Air Conditioning fault?

[Agile]

When I bought my current Peugeot 307cc I dropped off as an old boss would have said.

It was winter time and when I was checking the car out and I totally forgot to check the AC.

On a previous car an AC recharge made it work again.

But apart from recharging it what other diagnostics are possible?

How many times is a recharge successful to make it work again?

 

[carmanmemoranda]

A recharge will (or should) test the system before it charges it.

If the system can hold pressure, and everything works (compressor, interior fan) then its ok.

Simplified, but thats's it.

 

[Burnerman]

As above, if your system holds pressure then you are 99% there.
The internal fan must work, and the heating control needs to be set at minimum for everything to work.
For miniscule leaks, I've used Halfords AC top up cans in the past, and they had a pressure gauge built in. Well handy! I presume you can still get them.
John

 

[Mottie]

Make sure you get the right gas though - different gas has different fittings.

 

[Old Salt]

I had an old Seat that had no working air con. I took it to a local small garage who specialised in commercials but advertised air con recharge. It took 3 attempts but the guy was successful and it ran sweet until my son wrote it off.

They connect up the machine and retrieve the gas, then inject a leak detector, pressure test. Check for leaks, pull a vacuum and then replenish the gas. The system can have incondensable gases which was the problem with mine. Eventually the machine was happy and a full recharge was achieved.

 

[Stivino]

I've repaired the A/C on a RCZ, the condenser was shot. It takes R134a, yours will too, it is still available in Halfords

 

[carmanmemoranda]

I've repaired the A/C on a RCZ, the condenser was shot. It takes R134a, yours will too, it is still available in Halfords

It depends on the year. There will be an information sticker under the bonnet with gas type on it.

 

[Stivino]

It depends on the year. There will be an information sticker under the bonnet with gas type on it.

I know that. Given that these two models were discontinued before the switch over to R1234yf, you can be certain they will use R134a.

 

[Mottie]

The connectors are different anyway - you can’t fit them on the wrong system.

 

[Avocet]

When I bought my current Peugeot 307cc I dropped off as an old boss would have said.

It was winter time and when I was checking the car out and I totally forgot to check the AC.

On a previous car an AC recharge made it work again.

But apart from recharging it what other diagnostics are possible?

How many times is a recharge successful to make it work again?

As a DIY proposition, there's not a great deal you can do. You can take the caps off the charging ports and VERY CAREFULLY, using a screwdriver or something (and keeping fingers well away), just try pressing the tips of the schraeder valves a tiny bit, to see if there's any pressure at all in the system. Without the engine running, you can quickly put 12V on the wire to the compressor clutch and see if you hear a "tick" as it pulls in. If you can find the trinary switch (usually on the receiver / dryer unit, you can short the positive feed to each of the other two terminals. One should make the compressor clutch pull in, and the other should start the engine cooling fan running.

Apart from that, there's not much you can do without perssure gauges.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

If pressing schraeder valves to test for gas pressure, I was always strongly advised to wear safety glasses. Don't want a squirt of refrigerant in your eye.

 

[carmanmemoranda]

Don't want it on your skin, let alone eyes.

I don't often pick fault with avocet, but I think that's poor advice really.

 

[Mottie]

I don't often pick fault with avocet,

You’re the same with me.

 

[carmanmemoranda]

You’re the same with me.

It's the message, not the messenger

 

[Avocet]

It's the message, not the messenger

It's a fair cop! Yes, it's not good to get a blast of it on the skin (cold burns). To be honest, as long as you're not in the firing line, I've never had it get anywhere near eyes, but I do take the point that escaping refrigerant isn't good for you!