How Cold Should A/con Be?

[Guest Tiggs]

seen a lot of posts on here about a/c failing......starting to wonder about mine.

 

its a 2003 jan car but it only did 70 miles last year sat at ford- i got it last week and today (hot day) noticed the car took a good 10-20mins to cool, the air coming out on max cold was coolish and after 20 mins was enough to keep the car 90% comfy but wasnt what i would call cold either- my old 540 would chill the car in 5 mins with fridge like air!

 

 

should the galaxy do the same and if it doesnt is that something the dealer will fix under warranty?

 

T

[rwtomkins]

like someone else said on another thread the other day, i don't really feel the a/c is up to the job. with all that glass, the gal is like a greenhouse and you need a really powerful a/c. alternatively, i wonder if the a/c is working properly? can anyone recommend a good thermometer for testing the air temp coming out of the vents, and suggest where i can buy one?

[Dally]

Maplins do a good probe thermometer.

I got one from there ages a go. I think they still carry them. Cost about

[rwtomkins]

Thanks, Dally, had a look at the Maplins website and it looks just right. OK, so it's

[bushm]

So how cold should the air coming out of the vents be when the air con is set to its coldest setting?

Is this info in the TIS CD?

[iainkirk]

From a previous posting, the performance of the aircon should do this apparently (in Celsius):

 

Ambient temp(outside the car) Output temp (from the vents)

18 8-12

20 7-11

25 6-10

30 5-9

35 4.5-8.5

 

That's why in REALLY hot weather, you can get the interior temperature down to icy cold levels, so that you pass out from the heat when you get out of the car!

 

The implication of the above figures would appear to be that below about 15C, you probably won't notice that the aircon is on, other than due to the lack of condensation on the windows.

[MrT]

According to Ford the air conditioning performance should be measured by the surface temperature of the evaporator output tube. The system must be run for three minutes before measuring. The system should be on lowest temperature setting with lowest fan speed, all vents and windows open and fresh air setting. On the 2000+ Galaxy the temperature should be 5C for single air con and 7C for dual air con.

 

This is now recommended as part of the extended service on a 3 year interval and is a chargeable extra. This was released as TSB 67/2003.

[gazza007]

The figures that Ian posted are from a SEAT tech manual that I was sent and states that all vents are to be shut apart from centre left. This is where the probe goes. Car has to be out of the sun & fan speed set to No 4. AC should then be engaged and output temps tested. I have noticed that the left side is slightly cooler than the right. Mind you I think its for a manual system, although I would imagine climate control should still give off similar figs.

 

On a separate issue I noticed some paddles inside my vents. Should these move?when I move the air direction dial? My air does change direction when I move the dial, just wondered if they had any purpose, look like they have some kind of coil spring at the edge when I looked with torch.

[Denis]

A simpler, though probably less accurate way of testing the efficiency of your A/C system was demonstrated to me by a guy who recharged my Scorpio system a few years back.

 

He simply put the fan on max, face vents open fully, and turned the temperature to fully cold. Then he dangled a digital thermometer probe in the air flow coming out of the vents and said it should be around 8 deg C, no more than 10.

 

I'm sure a normal glass thermometer could be substituted for the digital jobbie as long as it's held in the air for long enough.

[gazza007]

Have you ever tried blowing air on the back of your hand, then repeating it but huffing( you know what I mean) the latter feels warmer although temp from lungs is the same???????

[Mauser]

Since the topic's air con any idea's why mine is now blowing warm air ?, I think mines got climate control got seperate temp controlls for front and back etc they show Lo but still warm air.... with the engine running there is normally a lot of belt noise from the engine bay as if the compressor is running but now its very quiet just a tappet rattle.

I was messing with fuses yesterday but have checked the A/C fuses which appear fine when I unplug number 22 I think the fans stop but when I unplug 20 nowt seems to happen ?. Sorry to sound thick but does the A/C have a belt and does it run all the time or is it electric power which runs the compressor ?.

The A/C was fine till I messed with the fuses trying to fix another fault B).

Thanks Mauser

[Ivor_E_Tower]

Aircon compressor is under the bonnet and is belt driven - by the same "poly-Vee" belt that drives the alternator etc. The pulley turns all the time that the engine is running, but there is an electro-magnetic clutch inside the the compressor that determines whether or not it is "working" - maybe you still have left out the fuse that protects this clutch?

[tedwards]

Does anyone know which fuse protects the clutch on the compressor & the whereabouts of this fuse, as my aircon is all very quiet under the bonnet & hot inside.

