Air con Problem

[mark nadin]

I will be the first to say when it comes to mechanical things on a car i'm about as much use as a one legged man in an ass kicking contest so i would appreciate a little help. when i push the button for my air con nothing happens at all the engine revs don't move and no cold air comes out i've checked the fuses but thats about the limit of my knowledge any body with and ideas it,s a 90 rev 1 by the way

[Kelvyn]

With any luck it just needs re-gassing. I've read that most systems need re-gassing after about 5 years and often less. If its not used regularly the seals can dry out and leak. The gas that would have been in your system is no longer available so it will need to be done with the newer type. I believe a check over and re-gas is about £80. Take a look in your local yellow pages for air-con specialists to get a couple of quotes.

[Lauren]

The idle should normally drop slightly.

as kelvyn says it may need re-gassing, but wouldn't a 91 car use R12?

This is the evil stuff with all the CFCs so you can't get it anymore. You can use a newer refrigerant but you will likely have to replace your seals throughout the system, so you may be looking at a £300 job, in which case its probably not worth doing.

[Kelvyn]

There is a newer refrigerant that they can use that doesn't need you to have all the seals changed, cant remember what its called though. I think it was something like iceion. Hopefully someone will join in to let us know.

Just did a google iceon 49 is the stuff.

[robbie_742003]

The idle should normally drop slightly.

as kelvyn says it may need re-gassing, but wouldn't a 91 car use R12?

This is the evil stuff with all the CFCs so you can't get it anymore. You can use a newer refrigerant but you will likely have to replace your seals throughout the system, so you may be looking at a £300 job, in which case its probably not worth doing.

Sorry to disagree,but the idle rises slighty to carry the load of the air con on the engine.

[mark nadin]

even if it was in need of re gassing would the revs still alter to show that the air con was attempting to run or has it got a low pressure shut off?

[MikeM]

As far as I know, air con systems require a pressure switch to prevent damage to the compressor. When the pressure gets near the cutoff the air con will still kick in with the click from the compressor clutch and the rise in idle speed but you'll get hissing from the vents caused by the compressor straining. I had this with my last car and that was the run up to the aircon failing.

Mike