hi guys

dont worry il try make this short 😄 

just took my car to get air con service and the mechanic told me the air con compressor isnt turning. he said that i would need a new compressor.

just had a quick research on the net and few websites says it could be the fuse.

i have replaced the number 10 fuse but what is the chance that the relay has gone?

could anyone tell me what other things to look for please?

just had a look around for compressors and they are well over 200 pound new!

this is my fuse box under the hood:

 

many thanks guys

R2 & R11 should be identical.  Swap those over then tap the horn.  If the horn no longer works, the relay is faulty.

17 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

R2 & R11 should be identical.  Swap those over then tap the horn.  If the horn no longer works, the relay is faulty.

brilliant! 

cheers, will do that now 🙂 

sorry tom, changed the relay and teh horn still works. good idea about the swapping over though, i was going to buy one to try but no need now.

the next thing i was thinking about doing is to check if it spins freely.

Did the garage do anything to test the compressor?

I think the compressor is a conventional type on this car & engine so you can just put 12v feed directly to the plug on it which should energise the pulley clutch.

Or you can bridge out the pins on the low pressure switch - as long as it's a switch, not a sensor, on this model.

Also do you know if the radiator fan works?  The AC compressor may be restricted by the PCM if the fan doesn't work.  If you're not sure, you can unplug the coolant temp sensor then start the engine, it should default to running the fan as a failsafe.

the mechanic asked me to switch the ac on when he was looking in the engine bay, all he did was looked at the compressor when i switched the ac on and he told me straight away that the compressor is broke. he didnt test it at all.

3 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Or you can bridge out the pins on the low pressure switch - as long as it's a switch, not a sensor, on this model.

sorry but no idea what the low pressure switch is.

4 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Also do you know if the radiator fan works?  The AC compressor may be restricted by the PCM if the fan doesn't work.  If you're not sure, you can unplug the coolant temp sensor then start the engine, it should default to running the fan as a failsafe.

yes, the fan definitely works.

2 minutes ago, froggy8 said:

yes, the fan definitely works.

Fantastic 😀 👍

9 minutes ago, froggy8 said:

the mechanic asked me to switch the ac on when he was looking in the engine bay, all he did was looked at the compressor when i switched the ac on and he told me straight away that the compressor is broke. he didnt test it at all.

sorry but no idea what the low pressure switch is.

yes, the fan definitely works.

Well, the compressor won't work when there's no gas in the system.  So unless he had regassed it by that point, that was a completely pointless check, and doesn't mean the compressor is broken at all.  

The low pressure switch is a switch that detects low pressure...   On that model, I think it'll be on top of the silver cannister in front of the drivers side wheel arch liner.  Has a brown plug as far as I remember.

No he didn't regas it. 

Shall I try another garage to regas it?

Ok, I will have a look for the low pressure switch, once I find it, you want me to bridge it?

Just now, froggy8 said:

No he didn't regas it. 

Shall I try another garage to regas it?

Ok, I will have a look for the low pressure switch, once I find it, you want me to bridge it?

Yeah, try another garage.

Probably not worth the hassle of looking for the low pressure switch now.  But yes, if it's just a 2 pin plug, then you can bridge across those pins using an unbent paperclip (or a piece or spare wire).  That fools the car into thinking the AC has been regassed and will run the compressor when you start the engine and press the AC button.  Very important not to run it like that for more than a few seconds.  It is only to test that the compressor powers up and should then be shut off quickly.

6 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Yeah, try another garage.

Probably not worth the hassle of looking for the low pressure switch now.  But yes, if it's just a 2 pin plug, then you can bridge across those pins using an unbent paperclip (or a piece or spare wire).  That fools the car into thinking the AC has been regassed and will run the compressor when you start the engine and press the AC button.  Very important not to run it like that for more than a few seconds.  It is only to test that the compressor powers up and should then be shut off quickly.

Thank you again

I do have a feeling that all it needs is regassing then it should be all good 👍

Someone with the right equipment should pressure test the system with nitrogen gas first.

This will show if there are any leaks without leaking expensive refrigerant gas.

If it will hold pressure, they should refill with the refrigerant gas and a dye which glows green under UV light. This will show any smaller leaks that were not obvious before. Some very small leaks can be cured by adding a purpose made sealant to the system.

Has the AC system ever worked while you have had the car? If it has been low on gas for a while, it may work fine at first then start to leak once it starts being used again. The lubricating oil in the system helps to prevent the seals failing.

That is exactly what happened to mine when I first bought it. The system worked once re-gassed, but started to leak from the compressor shaft main seal after a few months. The same place that did the re-gas fitted a used compressor that I bought from ebay. It has worked as it should ever since.

 

Last time I used the air con was June 2022 and it was working then.

2 minutes ago, froggy8 said:

Last time I used the air con was June 2022 and it was working then.

Think you might have posted this in the wrong place.

Try the "Have a laugh" thread 🤣

All of the seals will have dried out and the system will be leaking like a strainer.

Why on earth would someone not use their A/C for 2 years?? If anyone is reading this, please keep your A/C on all the time! It's not just for 'hot' weather. You are confusing it with temperature.  It 'conditions' the air (clue is in the name) so even in the heart of winter, will remove moisture from the air and stop your windows from condensation. Of course with the added advantage in warm weather, will throw out lovely chilled air!

