Advice please: Air con blowing hot air despite being fully gassed with no leaks?

Mbzpar

Member
Hi folks, after some guidance. Air con died suddenly at the end of summer last year whilst on a long journey. Thought it would be a regas issue and that it must have got critically low at the time and system shut off. Anyway, had it regassed today and sadly still not working. Technician said that the system had no leaks so problem lies elsewhere and might be a fuse. I will check the fuse. When I press the air con button on, the rate of air flow through the vents slightly drops (audibly). Does that indicate that the compressor is working? Not the most technically minded when it comes to cars sorry, but can anyone offer advise on things I should check to diagnose issue before seeking a repair? Thanks for reading. Paul
 
Have a VCDS scan done to show what the car has flagged up. May just be a stuck flap so you could try running the car and repeatedly selecting the temperature from LO to HIGH for a considerable period of time half an hour or more. This can unstick the flap. When the climate is on is the radiator fan turning at a slow speed?
 
A scan is a good starting point.

Because it stopped working suddenly there's a good chance the connection between pully and compressor is broken loose (A2 aircon pump is constantly turning, there's no magnet coupling).

You can see if the centre of the pully is standing still when the engine is running.
Keep your hands on your back and don't be tempted to "touch" something when the engine is running, just lookie lookie withe you eyeballs please!
 
I am a little puzzled/unclear and really only a spectator of your thread, but when you say "When I press the air con button on" which button???

Andy
 
No "ON" button on the climate panel. There is the OFF button and ECON button. Does the radiator fan spin when the climate is on??
 
Thanks, will check radiator fan shortly. ECON button I class as being the ON button.
Press ECON button, red led ON = Aircon OFF.
ECON is economy, low energy consumption, achieved by reducing aircon refrigerant flow to 2%, never fully off, as @Menno said.
Keeping hands clear is vital.
Mac.
 
Tried @Birchalls tip of cycling hot and cold for 15 mins to free up the flaps. No benefit so far although not sure if system now has refridgerant in. Pulley SEEMS to be working from.my inspection
 
If A/C doesn't work with ECON off the most likely causes are a non-working pressure sensor (which can be changed without re-gassing) or no gas pressure. The last time I had my system leak tested, the technician filled the system with nitrogen and then looked for leaks with a refrigerant sensor! The most likely item to leak is the condenser because it is lightly built and has a large surface area - look for oily stains. It's a bumper off job to change the condenser; renew the dryer as well and use new O-rings.

RAB
 
Tried @Birchalls tip of cycling hot and cold for 15 mins to free up the flaps. No benefit so far although not sure if system now has refridgerant in. Pulley SEEMS to be working from.my inspection
Press big temperature +/- button repeatedly until set 'low'. Most of the cooling is from the two centre vents, open them fully, wait a couple of minutes and test air flow with hand, should feel cold or about 7 degrees C if you have means to measure.

(Cannot resist ... Any good quality compost should fix it. [sorry typo in thread title!])

Andy
 
Tried @Birchalls tip of cycling hot and cold for 15 mins to free up the flaps. No benefit so far although not sure if system now has refridgerant in. Pulley SEEMS to be working from.my inspection
Hi Mbzpar,
when you turn on the A/C the fan will run on slow all the time when the cars sitting still if not
the a/c will not run as the gas cannot be cooled, but it will run whilst the car is driving as it gets sufficient cooling from the moving air across the condenser.
Hope that helps,
Keith.
 
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