Air Con Not Cold

[Amateurtorque]

Hello, 

How often do you need your air con refridgerant refilled?

My 2006 2.2 D4D was regassed in June 2018 ar Kwik Fit. The mechanic told me there were no leaks and they could regas it. It's worked fine all through winter, I switch the air con on every week for a few minutes to mix refridgerants up.

However today I switch the air con on and it's well not as cold as I remember. Even after 15 minutes of driving it's not that cold.

i have regassed it twice in 9 years. As my car gets older does It need regassing every year?

Matt

[Mike169]

Hi.

To do the job properly the garage is supposed to evacuate the existing gas in your system (Suck out) and refill your system with 100% fresh gas, if they are just topping it up then it won't be as good so my advise would be change the garage who does it next gas change and see if it lasts longer. My car is 7 years old, never been re-gassed nor does it need it. Also there are 2 types of gas now and they have to use the right one for your car, the later type being more expensive so garages car use the 'old stuff' to save them a few quid.

Good luck, Mike.

[RUToyota]

As above...if your system is sound and the job is done right then you should not need a re-gas every year.

[FROSTYBALLS]

A 2006 car will use the older R134a refrigerant.

[Amateurtorque]

Thanks for all the replies guys.

[avetoy]

On 4/21/2019 at 10:04 PM, Amateurtorque said:

My 2006 2.2 D4D was regassed in June 2018 ar Kwik Fit. The mechanic told me there were no leaks and they could regas it. It's worked fine all through winter, I switch the air con on every week for a few minutes to mix refridgerants up.

There must be leak somewhere. It´s not normal to fill a/c system every year.  My old T25 2004 1,6 has never been filled yet. The most common reason for leaks are dried a/c compressor shaft sealants That is why a/c should be on sometimes even winter time. Small amount of compressor oil is always mixed with refrigerant and it lubricates those shaft sealants during the circulation.

A/c system condenser (in front of radiator) could be broken too. A little stone for example may have done damages...

[avetoy]

Sorry for empty message!

I was going to say:

There must be leak somewhere. It´s not normal to fill a/c system every year.  My old T25 2004 1,6 has never been filled yet. The most common reason for leaks are dried a/c compressor shaft sealants That is why a/c should be on sometimes even winter time. Small amount of compressor oil is always mixed with refrigerant and it lubricates those shaft sealants during the circulation.

A/c system condenser (in front of radiator) could be broken too. A little stone for example may have done damages...

[Amateurtorque]

Thanks JJ, I'm taking it to mr T for a regas, cost is £85 😬. However they confirmed they will be using the correct refridgerant, as mine is an old car.

[Alan1234]

When you have your aircon regased they will empty the system  using a negative purge which checks for leaks using a vaccum

then the machine will refill the system to a specified volume pressurising the system .a probe is used in the cabin to check for the correct coolness.

[avetoy]

Vacuum test doesn´t always tell the truth about leaks... Workshops may not have enough time to wait for results. It takes at least half hour to see  the changes to vacuum if the leak is small.

Sometimes it would be better to do pressure test with nitrogen gas instead. And with leak detector fluid the leak(s) will be found simply by bubbles. Of course this method takes more time and money.

Maybe a smaller workshop could do the pressure test cheaper? But of course they must have refrigerant pressure gauges and connectors for R134a (in this case) and nitrogen and so on..

Dye test with infrared light is possible too...

 

[m456an]

Used this last year on both of my cars, and it fixes leaks. 

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/engine-oils-fluids/air-con/ez-chill-auto-air-conditioning-recharge?istCompanyId=b8708c57-7a02-4cf6-b2c0-dc36b54a327e&istFeedId=367c5610-f937-4c81-8609-f84582324cd6&istItemId=xxxrmx&istBid=t&_$ja=tsid:94971|cid:865695751|agid:43902126175|tid:aud-297219199089:pla-328467933520|crid:202397318358|nw:g|rnd:17276178811822515818|dvc:m|adp:1o1|mt:|loc:9045503&gclid=CjwKCAjw8LTmBRBCEiwAbhh-6Dd4ggdWAU3ZS78tHwtDT5mLEsxxgjoNX60Ea3ghdzoUtFGKkTNymxoCBkgQAvD_BwE

So this is a money saver for 2 cars. The pressure reader you only need to buy once.

[Konrad C]

I didn't answer query at first, but if you read the linked post, you will find self diagnostic test available to your car - http://www.cardiagnostics.be/-now/Self Diagnose Toyota Corolla ECC-panel.htm?utm_source=ToyotaOwnersClub&utm_medium=ForumLinks 

Follow the instructions and you should get a readout, and a possible cause.

[chana100red]

Hey Guys,

 

Thanks for the info Konrad.  Just performed a test as per the instructions and got error code 23 - mixture control solenoid circuit is shorted or open.  refrigerant pressure sensor issue.

Is it worth going for it and replacing the pressure sensor or relay as I believe the fuse 10A under the glove compartment is fine. Tested fuse with another and still blowing out cool but not ice cold air.

 

thanks

[furtula]

Could well be dead solenoid. Have you tried locating it on the car, and checking? It should be possible to check with multimeter or you can try using 12V power supply, like Battery or Battery charger to test it, you should hear popping noises if it works. 

[chana100red]

Thanks Dean,  I will locate and test the solenoid once I have found it and do have a multi meter to test it with and go from there.

 

cheers

[mrfixer]

I am unclear what solenoid you are looking for. Error code 23 would indicate triple pressure switch (pressure too high or too low).  Low on gas would be the most likely cause.

[chana100red]

ok Jim.  I am a little unsure on this also but I believe there is a pressure valve that can be decreased or increased.  I may try this and see if it makes any difference.

[mrfixer]

The only pressure valve is the expansion valve which is located on the evaporator input side. I doubt that it is faulty in your case.

I think you are low on gas and the pressure switch is shutting down the system.

To prove the point you could disconnect the electrical connector off the pressure switch. Run the engine and switch on a/c - it won't function.  Now jump out the contacts in the pressure switch connector. If the compressor engages then you've proved its the pressure switch. Do not operate in this condition for more than a moment...

Possibly the high pressure pipe under the Battery is leaking. The Avensis a/c system is rather prone to leaking pipes and components (according to a friend who is an a/c specialist).

[chana100red]

Thank you Jim.  I will look at the leaking pipe if it is leaking, hoping not!  Also look at refilling the gas from kwik fit or Halfords and see what happens but will do the basic checks first! before booking my car for an A/c gas refill.

 

Thank once again for the help!

[paul9]

Halords wanted around £80 for a regas a few weeks ago. My aircon is still warm. 😉
I need to try Kwikfit or an independent.

Mine is giving code 23, too.

 

[chana100red]

Thanks Paul - Lots of information being presented to me so perhaps need to establish the cause of the problem before I do anything.  

[avetoy]

Simple test to find out roughly if there is enough refrigerant: just open the blue cap and push shortly the needle valve inside with a pencil or nail. That cap can be found from the A/C pipe under the hood. NOTE! The engine must not be running!

When the needle valve is pushed, there will be hiss. If the hiss sound is very silent, system pressure is low and the pressure switch will not let the compressor start (code 23).

A/C system (R134a)  pressure is normally 5 - 6 bar (depending on the ambient temperature), and the hiss sound should be quite strong.

As said before, this is very rough method and If you have doubts, just don´t do it.