How do you know if the air con is packing up?

Driving my Puma is no pleasure at all these days but I can't afford to change it yet. Despite having heated front and rear windscreens, the side windows are constantly misted up with condensation running down them - and this is with the air con on full. I've tried every combination of heater/blowers etc... to no avail.

I'm sure this is a problem that has been creeping up for a while but now the cold weather is here I've really noticed it to the extent it totally distracts me when driving as I seem to be spending all my 'driving' time trying to keep the side windows clear - and short of driving with them wide open nothing works.

This may be a stupid question but is the air con packing up - or has it already done so? I've had the car the from new and it's now 5 years old and I don't recall ever having such a problem as this and I don't see any other cars on the road with the same problem.

Yesteday the left over condensation from over night was a sheet of ice INSIDE the car!

If it is the air con - how much will something like this cost to put right. I'm not a mechanic by any means.

many thanks

chas

Reply to
chas
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first find any leaks of water into the car. replace the pollen filter unless recent, use the heater with fresh air intake and full heat plus aircon.

mrcheerful

Reply to
mrcheerful

Seconded on the pollen filter. I've had an Ashtray and a Mondeo both showing tons of internal condensation which was entirely due to old pollen filters.

Both were easy DIY jobs. The Mondeo needed small Torx bits to get some of the trim off to get at it IIRC.

Reply to
PC Paul

My guess is that one way or another, water is leaking into the car. Either from the heater matrix, w/s, door seals etc, etc, I can't see the a/c having anything to do with it. Find and stop the leak, and IMO the problem will dissappear. Mike.

Reply to
Mike G

Change the pollen filter and ensure the cover panel goes back on and isnt leaking water from the base of the windscreen onto the filter.

Tim..

Reply to
Tim (remove obvious)

Thanks for the suggestions. There are definitely no obvious leaks into the car that I have seen.

Unless I'm following a bus I always have the air intake coming from outside but I am unable to use full heat in the car for very long as it's akin to a blast from a furnace after a very short while and actually burns my feet if I switch it from windscreen to feet. Or it burns my face and hands if I switch to anywhere in between which I thought might be worth the risk if it actually cleared the side windows!

I was not aware the Puma had a pollen filter. I have hay fever and still sneeze as much in the Spring/Summer. Where can I find it to check it?

chas

Reply to
chas

chas ( snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Nobody's mentioned getting the aircon regassed - by 5yrs it'll be about ready for it. You'll probably see change from £50-60 now it's becoming more common.

Reply to
Adrian

Back of the engine bay, a long flat bit with a filter in it, checked during servicing. Air con should be regassed whether it is playing up or not every three years or so, this removes moisture from the air con system and ensures there is sufficient refrigerant to operate properly (again this should be done during proper routine servicing)

mrcheerful

Reply to
mrcheerful

Sounds more like you have some water getting in somewhere, making the carpets damp/wet, then evaporating while parked and condensing on the windows.

Reply to
R. Murphy

Thanks for all the help and suggestions.

chas

Reply to
chas

I don't follow that reasoning at all. Why regas the system if it is working perfectly OK, and why, if it is working OK, should it have moisture in the system? I don't go along with the idea of regular servicing for a/c systems. If it aint broke, why fix it it? Regassing at regular intervals is just a waste of time, money, and materials, IMO. Mike.

Reply to
Mike G

You cannot tell if the system IS operating correctly without specialised gauge assemblies etc. You might know it gets a bit colder, but you won't know if the gas is low or contaminated. unless the system is checked, there will be no prior knowledge of leaks. running the system low on gas causes extra load on the air con system, it also leads to excess icing of the evaporator, which can damage it. I am certain that there are some more very good reasons that ALL manufacturers recommend an air con service on a regular basis. One of my cars needs a regas/air con service every year as part of its standard service schedule, another every three years.

mrcheerful

Reply to
mrcheerful

AIUI if the gas is low the system becomes less efficient, and I can't see how a sealed system can become contaminated while it's under pressure.

Except a gradual loss of cooling ability, until it stops cooling altogether.

AFAIK once the gas pressure drops below a certain level, the system is completely disabled, by switching off the drive to the compressor.

I am

I am not aware that they all do, but if that is the case, it must be a fairly recent idea. I have 2 cars 10+ years old, and neither recommend regular a/c servicing.

One of my cars needs a

Why does it _need_ a regas/a/c service every year? What's the service supposed to protect against? I'd suggest that the recommendation might be more one of trying to present an eco aware and friendly attitude to the tree huggers, than one of necessity. :-) Mike.

Reply to
Mike G

I've just had a quote from Nationwide AutoCentre that to regas my aircon will cost me £29.99!

However their machine is currently broken.

Looking at a couple of other replies here - one mentioned something abut icing. A few months back in the summer the air con was putting frost onto the windscreen and I had to keep turning it off. I just put it down to the hot day outside and fridge cold inside of the car.

Was this possibly another indication of something being amiss? I thought air con was supposed to help keep the screens clear.

chas

Reply to
chas

Bear in mind that air-con won't operate if the ambient temperature drops below around the 4c mark so it's not necessarily knackered.

Reply to
Dave

Dave ( snipped-for-privacy@dsl.pipex.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Mine does.

Reply to
Adrian

Not really, since it uses R12 !! All recent cars say every three years .

mrcheerful

Reply to
mrcheerful

Low gas pressure causes a lower temperature at the evaporator, which can lead to a genuinely icy blast, and frost on the windshield..

mrcheerful

Reply to
mrcheerful

Maybe it does but many don't. My Primera's didn't nor does the Avensis I have now.

Reply to
Dave

You're losing me. What has R12 got to do with servicing? One of my cars uses R12, the other uses R134a. Neither car maker makes any specific recommendation about regularly servicing the a/c system.

I'm not doubting that. I'm questioning whether it's necessary. What is a regular regassing meant to achieve? Mike.

Reply to
Mike G

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