Air Con Regassed But Not Cold

[Bouncy Pete]

I have a 2004 Tdi (130 bhp) Galaxy.

 

The Air con has not been blowing cold air for a long time so I’ve had it regassed today at an F1 Autocentre. They told me the system still had pressure but only contained 65g of gas as opposed to the 700g of gas that it should have. However it still doesn’t seem to be blowing cold air out of the vents.

 

The centre of the compressor is spinning when the engine is running so I believe the compressor is driving and the fat pipe going through the bulkhead of the engine bay feels cold to the touch.

 

Although I’ve got access to Vag-Com I have yet to run a test on it. For what it’s worth, the last time I used Vag-Com I recall an error regarding an engine temp sensor. Also the cruise control switch on the indicator stalk doesn’t work. I doubt the cruise control wiring has anything to do the air con but I thought I’d mention it.

 

Does the air-con have an input from the engine temp sensor?

 

If not, any ideas what to look for.

[chromedome]

Have you got dual air conditioning eg vents in the roof above the middle and third row seats? I'm not certain but 700g sounds high.

 

If the system is over gassed the system will not run.

[chrispb123456]

Did they check your system for leaks before filling, even a small leak usually condenser/air dryer will rapidly lose pressure, also pipework hidden in wheel arch prone to corrosion and leaks.

Did they still charge you for the service.

You may also have other problems with the HVAC system which you need to scan

What is your location.

[chromedome]

Sorry got my facts wrong. 700g for single a/c and 1050g for dual a/c.

 

Have you switched the a/c on and off and listened for the compressor clutch clicking in and out? If the compressor is working you should notice a change to the engine tone as it's put under load.

[Bouncy Pete]

I believe they leak checked the car before regassing the system. At least that's what they told me they would do first but I couldn't actually see them working from where I was sat.

 

There sounds to be a subtle can change in engine load when the air con clutch engages so I think the compressor is working ok, especially as the big pipe is cold. I'll check again after the drive home tonight.

 

I currently suspect the flaps our ducting inside the car. I can't hear any ducts or flaps moving when I turn the AC on and off.

Edited July 1, 2013 by Bouncy Pete

[Bouncy Pete]

Last night on the way back from work (after midnight) the air-con pipe wasn't cold like it was during the day.

 

This morning I've run a Vag-Com scan of the HVAC system which showed no faults.

 

I've been trying to locate the loations of any pressure switches and temperature sensors in the air-con system on google to no avail.

 

If I cycle the air con on my ancient BMW I can clearly hear a flap moving in the dashboard. Should I be able to hear any valves or flaps moving in the dashboard when I cycle the Econ button on the control unit of my Galaxy?

[chromedome]

I don't hear the flaps move on mine, the air just moves about. On the later MK2's Ford fitted dual a/c to most of the Ghia spec cars. Has yours got the roof vents? If so you don't have enough gas at 700g.

[chrispb123456]

Last night on the way back from work (after midnight) the air-con pipe wasn't cold like it was during the day.

 

This morning I've run a Vag-Com scan of the HVAC system which showed no faults.

 

I've been trying to locate the loations of any pressure switches and temperature sensors in the air-con system on google to no avail.

 

If I cycle the air con on my ancient BMW I can clearly hear a flap moving in the dashboard. Should I be able to hear any valves or flaps moving in the dashboard when I cycle the Econ button on the control unit of my Galaxy?

You won't hear the flaps moving but you may hear/feel the air change direction

When you switch econ to auto you effectively switch the compressor clutch on and off.

It's more likely the gas has leaked away through condenser/dryer or pipework.

Advise a mobile aircon specialist as they have more knowledge than the likes of kwik fit etc.

If your local to the north kent area I have a number for a mobile chap

[SilverBeast]

(i) As chromedome said first let us know if there are vents in the roof above each of the 5 back seats.  This will determine if it is a Dual or Single zone system and hence how much refrigerant the system should have been filled with as above. (Also whether there are even more pipes and joints to leak!)

 

(ii) As you did before with the engine running check if the centre of the compressor pulley is turning with the air-con in Auto (should be) and Econ (shouldn't be).  I think that if it does spin in Auto then you have a system pressure between the minimum and maximum as it should be. Mine wouldn't spin when tit was empty.

 

(iii) As you have the same model as me the pictures in the linked post in this thread show the will help. Where my pipe failed is a common failure point, according to the specialist who fixed mine.  On the Dual Climate systems it apparently also fails in the nearside rear wheelarch (possibly under the liner).

 

(iv) The other common leak point is where the drier cartridge fits into the receiver radiator (vertical big black tube on the very left hand side of the receiver radiator in the last picture).  A single screw in the top lets you remove a plastic cover (you can remove this to inspect as it doesn't let the gas out).  Under this is the cover that goes over the cartridge.  If it is leaking I understand it leaks round the outer edge of this cover and can be diagnosed by putting water (washing up liquid) in here and watching for bubbles.  Unfortunately it sounds like if this has happened it is nigh on impossible to remove this cover and I was very lucky.

[Bouncy Pete]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

 

We've swapped cars back to our usual arrangement, I've got my ancient BMW back and my wife has the Galaxy so I can't really do any more investigation, at least not for a couple of days anyway.

 

I’ve sat back and had a good think about how an air con system works and I’ve realised that the compressor must not be working as the output pipe does not get hot. I’d initially thought the compressor was ok as it spins when the engine is running and it stops when Econ is selected. I can only conclude that the compressor has an internal failure and I’m never going to get cool air if the refrigerant does not get hot when it is compressed.

 

This will be expensive. Doh.

 

For what it's worth the car does not have roof vents so I believe it only has a single climate control system and the Autocentre actually put 725g of refrigerant in the car (in the middle of the 700 + 50 range).

[gregers]

pete,if your near me i have a compressor in my garage minus the clutch,was told when i bought it was working fine????

would save you lots of pennies?

[Click4]

Sounds like a duff compressor to me, this is why time and time again I tell people to stop using kwik fit and any other fast fit place.

 

I've had 2 galaxies from customers where it's been gassed up and not working properly because compressor has been shot, they don't like being low on gas and break.

 

First galaxy was blowing "kinda cold" but not cold.... It was running 250psi on high side and low side 78psi... Both higher than normal.

 

2nd one compressor was turning but pressures were equal on high and low sides. So just wasn't conpressing anything.. But I bet they never checked anything in regards to pressures just let the machine do its thig and disconnect after saying all done.