Air Con

[Savo]

Hi folks

I have just come out of another seat Alhambra and found that the aircon was 10 times cooler than my own. i here some stories about the seat ac isnt the best, is it possible to get it regased... or if it is not working correctly would there be any error codes... i could do with it being fixed as im of to spain by car in August and i dont wont to get cooked.. any help would be appreciated

 

[davemotor]

this is a known weakness on these vehicles. might just need regassed but you really need to get the system checked by someone who knows what they are doing, maybe using a dye and/or a 'sniffer' to check for leaks. a/c pumps fail but give some warning as they become really noisy, condensers fail, and a couple of a/c pipes are known to break. sorry for the doom and gloom, just speaking as a dealer with lots of alhambra customers lol

 

[Savo]

Ac

Not to worry.... There hasnt been any noise or any error codes im just hoping it will need a re-gas

 

[Stu B]

My compressor decided it didnt want to work no more..... and our symptoms where as you described.....

 

[Savo]

Thanks...

 

[Savo]

Air con up date had it re-gased on saturday (roughly 3 weeks ago) lasted 2 days they also pressure tested it !!! no leaks, had re-gased on the following weekend they have put more uv die in it this time,its back again tomorrow to be looked at and another re-gas.Pressure sw is fine compr seems fine... ill let you all know how it turns out..

 

[James_R]

If it has a climatronic screen it'll flash several times when you put the ignitionn on - this will indicate a fault but you'll need a diag scanner to read the faults. if it has just manual dials then its the same as above but no visual indication is given, you'll just have to have the fault codes read.
if a fault is registered and it hasnt been erased (such as a high or low pressure fault) the compressor will not kick in because the control unit may believe that damage could be caused by doing so. you may have to erase the fault before the compressor will kick in.
If you turn on your aircon to the coldest setting and on full power (with the engine running), open the bonnet and look on the left side of the engine right at the bottom where all the pullys are. The a/c compressor is right at the bottom below the alternator and is activated by an electro mechanical clutch, when the a/c is switched on the inside part of the pully should spin and when turned off it should stop (but the outside will still spin).

 

[Savo]

Got back from the ac guy today looks like the evaporator has a leek, they are going to get a price to replace it but it looks like the dash board will have to come out.....(is this true)..

Mine is climate. but it has not shown any error codes on the LCD display.

I did notice that the clutch was not engageing.

They had to put about 300psi to see where it was leeking from.

Any idea of how much it will cost to have all working again.

 

[James_R]

Just make 100% sure that it is the evaporator and not the dryer in the grill. I've only ever seen 1 alhambra with a leaky evaporator and because the dryer is behind the grill its often over looked. you can test it by romoving the plastic cap and squirting thin oil into the top. if you have a pressure fault then this should be shown by the flashing display when the ignition is turned on.

 

[fraserorby]

I've got another air con query and have already searched all the other related threads without any joy. Hope someone can assist.

I have a 2000 20VT Alhambra and the Air con, rear heater and recirulate buttons will not light up when pressed, also the vent selector (face/feet/windscreen) doesn't change when turned, the fan speed selector is working fine at all 4 speeds and the fuses are all intact.

Any help would be gratefully appreciated.

 

[davemotor]

more than likely a failed heater control panel

 

[James_R]

I second the above diagnosis. the manual panels have a tendancy to die quiet frequently.

 

[fraserorby]

Cheers for the info,

Any idea how much to put right?

 

[James_R]

A dealer will charge you £150+ (fitted) unless you can find one in a scrap yard (which might not work)
They're pretty easy to fit if your a d.i.y sort of guy