Air Con Not Working/cabin Very Bad Fogging

[dmacdou1]

Hi guy, have had my Avensis(53 plate t-spirit) for just over a week now, and the air con has stopped working! I can set the temp ok and it all seems to be operating but its not chilling the air.(its the climate control if this helps diagnose)

I've had a search in here, and sounds like it could be either

a: the gas

Or

b: the compressor.

If its the gas fair enough i can get it topped up, ive found the lines etc and the top up valve thing. But how do i know if the compressor is working? Anyone know where it is/what it looks like? Also, i noticed that on the 2 pipes, one of them is frosting up when the ac is running, and the other one isnt, any ideas about this? Is it normal?

One more thing thats bugging me a bit, the car mists up very badly when driving with more that 1 person in the car, bad enough that I need to put the heat on high and the fans on full just to see where i'm going. I tried removing the filter because its pretty dirty, but its no different. Could it be related to my aircon issue?

Cheers

David

[sandpiper]

Can't help you with the aircon as I had my fixed under warranty. I also have the same problem with it misting up (especially when it's damp outside). The only way I can demist it quickly is to use the aircon. It mist up again quickly if I turn the aircon off.

[moonstone mart]

If the A/C system is low on gas the compressor wont kick in. The compressor is located at the front of the engine and is belt driven.

You can tell where the compressor is by following the metal high and low pressure pipes to it.

The best way to demist a car is by using the aircon as it dries the air when used.

A quick call into your dealer (if still in warranty) or to an A/C specialist for a regas/vacuum/leak test should sort the problem out.

Mart

[dmacdou1]

The fogging is worse than i thought. Its just as bad when i'm in the car on my own. I definately think theres a link to the aircon issue, because it wasnt like this before the aircon packed in.

I founfd the compressor but i have no idea if its working. There is a thing in front of the condensor(radiator type thing in front of the actual radiator) at the top left corner, which has a couple of wires going to it, and 4 a/c pipes coming out of it. 2 of these frost over when the ac is turned on, the other 2 dont. What is this gadget?

Is there a haynes manual for this model, the only ones i can find are for the old shape?

[T600]

Is the car losing any water? Serious fogging can be a sign of a leaking heater matrix. Shouldn't really be the case with a car as new as yours though.

Alternatively have the carpets got wet in all the flooding, or do you perhaps have a leak in any of the door seals?

Fogging can only really happen if some moisture is being re-circulated from somewhere, as dry air doesn't produce fogging.

HTH

[moonstone mart]

You can tell if the compressor is working by turning on the A/C and watching if the centre (magnetic clutch) part of the compressor pulley is spinning. If not there could be a problem with not having enough gas/pressure in the system as the compressor will not run if the system isd low on gas. Tha part you mention is probably a pressure sensor/switch.

It would be alot easier for an A/C specialist to look at it. They can tell you what it needs and you can source the parts yourself to fix it.

As T600 says above the fogging will be due to moisture/water inside the car. Are the carpets wet anywhere?

Mart

[dmacdou1]

The radiator level is at the max level, so i dont think its losing water. I dont think there are any carpets wet either(no flooding here, despite all the rain!), i'll have a check of the door seals etc bt i reckon they're ok. Like i said, it seems to have been since the aircon packed up. Someone ( mart actually) said the aircon dries the air, so that could be why.

Should i get any indication that the aircon is kicking in(apart from the light coming on) when i push the button, like a click or anything, to let me know things are starting up?

[GT4 BOOSTER]

Check also that the air flow isnt set to recirculate.

[moonstone mart]

You should be able to hear the magnetic clutch 'clicking' on the compressor when it kicks in. Also if you take the engine bay cover off the drivers side you can see the centre of the compressor pulley. If this is spinning the compressor is spinning (the outer part of the pulley will always spin as it is belt driven) the magnetic clutch engages the inner part of this pulley to spin the compressor.

Mart

[GT4 BOOSTER]

here's some videos to watch

http://www.id-usa.com/how_to_videos.asp

[dmacdou1]

You should be able to hear the magnetic clutch 'clicking' on the compressor when it kicks in. Also if you take the engine bay cover off the drivers side you can see the centre of the compressor pulley. If this is spinning the compressor is spinning (the outer part of the pulley will always spin as it is belt driven) the magnetic clutch engages the inner part of this pulley to spin the compressor.

