Air Con problem or not?

[Baggi0]

I'm not sure if i have a problem with my air con because at idle it blows mainly warm air.

When idle the RPM is at 900 when i switch on the AC it spikes to 1100 then drops instantly back to 900 and stays there.  With the temp on LO and fan on full speed it blows cold air for about 10 seconds then starts blowing warm air for a minute, then cold air for 10 seconds, then warm and this carries on and its definitely not cooling the inside of the car down.

When i switch the AC off it spikes again to 1100 for a second then goes back to 900 again.

The car stays cool when im driving but not when i'm stopped. 

Is this normal at idle or should it be cold all the time?

[cjay1]

When was the last time it was regased. The change in rpm is most likely due to engine load change and is normal. The warm cold air could be due to low gas. 

[Baggi0]

I'm not sure I've only had the car a few weeks.

I've found a few more niggles with it like the auto wipers going off when it's not raining and the buttons on the steering wheel not always working so I will get it book in and looked at.

Does yours blow constant cold air at idle?

Can others have a test for me as well see what happens 

 

[cjay1]

yes i would be pretty upset if it didn't 

[GaryPL]

Air conditioning cutting out and back on again, blowing warm air in between, is likely to be where it can't get rid of enough heat. I'd check the radiator for signs of damage or corrosion.

If it needed regassing, the air conditioning temperature would not change very dramatically in a short space of time. It'd be a slow degradation in cooling.

If you hear the air conditioning compressor click and start whirring, it's probably not the clutch or anything like that.

Top tip though. Use the air conditioning regularly. They self lubricate etc etc and need to be run every now and then.

[Baggi0]

1 hour ago, GaryPL said:

Air conditioning cutting out and back on again, blowing warm air in between, is likely to be where it can't get rid of enough heat. I'd check the radiator for signs of damage or corrosion.

If it needed regassing, the air conditioning temperature would not change very dramatically in a short space of time. It'd be a slow degradation in cooling.

If you hear the air conditioning compressor click and start whirring, it's probably not the clutch or anything like that.

Top tip though. Use the air conditioning regularly. They self lubricate etc etc and need to be run every now and then.

I just checked and the air con is working fine with a cold engine and i hear a click when it starts up. 

I've had a look at the radiator and it looks OK front the front but i can't see the other other smaller radiator that's behind it properly because the fan is in the way when the bonnets open.   I think i'm loosing coolant though, I topped it up yesterday before i went on a drive and it looks like it's dropped again.

I'll go for a drive to heat it up and then see what happens.

[Baggi0]

Just got back and it does the same.

I have noticed the fan on the radiator isn't spinning.  

The engines hot now and i put the AC on full and it still doesn't move.  Is there any way to test it easily?

 

[cjay1]

I thought switching ac on should turn the fan on sure someone will come along to confirm

 

[TomsFocus]

Yeah the engine fan should come on when the AC is switched on.

Sounds like the AC is working but without the fan working there's not enough airflow through the condenser rad to give you cool air in the cabin.

[Baggi0]

Another update

I have been out just then left the car 10 minutes after at idle then turned on the AC to see if the fan comes on and it doesn't.

The engines red hot and touching the coolant reservoir is as well, even the strut to hold up the bonnet was red hot so i think you are right about what the AC problem is.

Could this be why the coolant is going down, would it evaporate at really high temperatures?

 

 

 

 

[ThaiFiesta]

If the engine gets too hot the ECU will switch to "limp" mode, or even shut off all together to prevent engine damage. Sounds like your fan has a problem, or the temp sensor is playing up and not triggering the ECU to switch the fan on. It could be as simple as a faulty connection. 

[GaryPL]

I believe the engine coolant level is nothing to do with air-conditioning. The engine has its own radiator and the air con unit has its own too. The engine coolant level going down is possibly something a lot more serious. First check the engine oil to see if it's mixing with water. Same with the fuel. Rule out the head gasket. Then I'd say start looking for leaks.

With the air con, my guess is still something to do with the radiator and the fan could be part of it. What you need to keep in mind, air conditioning doesn't just cool a space. It's a heat exchange and it involves moving the heat from one place (inside the car in this case) to outside. If the car can't cool  the air from in the car when it's outside, it will blow back through the car as warm air and it'll just get warmer and warmer. My old Corsa had this problem and the system used to cut in and out because it got too warm. This was down to the air con radiator being corroded in a small area which meant it blocked it. Some of the radiator was warm, some was cool. Was even more weird when at 22c outside, the air-conditioning would work perfectly. 24c outside and there was too much heat for the radiator and fan to dissipate. Putting the air recirculation on would help a bit because the air the system.is cooling starts at a cooler temperature.

