Tuning Brava A/C problem

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Tuning Brava A/C problem

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May 24, 2013
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Hi all.

I am new to the forum and to Fiat in general. A bit about me first and then I will get to business.

I am an Englishman that recently moved to Brasil and across to the Fiat brand. I have to be honest when I lived in the UK I was strictly a VAG man and I never gave Fiat a chance. Now I have moved VAG cars here are somewhat different from Europe and apart from the obligatory VW Fusca (air cooled Beetle) I needed to find something pleasant to drive.

Looking with an open mind I discovered Fiat and in particular my 2000 1.6 16v ELX Brava built in Brasil.

From what I can see the car is almost (if not entirely) the same as an Italian model, just much much much more expensive. The key thing is that after a couple of weeks of ownership I am now getting the Fiat buzz and loving the car.

I have quickly and easily fixed most problems on the car but have now run into the air con problem and would apprecaite help from those that know.

SO.... This is the problem. The car has the semi automatic air con system but the air con does not work.

When you press the aircon button there is no light coming on. If the fan is off and you press the button then the fan starts on speed 1. I believe that this means that the system is turning on the A/C or trying to. So I assume the button is OK.

I ran the diagnostics on the dashboard and it comes back with error00 which again I believe means that the sensors are OK. I can also hear the flaps moving on the heater as part of this process so again I hope this means that they all work.

If the system is low on gas does that stop the light on the switch working (is it driven by the ECU?) or could it be something deeper in the system (relay?).

I could just take it to a garage but as mentioned I live in Brasil and things here can not just be taken for granted so I want to eliminate as much as I can to go in armed with knowledge and hopefully get the right work done, not just want they think they can get away with charging a foreigner. This is the usual action here from many people (taxi's, restaurants etc.)

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I tend to be fussy with cars and want them perfect and once the weather here improves (its only 24 degrees right now but will get back over 35 soon) I will need the A/C to survive any decent journey....

I just realised that this has ended up in tuning.. I meant it to be in technical. I can't work out how to move it. Could a kind admin help me out.
 
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Hey Sheppardnias. welcome to the forum!. I found in this comment quoted bellow. The external temp sensor is fixed under one of the wing mirrors. Like a little black spot.

How is Brazil for Bravo parts? Glad your enjoying the Bravo, I really like the Bravo's and Bravas.

i dont have a list or anything i just remember one time at band camp when someone showed me how to get the full fault code, and they said error00-error29 usually means "external temperature sensor signal out of range" and anything over 30 means "external temperature sensor signal indistinguishable". it was a reliable source so i've no reason to doubt them. when you've worked on cars for a few years you kind of pick things up, most modern cars have tricks dealers use for quick programming and fault diagnosis.

 
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images
 
Hi. Thanks for the response.

I have no idea when the A/C was last (if ever) serviced. Here I am learning fast that car care is strange. They cost the earth, are washed religiously every week and have oil changes every 6000km but nothing else is ever done. If it breaks then a part is replaced or if possible just removed. When so many parts are removed that the car is junk then it is sold for a lot of money to the next unfortunate owner. In this case thats me...

I knew the car had a few minor faults when I got it but still new ones have appeared.

I knew that the oil pressure light and handbrake light were not working. Suspension had slight knocks, A/C was not working. Drivers door handle was torn off inside. Rev counter not working. It sounds bad but for here it was in good condition. Honestly.

Of the above faults only the suspension needed any money spending on it for new droplinks and a track rod end. The garage selling it bought new a interior handle and a mechanism. The failed lights needed wires pushing on switches and the rev counter was bad solder points on the dashpod. All easy fixes.....

I discovered the heater matrix was disconnected and thats next to fix but even here its a cheap easy fix. I was annoyed at myself for missing the bodge but its too late now. I was even angrier when I stripped the matrix to repair it and ended up with a wet interior. All the rubber seals are just hard, split plastic now and no amount of instant gasket will fix that, sadly...

With the A/C I am lost because I never had to fix one before but from what I can see the system says that it has no faults (Reading the Brava manuals that are available online). All the piping seems to be present (people just cut things out here some times) and everything is connected.

I checked all fuses that I can find in the car and I tested the relays in the location in front of the battery. Everything fitted is OK.

I looked at a filling point from the system and depressed the valve but nothing came out so I assume that the gas has gone. Whether that's age related or leak related I do not know but I need to find an A/C specialist for a leak test and regas.

My questions regarding the A/C system that remain are A) should the orange LED on the A/C light up even if the system does not start? Is the light positional are driven from the control unit? The switch makes the fan behave differently when pressed or released but no light.

The second question is regarding relays for the A/C. I have an empty relay base in the box in front of the battery. The base has plenty of wires to it but I dont know what it should do, if anything on my car.

I have 3 relays there which I tested and work. At least one of them is related to the fan but I can't find anything to say what they all do. Can anyone help???

I attach pics from Fiatboo of the relay location and the missing relay but no mention was made of what the relays did. If the relay is not linked to the A/C I will ignore it but if it is then I need to try and find one which may take some time here.

Thanks for any help you can offer.
 

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On a yearly basis, a loss of 10% refrigerant is within specs.
Most Fiats have about 750 grams R134A gas, so, without servicing the A/C system, it can be empty in 7-8 years, and will stop working long before because of the low pressure switch.

Yesterday I had our Palio 1,6-16V A/C system serviced at an official specialist.
It had lost 250 grams in three years, but was still working.
Right now, it has a full charge of 750 gramms, so everything is fine for the next 2-3 years.
 
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