Air Conditioning

[sporty66]

hi anyone any idea how I know if mine is working

when I switch the air con on the light comes on etc, but I thought I would heard a change in the engine noise i.e ( in my fusion I had you used to hear a change in the engine when you switched the air con on

I am wondering weather it may need topping up anyway as it not that cold .. should I hear a change in the engine when I switch it on ? how would I know or is there a way to test if its working ok,

thanks

[adz83]

The aircon in my focus dosen't blow cold, not sure if it just needs a regas or something more serious. I also experience no change in engine load/sound when i switch it on.

[btmaldon]

Sounds like you both need a top up. If it was working, within a few minutes the air from the vents would be significantly chilled.

[artscot79]

you should see the revs increase slightly and hear a click for one within a few minutes as said the vents should be cold also the engine fan should be running

[frostman83]

Open you fridge. Stick head in.

Put aircon on. Put head near vent.

You will soon be able to tell if its cooler or not than the fridge. If it isnt ,time to top up, mabye!

[karlos the jackal]

There's a pressure switch in the AC circuit that prevents the compressor clutch from engaging if the refrigerant level is very low.

First thing to do with AC troubleshooting is to get it regassed, a decent garage will pressure check the system when they do this. If there's no leaks and you still don't hear the click, there's probably an electrical problem preventing the clutch engaging.

[hubby1959]

Had mine re-gassed a couple of weeks back, noticed a difference straight away, it now blows an artic gale when the fan is set to number 4

[gazsutton]

when i purchased my focus, i pushed the aircon button, the light came on but no change in air temp.

i took it to the garage (£45) for a recharge and its like a freezer now, thank god i got it done before the hot weather we had.

i did notice a drop in engine noise when idle and you can hear the change too.

thye did put dye in it encase there was a leak, they couldnt find anything though.

nothing to work about though as i guess its all running off the same belt but im not mechanic (far from it)

[Alec J]

Had mine topped up yet it feels cold but not like an arctic gale as you guys say..

Could there be moisture in the system?

[gazsutton]

Mine does feel arctic.

But im not sure why yours wouldnt. As all they did was top mine up. It was completly empty

[Alec J]

Having mine on during the heat like 28C.. you have to leave it on full blast all the time to even feel colder

[gazsutton]

I admit i had mine on 4 to get it cold but once it was there i turned it down.

For some reason my car gets so hot inside even tho its silver. I had a black seat lcr and a dark grey a3 before and they ne er got this hot.

[Alec J]

Mine is a black car with half leather interior.. No way could i turn mine down otherwise it heats straight back up.

[artscot79]

best way to use it is open the window set aircon to max cold 3 or 4 and recirculate that way it cools the interior quicker once its got cool off with recirc close window and fan on 1 even in 30 degree heat that whole process takes 5 minutes to have the interior very nice n cool

[Alec J]

I do that anyway haha always allow windows down before and then let aircon cool down and put windows up..

Max cool temp is about 16C after 10 mins using a thermometer

[artscot79]

5degrees after 5 mins with 28 degrees outside

[Alec J]

5degrees after 5 mins with 28 degrees outside

Yeah mines !Removed! then.. had it on for 15 mins ealier and its still not icy cold. It goes coldish if you put your hand on the vent but hitting your face just feels like a fan. The car overall still feels sticky and warm. If i turn resurc off then the fans blow alot slower and it will not cool the car at all then.

Any ideas as to what i should do? Ive had it topped up and pressure checked no leaks.

[Stoney871]

Window down lets in cooler air while you're moving and means the aircon doesn't have to work so hard.

Much easier on the system and as said, car cools down quicker.

[artscot79]

if its not getting cold then either its low on gas the fan isnt working or despite the test you do have a leak i was told numerous times i didnt have a leak went to ford and it was found in 10 minutes