I have never turned A/C off in a car...

1 hour ago, StephenFord said:

Why on earth would someone not use their A/C for 2 years??

Lo!, my brother in law once bought a new Focus and didn't switch the air con on once in 3 years "to save fuel". He then sold it "because the air con didn't work"! 

Before you ask - yes, his sister is a lot smarter!😀

ok guys

i admit i have alot to learn. 

this is the first car i got with an AC, i didnt know you had to keep it on all the time, i just thought like everything else, just use it when you want sort of thing.

im guessing the compressor is definitely toast? 

will buying the compressor bring the AC back to life or have i damaged more?

My compressor went faulty 5 years ago, picked one up on Ebay for £25, had a guy fit it for me, had system recharged and it's been running ever since... I have no idea if this will fix your A/C or not.

As already stated, as yours has been out of commission for 2 years, there are other faults that alone may have caused.

1 minute ago, froggy8 said:

will buying the compressor bring the AC back to life or have i damaged more?

Very sadly on a 2006 vehicle, who's Air Conditioning hasn't been used for two years there is very likely a host of problems.

The issue that you will first have is the system is not likely to hold gas, so the garage doing the refill will not be allowed by law to fill the system. The second issue is the compressor may, or may not be faulty, but until you can get the system pressurised then it remains a bit of an unknown.

As Tom suggested you could try momentary linking out the wiring in the pressure sensor plug and see if the compressor will run once you start the engine. Do not run it for more than a couple of minutes at the very most if there is no gas in the system.

Just for the future. A/C is air conditioning, not as it is often misunderstood in the UK, 'air cooling'. This is a uniquely British problem, the rest of the world (even in countries like Finland) just leave it turned on. Back in the 1980's the A/C systems used to use quite a bit of extra fuel. In the last 20 years the systems have become more efficient each year and it would now be difficult to actually see any meaning full change in mpg with the system on or off.

12 minutes ago, unofix said:

Very sadly on a 2006 vehicle, who's Air Conditioning hasn't been used for two years there is very likely a host of problems.

The issue that you will first have is the system is not likely to hold gas, so the garage doing the refill will not be allowed by law to fill the system. The second issue is the compressor may, or may not be faulty, but until you can get the system pressurised then it remains a bit of an unknown.

As Tom suggested you could try momentary linking out the wiring in the pressure sensor plug and see if the compressor will run once you start the engine. Do not run it for more than a couple of minutes at the very most if there is no gas in the system.

Just for the future. A/C is air conditioning, not as it is often misunderstood in the UK, 'air cooling'. This is a uniquely British problem, the rest of the world (even in countries like Finland) just leave it turned on. Back in the 1980's the A/C systems used to use quite a bit of extra fuel. In the last 20 years the systems have become more efficient each year and it would now be difficult to actually see any meaning full change in mpg with the system on or off.

thank you for the explaination.

now you understand why i ask stupid questions all the time, i am not exactly the most knowledagable person in the world 😄 

and heres more questions 😄 

so from now on, i will leave the AC on right? even in winter? how does that work if i wanted to have heat on? i am guessing put the temp to maybe 22 degree but leave AC on at same time?

i am going to try that thing what tom suggested, is it this switch what i have circled in blue?

 

also what happens if the compressor does spin after i bridge the switch? the system like you said still leaks.

1 hour ago, froggy8 said:

so from now on, i will leave the AC on right?

Correct 👍

1 hour ago, froggy8 said:

even in winter?

Yes, even in the middle of winter 👍

1 hour ago, froggy8 said:

how does that work if i wanted to have heat on?

You're getting confused with what Air Conditioning is. It has nothing to do with temperature, it is a system that conditions the air. You select what temperature you want with the temperature knob. Set it to hot or cold for what you need. The Air conditioning system will provide Hot, Warm, or Cold air depending on what you want.

1 minute ago, unofix said:

Correct 👍

Yes, even in the middle of winter 👍

You're getting confused with what Air Conditioning is. It has nothing to do with temperature, it is a system the conditions the air. You select what temperature you want with the temperature knob. Set it to hot or cold for what you need. The Air conditioning system will provide Hot, Warm, or Cold air depending on what you select.

ok so just AC on all the time and set the temp i would like? i understand now 🙂 

 

7 minutes ago, froggy8 said:

i am going to try that thing what tom suggested, is it this switch what i have circled in blue?

Yes, that does look like the connection to the pressure switch. Unplug it, and link out the two wires in the plug (not the pins on the sensor).

 

1 minute ago, unofix said:

Yes, that does look like the connection to the pressure switch. Unplug it, and link out the two wires in the plug (not the pins on the sensor).

 

got it! cheers 🙂 

so lets say the compressor still works, great! but what about the whole system? roughly how much will it cost to fix the leaks in the system?

1 minute ago, froggy8 said:

so lets say the compressor still works, great! but what about the whole system? roughly how much will it cost to fix the leaks in the system?

How much will it cost ????????

A very good question, but something that can't be answered until the system is looked at by an A/C specialist.

It might just need some of the seals replaced, but some of them are nearly impossible to reach without taking half the car to bits. It might need a new condenser. If you are very lucky then you could  just need a regas and some easy to reach seals replaced, so maybe £200. If it needs more work than that you could be looking £600 to £800 which would not be worth spending.