75ZT Community

Arctic wrote:

raistlin wrote:DO you think a spirited squirt with a pressure washer would do any harm?

Yes if the fins are in a bad state it will blow them out i have seen some real nightmare ones when changing the fans,gunged up oiled ones, birds feathers stuck to them, rows of fins missing,it is reckonned that by 90000 miles each car should have a new one fitted, not my statement i have had one in the shed now for 6 months and i have still not got round to it, dont forget you also have to have a re-gas after so more cost on top of the condenser keep you on your toes dont they these cars but we still love them Arctic





birds of a feather do stick together wonder what was the last thing that went though this birds brain

Dare I venture it's arse?? .

.
This is what my 53 plate 1.8T condenser looked like:


Just touching it made it worse.

Passes self test OK

This is curious indeed. AS I said in my previous post, the ATC (Automatic Temperature Control) self test passes with no faults. However, on my way to Court this morning the vent temperature reached 4.9 degrees Celsius, but on the way home only managed 13.5 degrees.

Any ideas please? I can't see it being the condenser or else, I'd have thought, the temperature would be relatively constant.

I'm even wondering whether to hand it over to Kwik fit to re-gas... and I must be desperate to do that.

I thought the gas had already been checked by an aircon man?

If it's managing 13.5, then the compressor is at least running. If the fan is on high and you aren't in recirc mode, that doesn't sound that bad with an ambient of 30.

However you are clearly not feeling its cool enough so the options are:

1. Not enough gas, so it can't cope though still works a bit.
2. The evaporator valve is faulty, and not allowing enough gas through.
3. Compressor is faulty and not performing properly.
4. Blend flap is sticking and allowing some air to be heated.

Duncan wrote:I thought the gas had already been checked by an aircon man?

Yeah - and when he was here it got down to 4 degrees. I've since been told that refrigerant can be low even though the pressure is adequate.

I know it's subjective, but the A/C used to get so cold that it was uncomfortable to hold your hand over the vent for more than a few seconds. It isn't like that any more

If it would consistently produce vent temperatures of 4 to 5 degrees I'd be happy but it is, as I've said, intermittent.

Thanks for the list Duncan. Gives me something to work on

Duncan, Where is the BEND FLAP located ?. My A/C is non-operative at the moment and, like Raistlin, it appears to be getting a slight chill. Air Con man is attending to it on Monday but I like to know all the answers beforehand. He fitted a new condenser at the end of May so that, plus a regas is covered. Never heard of the bend flap and had the car since new in 1999.
Thanks Drummond ( Jupiter )

Aircon gas. Yes, you can't measure it by pressure alone. The only way to know there's enough is to take it all out, and put back in a measured amount. You measure the amount by weight. Similarly you would know how much was in by weighing what you take out. I'm kind of surprised the aircon man didn't explain this unless he was pushed for time. I've actually seen a system filled with a bottle of gas and a set of scales (admittedly ones for the purpose).

The Blend (not bend) flap is inside the heater unit itself and is driven by an electric motor controlled by the ATC unit. It moves to take a blend of cold and hot air depending on whether you want to be cooler or hotter. Not many people will have heard of it, as it's not something I've known go wrong. But as Paul has tried most things, it may be that.

One thing worth checking. How cold is the low pressure pipe as it comes out of the pipe on it's way back to the compressor? That's the bigger of the two pipes, with the L on the grey cap. If it's really cold then the cooling part is working, but the cold air isn't coming out. If it's not very cold, then it's the cooling part that needs checking.

I would still go for low gas, though, as the first call.

Agreed on the low gas being the most common fault.

Another thought of mine on this could be the inside temp sensor being covered in fluff and dust ect and it does not accurately record the inside temp. What do you think Mr D?

What concerns me is the fact that the vent temp can vary between 4 and 13 degrees. I must admit that I tend to leave it on re-circulating mode so it has a higher initial temperature to cope with.

Anyway. Gas removal and re-fill with vacuuming and pressure test on Monday so that will be a good start.

I called my Aircon man out at the end of May to check the gas as the system was not correct and there was no gas in the system. He compressed it with nitrogen and it took him over an hour to find the smallest of leaks in the condenser, hence a new condenser, which had been on the car since new ( 125K miles) and it was in a real state. Lets see what he finds on Monday ?
Drummond