And we refer to regassing the air con. It's gas at normal air pressure, but when in the pressurised system that is car air-conditioning, it's actually liquid. So it flows round the system.

Sorry for the lecture. I'm gonna look like a moron if someone corrects me though!

[Baggi0]

Thanks for the help guys and don't apologise Gary,  i'm thankful for you taking your time out to explain it all.

I've got the car booked in for Tuesday so i'll mention all these things and let you know what they have done to it when it's fixed. :)

[Stuart35]

The fan comes on when the compressor clutch locks up and turns off when the clutch releases. If the air con works from cold and stops after it warms up, it could be that the clutch gap is too large and needs a shim removing or the electromagnet is weak.

[Baggi0]

I got my car back today it was the fan causing all the problems I had.

They put a new one in and it's fixed all 3 issues.  I checked before I left as well and it spins when I turn on the air con 

Thanks for the help guys 

[Baggi0]

I need a little help again and wondered if someone could check their car for me.

When I put the air con on i hear a loud click from inside the engine bay then the fan comes on and sounds like it goes full speed and its loud, then it goes off and on in cycles but always ramps up to full speed every time it comes on.

Is it normal for the fan to be running at full speed off and on and is it loud?

I'll post a video of the noise later.

I'm getting majorly !Removed! off with this car now I've only had it a month and it's been back to them 3 times.

 

[Baggi0]

Here's the video.  You can hear how loud it is when i switch it the air con off.

https://sendvid.com/0v2gtik2#

Also i've checked the fuses and some for the fan one seems to be missing or they may not be used i'm not sure.

R7 is missing but there isn't any contacts in there.

F2 is missing which is the high speed fan and there is contacts in that.  Could that be the issue?

 

[Chankz]

Hi All,

I have an 08 Fiesta Zetec S 1.6 Diesal and I have a similar problem.

When idle I can hear the air con system turn on however after around 2 seconds it turns off again, then repeats.

When driving I can feel the difference in air temperature after the car has been moving for approx 10 seconds.

So when parked up in traffic the air con does not operate.

The only time the air con system works is when the car is moving.

Any ideas what this might be?

Thanks,

Chris.

[Thor Ramirez]

http://thrrmrz30@gmail.com

My experience now on my fofi, there,s a noise (whistling sound)under or inside the dashboard only when i turn on the a/c, and the air comes out was warm, what is the problem of my fofi?

[nicam49]

1 hour ago, Thor Ramirez said:

http://thrrmrz30@gmail.com

My experience now on my fofi, there,s a noise (whistling sound)under or inside the dashboard only when i turn on the a/c, and the air comes out was warm, what is the problem of my fofi?

 

On 5/9/2018 at 12:10 PM, Chankz said:

Hi All,

I have an 08 Fiesta Zetec S 1.6 Diesal and I have a similar problem.

When idle I can hear the air con system turn on however after around 2 seconds it turns off again, then repeats.

When driving I can feel the difference in air temperature after the car has been moving for approx 10 seconds.

So when parked up in traffic the air con does not operate.

The only time the air con system works is when the car is moving.

Any ideas what this might be?

Thanks,

Chris.

That engaging/disengaging of the a/c compressor clutch is more than likely 'cos the system is low on refrigerant. Most likely on a 12year old car the condenser (that radiator looking thing at the front of the engine) is corroded and is leaky. 

[Bestp522]

Hi, I have a 08 Fiesta Zetec 1.25. My a/c clutch spins but after 2 seconds switches off and continues to spin & switch off constantly. I've had it regressed and pressure tested and it's not showing any signs of a leak. I've tried searching for the ac relay, however the user manual is utterly useless as it gives no relay info, just 'take it to your dealer' The glovebox fuse board has plenty of relays on it, none of which is marked ac and the one in the engine bay only has one relay in it and it's unmarked. Can anyone advise if theres a relay as it seems safe to assume to swap this out first before taking it to a garage. Thanks. 

[Eatonm112]

On 9/15/2016 at 1:18 PM, TomsFocus said:

Yeah the engine fan should come on when the AC is switched on.

Sounds like the AC is working but without the fan working there's not enough airflow through the condenser rad to give you cool air in the cabin.

I would second this. Had same issue with a mad heat wave a few weeks back and it was the Engine / AC cooling fan that had packed up only figured this out when the over temp coolant light came on!