206 Hot Cabin

[spaceface]

My 206 gets very hot in the cabin. Heater on cold with the fan on but it still gets too warm on long journeys in hot weather. Air con hasn't worked in 15 years and isn't getting a regas. Previous cars have never been like this. The heater isn't blowing warmed air but the centre console under the clock gets very warm which I suspect is the source of the heat. Are all 206s like this?
On the last 200 mile journey in hot weather I removed the pollen filter and checked where I suspect air leaves the cabin, through the holes where the jack handle is stored. Is that right? Still no improvement. Doing the same journey again soon so hoping to reduce the heat build up.

[GiveMeABreak]

Of course you will get engine heat coming in without cooling and the outside air comes in through the air intake under the wiper grille, so that will be coming into the vehicle and be heated as it does from the engine no doubt.

You really ought to consider an A/C service for about £80 as your will have the old refrigerant so less expensive than vehicles with the later gas.

This should include a leak test with nitrogen and a dye, and a top up if no leaks detected. But at least you will know if there's a leak in the system or not and the best outcome is that it's just discharged and that you'll get a service and gas top up.


.... otherwise it's shorts, sandals and all the windows open - which will cost you in extra fuel from the drag!

[spaceface]

I do wear shorts and sandals and try to avoid open windows but it still gets too hot and stuffy even with fan adding unheated air from outside. Same journey in previous cars in 80 degree heat was bearably hot but not like this. If I remove the oval shaped cover around the clock its actually hot in there. Its not heat from outside.
The air intake on a 206 is on the bonnet directly into the car but I don't think the air coming through it is the source of the heat.

[GiveMeABreak]

No, but the heater matrix inside the dash contains hot coolant from the engine and is used to heat the passenger compartment. So unless you have broken heater distribution controls, flaps, cables then you may find it's stuck, biased towards the hot air distribution. One way to test is to switch temperature to highest and flaps to the vents - does it get hotter still as opposed to switching to the coldest temperature? If it does, then at least you know the temperature distribution flaps are working. If not, it may be as I said that the bias is stuck towards hot air distribution which will obviously increase as the engine warms up.

[spaceface]

The heater matrix shouldn't contain hot fluid if the control is off. I don't think it comes from the heater but wonder if the control to stop the flow is inside the car and there is a section of heated pipe inside the car. Is the valve which opens inside the car or under the bonnet? I'm asking on here because I don't know if its normal for this car. Is this the same in other 206s?

[GiveMeABreak]

Well it does.

Just about all modern cars the coolant circulates through the heater core 100% of the time. As I said, it's the distribution / air mixing flaps that determine the temperature of the air that's allowed into the cabin, which is why I suggested one or more of these may not be functioning. The plastic gears in these or the control rods can break or wear out. When this happens it can leave the flaps in the last set position.

[spaceface]

What does a coolant control valve do?

[myglaren]

What does a coolant control valve do?

In the olden days it shut off the feed of hot water to the heater matrix. Which was found to be detrimental in the long run and they were discarded and as Marc says replaced with flaps to control the airflow.

[spaceface]

So presumably whatever is containing the heater matrix should contain the heat when the flaps are closed. On recent cooler evenings and mornings its too cold in the car with no heat on so presumably the flaps are working as designed and back to my question which I'm asking on here because I don't know if its normal for this car. Is this the same in other 206s?

[GiveMeABreak]

To save a lot of unnecessary responses, it would be best if you simply supplied your VIN and we can confirm the system you have. Please post your VIN in full without spaces - it will be automatically masked from public view after submitting your post & will only be visible to staff.

[spaceface]

Just had a long and slow cross city journey. At the side of the centre console on the passenger side I can see and feel what I suspect is whatever contains the heater matrix. At times in traffic its very hot. No wonder it gets so hot in the car.

[GiveMeABreak]

So just confirmed you have 'Simple Air Conditioning' and as we've all said above, the standard heater matrix which is buried deep inside the dash. You don't have dual zone Climate Control, so the requested temperature is set the same for all zones. The heater matrix is slightly offset to the left of the main evaporator unit, where the pipes will go out to the engine bay via the bulkhead.

But if you really want any sort of temperature control, I do suggest you get the A/C sorted as it will clear out condensation in the winter, as well as cool in the summer.

I've booked my usual mobile A/C specialist for this Tuesday to give the Aircross it's first A/C service since new. Mine's cold, but not as cold as I like, so probably needs a top up, which will include a leak test, clean and vacuum out, and replace with new oil and gas and a refresh / anti-bac treatment.

[spaceface]

So I'm back to my overheated cabin. I've realised I'm avoiding longer journeys because they're a tiring trial where the choices are far too hot or hot and noisy thanks to the open windows. I'm not willing to spend much getting this fixed and I'm considering the diy kits however it seems it may take more than one expensive can to potentially refill the system from empty. In the few years I've owned the car its never worked and the previous owner didn't know it had a/c so I'm wondering if there's a way of finding out what the level is. Is the only way to connect a pressure gauge?

[spaceface]

I've found a workaround for this. I've insulated the pipes inside the cabin leading to the heater matrix. They were constantly at 90 degrees and putting heat into the car regardless of the heater settings. Bonkers oversight by Peugeot. Its made a noticeable difference. Two four hour drives were tolerable and when stopping I was surprised at how warm it was outside the car. Pictures available if anyone's interested.