Mart

Well i had a look there with a mate who knows a bit about a/c. The compressor is working because the output on the high pressure pipe is getting hot which apparently its meant do do. The only thing is, i dont hear any click when i turn the ac on, and the centre of the compressor just seems to be spinning whenever the engine is on whether i have the ac button pressed or not.

Anyhow, he reckons the sytem is working, because the right pipes are heating/frosting up, but that theres a butterfly valve somewhere(operating via the climate control) which mixes the hot/cold air to control the temperature, and that this may be stuck. Also the refrigerant pressure is still low(put a guage on it) so it may need more topping up, either that or I may have a leak.

What do you guys think of this theory?

PS i watched that video, cheers, least i know kinda what im looking at now!

[GT4 BOOSTER]

A leak would mean no gas at all surely ???

get to Halfords for a tin or r134a gas and top up the system , the gas cans contain leak sealers and lubricating oils now too. £20 a tin , but you need a guage to see just how much is in the system ,too much is bad for the system .Climate control if its like a celica is controlled by a small temp sensor fitted behind a small slotted facia on the dash near the drivers left side , this sensor can become very dirty , and a build up of muck confuses its ability to maintain the correct temperatures.May be worth looking for it and clean it. HTH

[dmacdou1]

A leak would mean no gas at all surely ???

get to halfords for a tin or r134a gas and top up the system , the gas cans contain leak sealers and lubricating oils now too. £20 a tin , but you need a guage to see just how much is in the system ,too much is bad for the system .Climate control if its like a celica is controlled by a small temp sensor fitted behind a small slotted facia on the dash near the drivers left side , this sensor can become very dirty , and a build up of muck confuses its ability to maintain the correct temperatures.May be worth looking for it and clean it. HTH

I'll check for that sensor thing. I already put a tin of that r134a in, but its only a small tin so i'll try putting one more in i think.

I had a thought regarding the fogging issue, which may be also related to the aircon issue. Maybe my climate control is stuck in recirculate mode even when it seems to be set for fresh air mode. The reason i think this is that if i open one of the windows a crack and let some fresh air in, the fogging clears up very quickly, so its as if the climate control isn't allowing any fresh air in at all!

Maybe the climate control system is just messed up or something, because although when i press the buttons all the right lights come on, i really have no clue whether or not its doing what it supposed to.

[dmacdou1]

Anyone know how many of these it would take to fill the system?

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/...02977_langId_-1

[timson]

Anyone know how many of these it would take to fill the system?

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/...02977_langId_-1

Kwikfit are doing a system check and regharge for £45.

[moonstone mart]

If i remember corectly Avensis Diesel A/C systems hold 450g +- 30g....or it maybe 430g +- 50g lol

Mart

[Ed_Shek]

Have you checked the Air Con Filter? If it is dirty then it will prevent the air coming through. You should try checking there is enough air coming out of the vents in the car when the fan heater is on high. If there isn't enough air it might be a sign that the filter is dirty and needs replacing.

[dmacdou1]

Anyone know how many of these it would take to fill the system?

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/...02977_langId_-1

Kwikfit are doing a system check and regharge for £45.

Do you know if that includes fixing a leak? (fairly sure now thats whats wrong with it), because i'll be in the UK next week and could get it done then.

[dmacdou1]

Well, lads. While on holiday in the uk last week, took it into Kwik fit and they found a leak in one of the pipes(hard to tell which exactly because where the leak is they're right beside each other) so at least i know what up now. Problem now is going to be getting it fixed cos it looks like a bugger of a job to remove the pipes.

Any of you toyota mechanics on here got any advice?

[moonstone mart]

The pipes on the new avensis can be a real pain in the Ar@e to get at/remove.

Is it the pipe that runs underneath the Battery by any chance? Have had alot of these pipes crack/leak which have needed replacing.

Mart

[dmacdou1]

The pipes on the new avensis can be a real pain in the Ar@e to get at/remove.

Is it the pipe that runs underneath the battery by any chance? Have had alot of these pipes crack/leak which have needed replacing.

Mart

Yup thats the one. theres a thick one and a thin one that run alongside each other, not sure exactly which one is leaking. Seems to be down at the bottom where the bend is thats leaking.