JohnSimpson

Hi there .. OK got it sorted and thought I'd post back for info. Looks like the condensor had been changed earlier as the receiver/dryer is the later modded type. When it was jacked up we saw a trace of dye on the high pressure hose from the compressor where the flexi bit joins the metal collar. The clue was that the system had been pressure tested, refilled etc etc by two garages and pronounced gas tight by both - but only when the car was in the workshop. As soon as you drove it the movement on the pipe was enough to let out all the gas within a 3 mile trip. New high pressure pipe was ..........

I'm no expert but I just spent a Bank Holiday weekend googling ANYTHING to do with Galaxy aircon (see my recent posts) :-( First I learned that it's easy to check if you've no gas. Lift the bonnet, switch on air con, start the engine then rush out and check to see if the compressor clutch kicks in - there's a click and the inside of the pulley starts to turn. If there's no gas then it shouldn't click in. If you've got gas then at least you're in a better place than I was a few days ago lol. The pipe from the compressor to the condensor (high pressure) should get hot, but equally the low pressure should get cold. That's on the far offside front of the engine compartment. I've been told that even if there's a bit of gas in the system, the compressor should kick in, but you just won't be getting a lot of cooling. I didn't know that you could buy the stuff from Halfords, but as I understand it, you really do have to have the system vacuumed out first (to get rid of any possible water droplets that can seriously screw up the system) - which also pressure tests the system - then refill with added dye. Most non-Ford places seem to do it for around the

Rich ... many thanks ... yes, I found the photos and also of rad and receiver/dryer. Very helpful.

Hi Mike .... yep, you're right, with a bit of gentle levering you can get to the top of the receiver/dryer, just about. However, on mine the cap is fixed on with a central Torx screw and imprinted on the top of the cap is "DO NOT REMOVE". It doesn't look as though it HAS been moved (ever) so the garage haven't checked it out for sure. But I'm wondering if it's maybe a later type from yours ... and whether I should actually unscrew it???

Hi John I had the same problem with mine. It turned out to be the condenser which has a large nut on the top left (i think) as you look at it from the front. The washer that is underneath the nut corrodes and so the gas escapes! As you say, the pressure is there when they test it but it dissppears after a few hours! Hopes this sheds some light on it for you Biscuit Hi Biscuit and a huge big thank you for coming back so quick on this. I need all the help I can get in the next couple of days!. However, what still doesn't add up is that if there is a sufficiently big enough leak to expell all the gas in a couple of days, why didn't the sniffer and UV dye detector light see it? That's what's really puzzling about this one. Regards John

Galaxy 1.9tdi, 52 plate,Ghia with Clim control. An odd one, bear with me. Everything working ok apart from no cold air coming through when needed and c/c LCD panel flashes for 15 secs or so when ignition switched on. Took it to a local garage (not Ford and not my usual one- see below) who re-gassed it (took about 45mins). They said they had 'pressure tested' it. LED flashing had cleared and it ran cold - for a day or so then returned to no cooling and flashing LED. Returned to my usual garage (they had had a fire and were waiting delivery/commissioning of their new air con machine previously) as they were now back up and running in the air con dept. These are people I've used many times before and pretty well trust them. He reckoned that the system was completely empty. He had it for 2 days, tested everything with this new all-singing, all-dancing machine including UV dye and Freon sniffer ect etc and only found 1 seal needing replacing. He left it overnight, retested Friday morning and got a temp of 4 deg C and I picked it up Friday afternoon. The LED flashed as I turned on the ignition, but the air con was working fine. The second time I turned on the ignition, the LED didn't flash and it still worked ok. You know what I'm going to say next. Saturday morning, LED flashes and there's no cooling!!! It's now a Bank Holiday weekend and he's not open now until Tuesday. And on Thursday we leave to drive to the SW of France. HHHEEEEEELLLLLPPPPPPPPPP!!!!! So. What on earth, after being tested with the latest kit and pronounced gas tight by 2 garages could make a system lose all its refrigerant after 48 hours? I'm sure my guy will pull out all the stops for me on Tuesday morning, but to have a starting point by then would be a huge bonus. TIA John S