A/C operation?

wheeler · Post by **wheeler** » 08 May 2008, 17:54

I tottaly agree, i think the cans are a wase of time. they dont remove the moisture from the system that vaccuming does.
Also as said above the ONLY way to tell how much refridgerant is in the system is to recover it & weigh it then refill it with the correct amount.

_kid_ · Post by **_kid_** » 08 May 2008, 18:16

I had my xantia done by (wait for it) kwik fit today for £45, and the machine is a cooltech ac650 pro.

This was the basic process

1) The kwik fit idiot manually selects your model on the machine- watch like a hawk while they do this to ensure it’s your car
2) They take out old oil and gas and is measured
3) Some sort of leak test?
4) Vacuum for 20 mines
5) A leak and pressure test
6) Refill with new oil (mine was 15ml) and gas (800grams)

The whole process takes around an hour and is all done by the machine-no kwik fit idiots input (apart from car details) which is good. The centre vent temp was measured around 6C after and feels nice and cold.

Looks like a good job, the ultimate test will be in the next few weeks.

XantiaMan · Post by **XantiaMan** » 08 May 2008, 18:43

Well i must be the only one is happy with my £20 investment! I've not measured how cold the air is at the vents buts its certainly been put to good use these past 5-6 days. Find me a place that will service my aircon properly for £30-40 and i'll go there, everywhere around here seems to charge £70-80 which i cannot afford on my budget.

MikeT · Post by **MikeT** » 08 May 2008, 19:03

I was more than happy with my Halfrauds refill, it gave me a few months of really ice-cold air (enough to freeze my left hand) during the height of last summer and I still have half a can left, plus the gauge but I would much sooner prefer the vacuum and leak test first.

Hunt around for cheaper A/C services, I noticed signs for A/C servicing popping up in the most unexpected places, established companies would be reluctant to lower their prices while this new wave of franchises? (no training required) are much cheaper.

XantiaMan · Post by **XantiaMan** » 08 May 2008, 19:08

And here's the science bit, i just measured with a very accurate gauge 4.9C (still 16-17C outside) from the vents, which is just enough to keep me cool!

I will be looking for a cheaper local service, as i would like to see if there is any leaks in the system and no doubt about it, it would work better than a can.

I liken it very much to the difference between proper spray painting a car with 2k paint and a 1k aerosol for £5 from Halfords. Reasonable results can be acheived on the cheap, although it wont last as long! Pay the money and you'll get a much better job that will last. For now though, whilst it works, i'm a happy bunny!

DickieG · Post by **DickieG** » 08 May 2008, 20:03

Using a DIY can is a bit of a lottery, but then a few years ago before they were available I had a Xantia re-gassed by a air con specialist of many years standing who had a yard full of top end classic car's. A great job he did

by over-filling the system causing the pressure relief valve to turn the compressor off just as the car appeared to be stalling.

This only occurred after the system had been running for a while on a very hot day, so if you have over-filled your air con system with one of these cans you probably won't find out about it until the weather really hots up into the 30's.

Was there any long term damage to my car? Yes the compressor sprung a leak

steelcityuk · Post by **steelcityuk** » 08 May 2008, 21:14

Only thing I can say is that filling a known leaking system is silly, you're wasting money and polluting the atmostphere. Bear in mind that if the gas can leak out then eventually moisture will get in which will eventually kill the compressor, clag up the valves, etc.

The aircon parts are expensive enough that a 'professional' service is worth while. Shop around and get in early for a bargain price.

Still horses for courses.

Steve.

uncle buck · Post by **uncle buck** » 16 May 2008, 22:56

Hi,
Can anyone tell me how the air con should operate.

On our Xsara when you switch the AC on it takes a second or so to kick in, (by kick in I mean that I can see & hear the compressor clutch kick in)....however it only stays engaged for about 10 seconds & then disengages....then after about 30 seconds it kicks in again for another 10 seconds.....this cycle seems to be how it operates all of the time.

Is this the way it should work?

When inside the car I can feel that the air coming from the vents does seem to get colder whilst the compressor clutch is engaged.

DickieG · Post by **DickieG** » 17 May 2008, 00:42

uncle buck wrote:On our Xsara when you switch the AC on it takes a second or so to kick in, (by kick in I mean that I can see & hear the compressor clutch kick in)....however it only stays engaged for about 10 seconds & then disengages....then after about 30 seconds it kicks in again for another 10 seconds.....this cycle seems to be how it operates all of the time.
When inside the car I can feel that the air coming from the vents does seem to get colder whilst the compressor clutch is engaged.

This sounds very much as if the system has been overfilled and is cutting out due to over-pressurising, has someone been playing with those refill cans

Does the engine faulter at all just prior to the aircon cutting out?

reblack68 · Post by **reblack68** » 17 May 2008, 08:17

I have a refill kit that I used on my last Xantia to good effect. I was going to buy another can for this car, which would cost about £15 I think, but if Kwik Fit can do it properly for £45 I might let them.

XantiaMan · Post by **XantiaMan** » 17 May 2008, 08:33

uncle buck wrote:Hi,
Can anyone tell me how the air con should operate.

On our Xsara when you switch the AC on it takes a second or so to kick in, (by kick in I mean that I can see & hear the compressor clutch kick in)....however it only stays engaged for about 10 seconds & then disengages....then after about 30 seconds it kicks in again for another 10 seconds.....this cycle seems to be how it operates all of the time.

Is this the way it should work?

When inside the car I can feel that the air coming from the vents does seem to get colder whilst the compressor clutch is engaged.

My Xantia did this because the gas was low, a quick top up with a refill can did the job for me.

uncle buck · Post by **uncle buck** » 17 May 2008, 09:02

DickieG wrote:This sounds very much as if the system has been overfilled and is cutting out due to over-pressurising, has someone been playing with those refill cans Does the engine faulter at all just prior to the aircon cutting out?

Hi,
No, no refill cans have been near it, it's always done this since we got the car.

No the engine doesn't seem to falter prior to the air con cutting out.

XantiaMan583 wrote:My Xantia did this because the gas was low, a quick top up with a refill can did the job for me.

My mate has just fixed his AC on his car with one of those cans...apparently the AC had stopped working so he tried topping it up & it's all working now. He said he still has about 1/2 a can of the stuff left so if mine just needs a top up I'm sure I could negotiate getting the can from him.
I don't know where he got the refill can from or if it has a pressure gauge on it....as I could use this to check the Xsara's pressure to help determine the problem.

uncle buck · Post by **uncle buck** » 18 May 2008, 11:48

Hi,
Ok I managed to to get the refill can from my mate & it has got the pressure gauge on the connection tube.

I connected the gauge to test the pressure on our Xsara....the needle goes to 55.....but when the compressor kicks in the needle drops to 25....when the compressor disengages the needle goes back up to 55.

So does that mean that there is too much gas in the system?

Is the needle dropping when the compressor is running normal?

DickieG · Post by **DickieG** » 18 May 2008, 13:51

The gauge you have there connects to the suction/vacuum

side of the system so when you connect it up it will read a higher pressure than when the engine is running. This is normal, but the readings you have suggest the system is low on gas so a recharge is required to get it working correctly.

steelcityuk · Post by **steelcityuk** » 18 May 2008, 16:07

The irony of all this is beyond belief. Owners leaking greenhouse gases into the atmosphere because their AC system is faulty. Bill Hicks couldn't have wrote a better sketch.

Steve.