[Mauser]

Well according to the manual its fuses 21 (25amp) 22 (30 amp) 27 (25 amp) 29 (5 amp).... worst bit is they all say Air Conditioning by them no other info.

Lost as ever on this 1 as all these fuses are in place and look fine.

Simon

[ALARM MAN]

The main fuses are in front of the engine bay infront of the battery

they have a relay there as well that should click as you put the aircon on try that

 

Ian

[Mauser]

Thanks Ian,

Looking now B)

Simon

[Mauser]

Must have different model Ian, I cannot see any fuse box/relays in front of the battery. Anyway not sure yet but think might have found problem added a few fuses to the empty spaces and it seems like the compressor is now pulling in.

Really would love to find the correct fuses chart for my model so I can do 1 more final check of what fuse goes where.

Simon

[Guest fixmyford]

Hello all.

 

Some news on the A/C front is that a lot of the 2001> GALAXYS have been fitted with the wrong evaporators from the factory, these will never achieve a true level of cooling.

Also the majority of all gas leak problems is due to the receiver drier/condensor unit.

 

The only fix is to replace.

 

MOST good dealers should be aware!

 

fixmyford

[seatkid]

Thats interesting...my Seat dealer told me that receiver/dryers never leak.....

 

Can you elaborate on this information? (source, exact wording etc)

[Guest fixmyford]

fixmyford is a FORD free technical information web site.

 

www.fixmyford.co.uk

[Guest fixmyford]

The receiver/drier leaks from the sealing cap.

 

Pull the front grille out of the way and you will see the combined condensor and receiver/drier unit, on the left side of the unit is a plastic cover for the receiver/drier unit, remove the plastic cover and you will see the sealing cap.

If there is any sign of dampness or yellow dye then it is leaking. FORD did make a repair kit but anyone who's fitted it will tell you it does not work.

This is a VERY common fault with the 2001> models.

Unfortunately the only good fix is to relace the unit complete....warranty does cover it if the vehicle is still covered under the manufacturers guide.

 

 

 

fixmyford

[GalMan]

How do you find out if your Galaxy is fitted with the wrong evaporator ?

 

Mine seems OK but as I've never owned a car with A/C before don't know if it's really doing its job properly, the climate control always seems to be blowing at full fan in warm weather to try and cool the interior, is this normal or should the fans reduce in speed as it cools the inside ?

 

GalMan

[seatkid]

The receiver/drier leaks from the sealing cap.

Pull the front grille out of the way and you will see the combined condensor and receiver/drier unit, on the left side of the unit is a plastic cover for the receiver/drier unit, remove the plastic cover and you will see the sealing cap.

If there is any sign of dampness or yellow dye then it is leaking. FORD did make a repair kit but anyone who's fitted it will tell you it does not work.

Although mines a '98, this sounds very suspiciously like it may be my problem....

 

Dealer was, at first, certain he fixed my leak - (changed a 'valve' located somewhere behind offside headlight) - but 6 weeks later the gas leaked again - then said he couldn't see any other leak (using dye). After 4th refilling attempt said he thought it was leaking from the evaporator and a bit from compressor (centre joint???) and it was going to cost

[Guest fixmyford]

Hi.

GalMan, there is a drawing available to FORD dealers which illustrates the difference between the two evaporators. The best person to talk to is the dealer MASTER TECHNICIAN, he should be upto speed on all the latest issues, if not get him to talk to FORD TECHNICAL SERVICES on your vehicles behalf.

In theory if the A/C is set to auto then the fan speed should reduce when the set temp is achieved. We will clarify this as there may have been some software changes in the control unit, please e-mail with your chassis number and we will get back to you!

 

seatkid, if yours is a 98 then the receiver/drier is different so this fix is not relavent. However you obviously do have a leak somewhere, the evaporators have been known to leak so have the pipes down at the compressor. If a dye was put into the system then it will be visible under ultraviolet light with the appropriate goggles. Unless you have these it is difficult to see. If it is the evaporator then it is difficult to change, the dash has to come out, labour intensive = big cost.

 

The nature of the gas used is such that a % of its volume leaks every year this cant be stopped, the normal recommended service check is every 2 years to degas, measure the volume and refill.

 

Regards

 

fixmyford

[gazza007]

I agree with fixmyford, you described exactly what my problem was, which the techie at SEAT had seen before, he also said that it was hard to detect with a sniffer. They replaced it all due to the corrosion.

This was after another dealer spent 12 months changing everything else and making warranty claims.