Air con problems

[davidlandy]

Hi all

I have an a4 tdi sport on a 52 plate with climate control which i have owned for a couple of years. the output from the aircon has never been great so I decided today to take it kwik fit to have it recharged for about £45.

They have said that there is gas in the system but cant tell me if the pressures are ok , but they wouldnt do the recharge as the fan isnt working. so,

how do you test for making the fan work?

and could that be the problem?

any views/help would be appreciated
thanks

[r8rob]

Id like to know why they couldnt test the pressures? surly they have a aircon machine with high and low gauges?

[Dozz]

I might be wrong but I'm pretty sure the fan stops if the gas pressure is low.

[r8rob]

not that it stops. but if the pressure is low the compressor does not run which inturn means the fan wont run... you really need to see what is going on with your pressures.

[davidlandy]

they did the pressures and said that there was gas in there, but when I asked them if they were ok they couldnt answer me with a yes or no and kept on about the fan.

would be good if it could be confirmed that low gas pressure causes the fan to be inoperative.

someone mentioned that the gas pressure sensor could be faulty - i took a peek under the bonnet but couldnt really see what i was looking for. any ideas?

I dont really want to start changing expensive things so your help is appreciated!!!

thanks

[Dozz]

I think you better take it to a proper air con mechanic. The fan won't run if the pressure is low the ac clutch won't engaged either. You really need somebody with good knowledge of working on ac as you said the bill could run out of control real quick and I would be wary of a comment made by a guy with one weeks training

[r8rob]

where abouts are you in the uk?
anywhere near surrey?

low pressure will not directly cause the fans to stop. low pressure will bring on the econ light and the compressor wont run which in turn means the fan wont run....

just because there is pressure in the system does not mean that its ok...

[davidlandy]

not near surrey , im in northants unfortunately - but could get down that way if needed - what you thinking?

[r8rob]

not near surrey , im in northants unfortunately - but could get down that way if needed - what you thinking?

I work for a dealer, and am considered the aircon specilist there. if you want? drop me an email and we will talk about getting you booked in and i will personally deal with it...

[kesselrun]

I had a mate who took his 5 series BM to Kwik-Fit for a re-gas.

They told him there was no pressure in the system, so he went out to have a look and there was about 30 feet of hose between the guage and the taps on the AC system. Suffice to say that will be why there was no pressure - all the gas would have been sucked into the tubes!

So he got an independent mobile guy out (the guy I use).

One regas later and it's all sorted.

Moral = get an indy (someone who knows what they're on about).

[davidlandy]

well its sorted now!

first of all i went to kwik fit - they hooked it up to their machine but said that they couldnt gas it as the air con was broke as the fans werent cutting in. they didnt seem to know that the fans wont work unless there is gas in there - their training is very questionable.

anyway a friend of a friend for £20 filled it right up with some lovely r134a - fans all of a sudden kicked in (ha ha kwik fit!!) now it works great. he even went over it with a gas sniffer and found a very small leak on one of the unions so nipped it up.

I m happy now!