Hi,
Went to try out the aircon on my 4-year-old Civic, and I've noticed that turning on the A/C switch, the air doesn't get any cooler than with it off. It certainly used to work a few months ago.
Should I get it recharged (how much is this typically costing these days?) or is there likely to be some other, more serious problem with the A/C ?
If it has not been used for a few months, that's probably the root of the problem. A/C needs to be run at least once a month; if not the seals dry out and fail, the gas then leaks out taking the oil with it.
Get it to an independent A/C specialist, who will vacuum the system out and then refill it with the correct amount of gas and oil. Usually this refill will contain u/v die so that any future leakage will be easier to detect.
Chris
It might be worth just checking that the switch is actually engaging the clutch on the compressor. Just a thought - you are running the fan I presume.
But if the A/C is low on gas, it won't!
The OP said "...the air doesn't get any cooler..", so I assumed (s)he was.
You never know though...
Chris
As Chris says. If it hasn't been used regularly, the chances are that the compressor seals have dried out. A regas with oil usually revives the seals, so providing it's switched on regularly to keep the seals oiled, it should be OK in the future.
Prices for purging, and recharging, IOW a full service, vary, but around £70 seems fairly common, but I have seen prices as low as £45, though that might be just for a topup. I read that price off the side of an a/c engineers van as I drove past. :-) Mike.
Er, yes :)
Chris, thanks for your earlier reply. I also do run the aircon at least once every couple of weeks, so it should in principle be getting run often enough to keep it smooth. I'm more worried that something fundamental has failed and the compressor is not switching on. Is there an easy way to prove this ?
I take it A/C specialists are something different from regular car mechanics ? (I've only recently got this, and it's my first car, so I've yet to experience the joys of the vehicle servicing industry)
An electro-magnetic clutch connects the compressor to the drive. This can be heard as a clonk shortly after the A/C is switched on. If this is not happening, you could check for any blown fuses supplying the A/C clutch.
When A/C is selected, an electric fan normally starts in the radiator area. If this is not happening, check for a blown fuse supplying the cooling fan(s). Check (with the ignition off!) that any fans can be spun easily with a finger in case it has seized.
If you feel you have the skills, you could locate the low pressure cut-out switch and bridge it. If you then hear the clutch come in, (with engine on/fan running/A/C on) it would confirm the likeliehood of loss of gas. Don't run it for more than a short time or the compressor may be damaged!
I can't think of much else you could try TBH. Someone with specific knowledge of the Civic may come along with a common fault if you are very lucky, but my guess is you are going to need specialist help.
Yes, try to get a recommendation locally for someone who just does A/C. If you don't know of anywhere you will need to look in Yellow Pages or wherever.
Let us know the results,
Chris
I never thought I'd be saying this, but Qwack-Fit offer a respectable £45 check and top-up. Whilst they won't do anything to repair a system, they seem to vac-check it before charging it, and if the system is okay, charge it up. Read something about £0 if no charge is required (dunno if this includes other system faults).
Whilst not the obvious choice of recommendation, it's free parking to do the shopping (town-centre location for me) - and the wife's Ka is now working well. Also, it's drive-in, no appointment, and ready to go in an hour.
I didn't know that - it makes good sense though as if the gas is low then I guess the lubrication has diminished.
I have checked around the fuses a few days ago, but they seem to be fine. I will have a look at trying out the fan in the morning.
BTW for information on something I've wondered for a long time .. I'm aware that the aircon is driven right off the engine's drive shaft, so how can the aircon work when the engine is not running ?
Nah, I don't think I'll poke at it. I'll see if the fans are being driven and give the fuses another check, but if it ain't anything obvious I'll have to get it looked at ..
Cheers.. I'll write back when it's working :)
Standard vehicle aircon does not work with the engine stopped.
Has anyone else tried this, and if so how good are they? My Passat could do with a regas, and while i`m normally avoid KF like the plague they are, the car is needed a fair bit of other little jobs doing to it, so getting a fair job done cheaply would be very helpful, as it`s that or not getting it regassed until next summer :-)
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