Nige F Posted July 10, 2009 Report Posted July 10, 2009 The aircon, non dual climate, on my 97 model required a re gas.(Not been done for about 4yrs) Took it to Kwik Fit and the system was found to have no gas in it. The alleged mechanic connected it up using the high pressure port only and then proceeded to pump 1400kg into despite me telling him it only needed 750kg. The system showed no leaks. when I asked him him why it was empty he told me gas breaks down over time Not suprisingly the system only worked for a day, and not very well at that, before packing up again. Took it back and was told the system now had a leak and all the gas had gone. The fitter claimed that re gassing the system would have exaggerated the fault that had caused the gas to leak out prior to the first visit. Took the car to a local aircon specailist. He checked the car out and i was somewhat suprised to find there was a low pressure port under the indicator. I was told this should have been used to regas as well as the high pressure port. The sytem was pressurised and found to have a slight leak. He has now filled it with dye and half filled it with gas. The system works better now despite only being half full and has kept the gas in it for 36hrs now. I have to take it back on Mon to see if the dye shows the leak. Having watched this man work in the way he filled, ie starting the car to get the pump running etc made me realise that Kwik Fit haven't got a clue. I have registered a complaint with their manager and customer services. This raises a number of questions. 1) I would be interested to know who has had problems with Kwik Fit and aircon. Should we all boycott them?? 2) Have they damaged the system by forcing the gas into it. 3) Should both ports have been used to re fill the system. 4) What temp should I be expecting from the cabin vents with aircon running. Cheers Nige Quote
MrT Posted July 10, 2009 Report Posted July 10, 2009 Took it to Kwik Fit and the system was found to have no gas in it. The alleged mechanic connected it up using the high pressure port only and then proceeded to pump 1400kg into despite me telling him it only needed 750kg. One and a half tons of gas is an awful lot! Quote
insider Posted July 10, 2009 Report Posted July 10, 2009 3) Should both ports have been used to re fill the system.In answer to question 3 it depends what filling equipment is being used. To fill via the high pressure port you must use liquid refrigerant and it's not necessary for the engine to be running.To fill via the low pressure port you must use gaseous refrigerant and run the engine at 1200-1500rpm with the temperature on cold and maximum fan speed. There's no indication that both ports should be used but I suppose there could be equipment out there that connects to both? Also, as pointed out by MrT, your units should be grammes no kilogrammes! Quote
MrT Posted July 10, 2009 Report Posted July 10, 2009 Kwik Fit should be capable of topping up an air con system but I would not expect them to be able to carry out anything more than this basic task. I doubt the way they filled the system would damage it but overfilling a system could damage it if the overpressure switch fails and does not cut the system out. Most proper filling systems use both ports, using one means you can add gas but cannot accurately measure how much is already in there, a rough guess can be made from pressure. You should normally be able to get down to around 6C or 40F at the vents at full fan speed on a warm day. The exact temp would depend on external temperature, fan speed and engine speed. There is a chart somewhere on this site. Quote
daran71 Posted July 10, 2009 Report Posted July 10, 2009 If both ports are available then they should both be used - this will allow the fitter to test operating pressures on both the high side and the low side of the system. The system should be filled with nitrogen first to about 300psi to check for leaks - then once this is removed and no leaks are found the system can be vac pumped to ensure than no moisture is in the refrigerant system. The system can then be charged with gaseous refrigerant on the low side - weighed in with scales to the recommended levels. In the absence of a low side port - the high side can be used by dumping the required liquid refrigerant in - basically turning the bottle upside down!!! Putting too much refrigerant in the system, although pointless, should not damage anything as the system will contain a high pressure switch to shut things down if the high side pressure exceeds set parameters. So long as this is working nothing will be damaged.!! All compressors contain oil and this oil is circulated through the system with the refrigerant. It is important to run your a/c regularly to help avoid leaks - this oil keeps the rubber seals lubricated and stops them going brittle and causing leaks. If they dry out for long periods of time the will fail. Home/office a/c systems do not suffer this as the joints are brazed - not so in a car where many of the joints are rubber seals!! Even in the winter you will find that the a/c can clear your misty screen quicker than your heaters!!! So there is a reason to use it all year round!! Another myth is that it kills fuel consumption!! Perhaps at low speeds it may use a bit more than if you just open your windows but anything over 40mph then it is more efficient to use the a/c rather than opening the windows which causes drag (and affects the mpg)!! Quote
Nige F Posted July 18, 2009 Author Report Posted July 18, 2009 Have now got to the bottom of the problem. The smaller pipe running from the reciever drier to the pressure valve on the bulkhead has got a leak. Have taken it to a local aircon specialist, SAC in Coventry. They are brilliant and would recommend them to anyone with aircon problems locally. They are going to get the pipe repaired as the Fraud dealer has said they are on back order with no release date. They have taken the pipe off today and it will be back to be refitted Tues. Just need to go back to Kwik Fit to fight getting the money back from them mucking it up the first time round!! Quote
frogeye Posted July 18, 2009 Report Posted July 18, 2009 Hi Nige, I would be interested to hear how much you end up paying with SAC as I'm not too from Coventry and had been tempted to go down the 'no fix no pay' kwik fit route. Thanks,Frogeye Quote
frogeye Posted July 19, 2009 Report Posted July 19, 2009 Nige, Thanks for the info, all I need now is to find the motivation to do something about it - it doesn't look likely that we'll be too hot in the car for another year or so!Regards,Frogeye Quote
Nige F Posted July 23, 2009 Author Report Posted July 23, 2009 The repaired pipe was fitted yesterday. When it was all connected the pipe was found to have another hole in it!!!. The garage recommended not do another repair so now waiting for item from Ford, which are on back order or pay Quote
Nige F Posted August 13, 2009 Author Report Posted August 13, 2009 Pipe has finally arrived today. Car booked in for fitting and regas tomorrow so hopefully a cool car by this time tomorrow. having a quiet bet that something else will be found to be wrong when it all gets fitted Quote
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