AC button Is switched off, then likely to be a leak.

[wheeler]

Anyone that is ‘topping up’ an AC system on a car I would avoid like the plague as they are not doing the job properly.
The only way to know how much refrigerant is in the system is to extract it all & weigh it.
The AC regulations on cars changed a few years ago & only people with the right qualifications are meant to service AC systems on cars.
Before the system is refilled it must be checked under pressure for leaks (vaccuming is not a good indication of a leaking system).
It is then against regs to knowing refill a leaking system with refrigerant.

[GiveMeABreak]

Both ATS and Kwik fit have these A/C 'stations' that properly extract and refill the refrigerant and oil in the correct quantities. I've had my cars done several times and it took nearly an hour to do each time.

The EZ Chill / STP 'Top Up' kits are widely available, but can be a faff to use for the DIYer and aren't 100% reliable. They can if used incorrectly dispense refrigerant into the atmosphere if you are not careful - so don't be surprised if Caroline Lucas turns up at your doorstep if you've managed to create your own personal Ozone hole.

[wheeler]

Both ATS and Kwik fit have these A/C 'stations' that properly extract and refill the refrigerant and oil in the correct quantities. I've had my cars done several times and it took nearly an hour to do each time.

I have seen they have the right kit but if they offer a 'top up' then they aint doing it right. It should be done as you said above.
If an A/C regas doesn't take at least half an hour then I would be very weary that it was done correctly. The system should be vacuumed for a bare minimum of 15 minutes (or half an hour if the system has been opened to the atmosphere after a repair etc)