Technical Air Con

[kevhky]

Hi
My first post on this much needed forum,

When i put air con on it doesnt get cold, ive heard that its 99% sure fault that the system requires a refill of refrigerant,

Has anyopne refilled this before as id rather do it myself than the garages rip me off.

Plenty of diy air con for sale on ebay and here
www.car-air-conditioning-supplies.co.uk

Was it easy to do or should i get it done by a pro

some feedback would be great

Stilo 1.6 16v
2002

Thanks

Kevin

 

[Rich]

Hey Kevin

First of all, welcome to the forum ; nice car too!

Right, as far as Air Con goes, my local garage (not FIAT dealer, independent garage) do Air Con System check & refills for £49.99. My dad had his BMW 5-Series done there over 2 years ago now and it still is ice cold; check out local independents in your area to see if any offer refills at lower prices.

As far as DIY Air Con stuff goes, we got one from halfords; the nozzle didn't fit, it was awkward, and to be honest for £50 it was far easier to let someone else do it properly.

I wouldn't take it to FIAT; they'll more than likely get someone else to do it and charge you extra on top!!

Hope that helps.

 

[Deckchair5]

You have the same animal is me so check first that your air con pipe hasn't fractured like mine did as you have the right year and model Stilo for that problem. It's pretty easy to change if you have to and the later pipes are much longer and so less stress fractures occur.
See here https://www.fiatforum.com/showthread.php?t=30723&highlight=air+con+pipe

You can top up quite easily from a refill can but if you have a leak then you're, of course, wasting your time. It's pretty nasty stuff so you'd need protective goggles and gloves

http://www.imcool.com/articles/aircondition/ac_nitrogen_leakcheck.htm

Schematic how it works here
http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/aircon2.htm

Have a look at the air con maintenance videos- click in top right hand corner here

http://www.koolcars.biz

If you're not sure what you're doing then leak testing, pressure and vacuum testing and recharge can be done professionally for around £60

 

[Squadrone Rosso]

Probably a cracked pipe - a ****€ design :-(

 

[kevhky]

Many Thanks for the super fast replys, much appreciated,

First of all im off this weekend so ill check the pipe to make sure thats ok (will i be able to tell quite easy if its the pipe that has fractured.

Does anyone know the part no for the pipe.

If pipes ok then is it more or less a system refill, if not ill make a trip to local air con engineer

Thanks

Kevin

 

[Deckchair5]

It'll be real easy for the air con guys to check if it's gone as when they try to pump gas into the system it will blow straight out.

To gain access to have a look yourself is a bit grubby but not difficult as you need to get the driver's side bottom under engine cover off. Have a look at my post from the middle ages as to where the pipe breaks

https://www.fiatforum.com/showthread.php?t=30723&highlight=air+con+pipe

 

[wotnowarninglight]

Have had the cracked pipe, FIAT Dealer in Brum mangled the filling valve checking it but got it sorted - 1 pipe, 1 valve & 2 regasses later! Have been running me aircon every week for 15-20 mins to keep the system conditioned over winter but noticed Sunday (1st warm day - 16 deg C odd) AND it no longer blows cold... so I figure gas has all gone again :bang: 10 months & 21 k later with this Stilo im getting bored of the Fix It Again Tomorrows...

 

[Deckchair5]

Is your compressor actually running wnwl? ie can you see/hear the clutch engaging when AC is turned on with engine running (don't confuse with normal fan which also turns on when AC switch is pushed)?

There's a pressure switch that turns off the the compressor if the pressure is to low (no gas) or too high. Too low and you most likely have a leak again. Always happens when the weather warms up

You won't need the part No. Kev, the parts guy will know all about it and will have one stuck behind his ear

 

[kevhky]

ha ha ha

deckchair5 - i take it this pipe is a problem with the stilo, so basically the best way to get this sorted is take it to air con engineer when he trys to refill if it blows straight out then prop cause pipe is broke ,then ill have to get that fixed with part from dealer then go back to air con bloke to check and refill.

