Air conditioning

[Pine]

Is it me?  Is it an illusion?  The hotter the weather gets the cooler the air con seems to be.

[JazzyB]

I love the air-con!

Don't know what I would do without it especially in this weather!

[nowster]

Is it me?  Is it an illusion?  The hotter the weather gets the cooler the air con seems to be.

If it cools to the same temperature in hot weather as it cools to in cold weather, you'll notice it more when you're hot in hot weather.

[culzean]

Aircon is even better in the hot very humid weather we are having right now because it dries out the air and takes all that horrible sweatyness out of it.

[guest954]

I wish mine worked !  any ideas? my car is a 54 reg 1.4. The ais con used to work fine, but when I came to use just recently ...nothing....the blue light comes on on the switch, but the compressor does not seem to kick in , any answers would be most welcome.

[Pine]

Get your air con re-gassed.  I have heard that it is normal for the system to loose 5 to 10% of the gas per year

[culzean]

You can buy a regassing kit from halfords or similar for about £30 which will last you several years.  Get the one with the gauge and you can check the pressure in your system - make sure the engine is running and aircon switched on to check pressure.
 
Be aware overfilling is as bad as not having enough gas.  If your system has completely lost pressure you will have to have it checked and refilled professionally.  It pays to use the system at least once a week even in the winter because this keeps the seals supple and slows gas loss.

I have topped up my system using the kit with no problem.  Look at the front of engine bay near bonnet lock, there should be a plate telling you which gas to use, or the handbook.  Use the blue filler point close to EGR valve.

[guest954]

If the gas is low, is that the reason why the compressor does not kick in, or could it the egr valve sticking ?

[JazzyB]

If the gas is low then the compressor doesn't kick in - kinda like a safe guard.

Have it checked by say kwik-fit who charge about £45 if the system is sound in other words it has no leaks.

Otherwise it will have to be looked into further and thats gonna cost you

[guest593]

Here's a link to halfords

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_201507_langId_-1_categoryId_165632

[guest954]

Can I check for myself if there is any pressure via one of the schrader valves on the air con lines ?

[guest593]

I don't know if you can check it yourself but I've had a read of the Halfords page, see previous post for link, and you can get a free check up from them and they'll do a re-charge for a tenner,
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ArticleDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=14551&categoryId=173045#Link02

[guest593]

I went my local Halfords branch today and they checked my air con and it was spot on. The guys said it didn't need topped up. An honest salesman. 

[guest954]

Okay all you guys that offered help,   the job is now done, I tested the pressure at both shrader valves on the air con lines and they were very low, should be min 25 psi, they were below this so bought a can of that stuff from Halfords and....bingo ! job done !
           Thanks to you all.   Tommo 

[guest990]

Get your air con re-gassed.  I have heard that it is normal for the system to loose 5 to 10% of the gas per year

Car airconditioning units need to be used for at least 10 minutes EVERY week to keep the seals soft and flexible not doing so is the greatest cause of loss of gas.

Because they are actually a refrigerator then the more humid the climate the better they work.

In Australia we even use them in winter to remove the humidity from the cabin and keep the windows completely clear.