Aircon / ACC not cooling, starts and stops fans randomly.

SpdyHS

Member
Hi everyone, my first post on this forum (though I lurked through the G263-sensor replacement guide)!

I got an '01 1.4 petrol about two months ago. It basically has one big problem, the AC doesn't cool. When I put it in auto mode the fan starts and stops randomly and never cools the air. The previous owner had the condensator and o-rings replaced for a cost of £500, and that didn't change a thing. My first hunch was that the G263 sensor was broken, so I replaced it this weekend (I still have the scars...) to no avail. I also had it scanned with VCDS and received no fault codes.

Do we have any aircon experts on this forum that can help me out?

Thanks a lot,
SpdyHS
 
Welcome.

I suspect you need to delve a little deeper with VCDS. Here's a link to a thread on the Ross-Tech forum: https://forums.ross-tech.com/showthread.php?3305-Air-Conditioning-doesn-t-blow-cold

I'm no aircon expert, far from it. I've been caught out with my A2 more than once simply from the vent flaps not being properly open. I check the aircon from time to time by turning the target temperature down to 'Lo' (and conversely up to 'Hi' to check the heating works).
 
For clarity, is it the case that your air conditioning is blasting air round the car but that it's not cold, or that the air conditioning isn't blasting air round the car at all?
 
For clarity, is it the case that your air conditioning is blasting air round the car but that it's not cold, or that the air conditioning isn't blasting air round the car at all?
It is blasting air throughout the cabin, but sometimes it stops randomly for a couple of seconds before starting again. It is never cold.
 
It is blasting air throughout the cabin, but sometimes it stops randomly for a couple of seconds before starting again. It is never cold.
That is disappointing since it pretty much rules out the obvious solution.
Here are the results of the Google search I did which may be worth scrolling through: https://www.google.co.uk/search?sou...236.2-1......0......gws-wiz.....6.ULd6FtS5HPA

I know how important air conditioning is in an A2; it's scarcely realistic to roll your windows down, so I sympathise. Hopefully an expert will be along before too long.
 
That is disappointing since it pretty much rules out the obvious solution.
Here are the results of the Google search I did which may be worth scrolling through: https://www.google.co.uk/search?sou...236.2-1......0......gws-wiz.....6.ULd6FtS5HPA

I know how important air conditioning is in an A2; it's scarcely realistic to roll your windows down, so I sympathise. Hopefully an expert will be along before too long.
Thanks so much for your help, Steve! Rolling down the windows is my life support atm. I am taking the car to an aircon specialist on Friday for a pressure test/refill.
 
Does the fan speed drop to zero? If so suspect the blower motor is partially seized or corroded. Glove box off, you can then see the housing held together with a few torq screws. One of them looks impossible to get at until you find the hole Audi provided in the dash strut. Remove unit and spin the hamsters wheel by hand if notchy hard to start spinning or stops quickly then the bearings need a good clean and relubrication. If you are not up to doing that then just swap in a new fan blower unit. While it is out after cleaning and lubricating ( or replacing ) reconnect the wiring and see how it spins now. Do not get any part of you or your clothes near the spinning wheel. Reassemble, change the cabin filter especially if there was signs of water on the blower, refit glove box. Job done.
P.S. Welcome to the forum and club.
 
Does the fan speed drop to zero? If so suspect the blower motor is partially seized or corroded. Glove box off, you can then see the housing held together with a few torq screws. One of them looks impossible to get at until you find the hole Audi provided in the dash strut. Remove unit and spin the hamsters wheel by hand if notchy hard to start spinning or stops quickly then the bearings need a good clean and relubrication. If you are not up to doing that then just swap in a new fan blower unit. While it is out after cleaning and lubricating ( or replacing ) reconnect the wiring and see how it spins now. Do not get any part of you or your clothes near the spinning wheel. Reassemble, change the cabin filter especially if there was signs of water on the blower, refit glove box. Job done.
P.S. Welcome to the forum and club.
Yes, it drops to zero to then suddenly pick up speed again. Is the blower motor on the glove box side on LHD cars as well?
Thanks!
 
I believe it is always behind the glove box. Be aware the "horn" on the housing points the opposite way on LHD cars to RHD cars.
 