Kev

 

[Deckchair5]

Yep that's it

 

[MD10]

Hi, great forum guys!

My A/C has also stopped working.

I had my radiator changed recently on my 03 3dr dynamic, and the day after my A/C did not work.

Admittedly I hadn't used my A/C for a few days prior to the radiator fitting, so I don't know for sure that it was working when it went in to the garage, but this seems to be perhaps more than a coincidence or is it just my suspicious mind?

Could having a radiator changed cause an A/C breakdown, Or is this a genuine coincidence?

I've had the car from new and so far has proved very reliable and almost faultless (bar the sky window blind needing to be replaced and obviously the radiator)



Thanks

 

[kevhky]

Okay

checked the a/c pipe and seems to be no problem at all, it actually looks like its the new longer pipe.

Can anyone tell me where the valve is to refill the system and is it easy to get to, are any special tools required


Thanks again for any help/advice

Kevin

ps i got quoted today just to test the system alone would be £30 +vat and probs would have to be repaired then a further 55+vat for test and refill

 

[Deckchair5]

MD10
It's difficult to say whether changing the radiator would effect the air con. They are very separate systems and therefore shouldn't be affected but the air con condensor (small radiator looking thing) is out front and right next to the car's radiator so who knows if it could become damaged

Air con is like that, it tends to work and then it only takes a small leak and it doesn't work any more

It's possible that the air con pressure switch connector which is out front was left off in replacing the radiator. Other than that it's off to the air con people I'm afraid

Kev
The charging points are easy to get to, you've probably been looking at them in your travels. They're on the bulkhead dead centre of the car, look for two black plastic screw on covers. Low pressure connector is to the passengers side of the two. Watch what you're doing with the gas- frost bitten fingers and eyeballs aren't fun

 

[kevhky]

Thanks deckchair, you dont have any pitures do you mate of the valves and where they are or links to someone who has.

Kev

 

[kevhky]

Thanks deckchair, you dont have any pitures do you mate of the valves and where they are or links to someone who has.

Kev

ps can i get to them from the top of car or is it lying on my back

 

[kevhky]

I found it was hitting me in the face
so its the one on the passenger side that you fill

This is where the pipe enters he engine

My motor

Let me know if im correct

Cheers

Kev

 

[Deckchair5]

Pic 1 yes that's the low pressure connector
Pic 2 that's where the pipe connects to the compressor- it's the other end of that pipe that fractures by the way
Pic 3 Yes I believe that's your motor

If you haven't got the common major pipe fracture then you probably have a small leak- it doesn't take much to lose all your pressure - so you'll need to have a leak check and ideallv a vacuum holding check before refilling

 

[kevhky]

Oh well
(Pic 2 that's where the pipe connects to the compressor- it's the other end of that pipe that fractures by the way)

Ill have to recheck pipe it was that end i checked (End in pic) although other end seemed quite firm, and the pipe does look longer like the new one in you old thread.

Ill re-check it again tomorrow, if its the pipe id rather get that fixed before i turn up at the a/c workshop

Kev

 

[Deckchair5]

With any half decent air con engineers one of the first things they'll do is a pressure check. If they can't get pressure then they need to look for a leak or a fracture. If it's a fracture then that's as far as they can go so they will find out where the leak is- easy if it's a big one- and that's it. They'll give you an estimate for the repairs and often won't even charge for the "investigation" after all, it's taken around 5 mins

Very small leaks need close inspection to find, often with dyes and ultra violet lamps. Big leaks are a bit easier

 

[kevhky]

Hi,

Okay checked the end of the pipe that has the problems, and there seems no problems at all, very solid looks and feels spot on.

Something i have noticed when i press the air con button inside car (snowflake) it lights up as it should but i dont hear the engine increase or rev counter dont change, is this because the pressure in a/c system is below a certain point

Kev

Pic of pipe at end where it normally cracks