There is a little bit of access if you drop the cabin filter and with a good light look into the housing. You can just about get a pencil or similar to reach and push on the wheel. Although if any doubts and probably the original I'd go ahead and remove it. Then you can see exactly what you are doing.
 
If you do not already know there is a very good "how to" on here. But briefly.. Open the glove box, remove the coin clip if fitted as it covers one of the screws holding the glove box in. Along the top of the glove box there are no three screws, loosen them all, then from underneath the glove box there are a further 2 screws to remove, one near the pollen filter cover and the other hidden above the trim panel infront of the door. You do not need to take this trim off just make sure the bit you use is well secured into the handle so as not to fall behind the trim. Fully remove the 2 lower screws then take out the ones along the top of the glove box. Support the glove box and do not let it fall. As you lower it you will see it is still attached to the dash by the wiring for the glove box light, disconnect this ( a second person is useful at this point ) and lower the glove box out the way and place it on the rear seat. Look up behind where the glove box was and you will see the blower motor housing.
 
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Here is the link to the "how to"

 
Just remember these guides are for RHD cars but for the glove box and blower, if you were to place a mirror on the right hand edge of the picture the image in the mirror is what you will see. Glove box number 20 blower motor number 21.
 
The air inlet is not a very good design. The air enters the bonnet then through the manifold to the engine bulk head, drops a bit to enter the pollen filter then enters the blower wheel. If you are in a wet or snowy climate then there is a very high chance that water will make its way through the manifold and into the pollen filter. The blower then suck this moisture and throws it all over everything. It ends up in the bearings causing them to seize. The hamsters wheel is actually white when new. I cleaned my blower out by removing it from the housing, then spraying the bearings area to and bottom with WD40 or equivalent. Let it soak, flush again a couple of times. I then fitted the nut on the top of the hamsters wheel into my battery drill and spun it up slowly at first then building up speed. My drill can be reversed so did this in both directions a few times. Flushed out the bearing area again with more WD40 and repeated the soak, and spin cycles again. Now I could spin the wheel easily by hand and it would take 3-4 seconds to stop. Cleaned everything up and connected the blower directly to the car wiring. Turned on the ignition and set the fan speeds from off to full a few times and the fan continued at the selected speed with no noises. Put the blower back into its housing making sure the 3 rubber pads locked over the edge of the slot, back into car, reconnected again to make sure fan wasn't rubbing the housing, then full rebuild.
 
The air inlet is not a very good design. The air enters the bonnet then through the manifold to the engine bulk head, drops a bit to enter the pollen filter then enters the blower wheel. If you are in a wet or snowy climate then there is a very high chance that water will make its way through the manifold and into the pollen filter. The blower then suck this moisture and throws it all over everything. It ends up in the bearings causing them to seize. The hamsters wheel is actually white when new. I cleaned my blower out by removing it from the housing, then spraying the bearings area to and bottom with WD40 or equivalent. Let it soak, flush again a couple of times. I then fitted the nut on the top of the hamsters wheel into my battery drill and spun it up slowly at first then building up speed. My drill can be reversed so did this in both directions a few times. Flushed out the bearing area again with more WD40 and repeated the soak, and spin cycles again. Now I could spin the wheel easily by hand and it would take 3-4 seconds to stop. Cleaned everything up and connected the blower directly to the car wiring. Turned on the ignition and set the fan speeds from off to full a few times and the fan continued at the selected speed with no noises. Put the blower back into its housing making sure the 3 rubber pads locked over the edge of the slot, back into car, reconnected again to make sure fan wasn't rubbing the housing, then full rebuild.
Stockholm is both snowy and wet, so that is a very likely theory... ? I didn't have time to extract the blower motor today, I'll update here when I have checked it out!
 
Just remember these guides are for RHD cars but for the glove box and blower, if you were to place a mirror on the right hand edge of the picture the image in the mirror is what you will see. Glove box number 20 blower motor number 21.
Update:
I had the ac fluid refilled, and now it is blowing super cold air! However, my AC technician said that there is probably a leak, as well as the blower acting weird. I will take out the heater blower as soon as I get a flexible screwdriver to get to that fifth screw.

Thanks for your help audifan!
 
I used three little extension bars together and some tape.

Tufty has a visual guide in his repair blog post somewhere in the middle and it shows the panel hole and access.


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