Air-Con coldness test?

[Bru9]

Mine looks to need a regas or something as the air is not cold enough even thought the air blasts powerful.
I tested this on a hot 36C day & sat in Paj while idling for 10+mins in driveway with fan on highest & I wasn't comfortable, usually after that time you feel quite cooled down in a new car. The coldness is only sufficient on a cool night. So it's not completely lacking.


I read that the air con system doesn't need a regas as the system is sealed not at least for 15-20yrs, I have also read that the system should be regased every 3-5yrs from some aircon sites.

[spot01]

I assume you have done the usual checks, eg, a/c belt tight, condenser not blocked, air intake clear, heater not stuck on, pollen filter changed (unsure if your car has one).

Does the compressor cycle on & off once it has been running for a while?

In your test, are you using fresh or recirc?

At 18 years old, I wouldn't be surprised if it needs a service & re-gas.

[erad]

I have never heard of an aircon system supposed to last for 15 - 20 years. The seals dry out if you don't use the system regularly and you can get corrosion of the evaporator or condenser. Also the hoses are slightly porous - everything is working against you. The only way is to go to a specialist and get the pressures measured. It could also be that your evaporator (the inside coils) are choked with leaves and crud, thereby blocking off most of the cooling.

[Bru9]

I assume you have done the usual checks, eg, a/c belt tight, condenser not blocked, air intake clear, heater not stuck on, pollen filter changed (unsure if your car has one).

Does the compressor cycle on & off once it has been running for a while?

In your test, are you using fresh or recirc?

At 18 years old, I wouldn't be surprised if it needs a service & re-gas.

Hi, comp does cycle on & off after a while I noticed.

I have tried both fresh & recirc.

IIRC this air con was the same when I got it-just never cared for the cold until now, & I bet it was the same when the previous owner sold it so I rekon the coldness went probably at age 10-12 .

[hichamaziz]

I have never heard about that

[ticky]

I used to work in Auto Air so my guess is it probably needs a regas. It would also be advisable to have the Dryer changed, but there are a couple of points worth mentioning.

Sitting in the driveway is not the best way to test your air con system. The air need to flow through the Condenser, the thing that looks a bit like a radiator in front of the radiator, so driving is the easiest way to make this happen.

Also, having the fan on the Lowest speed will achieve the coldest temperature. The air is cooled by passing through the Evaporator so the slower it moves through the evaporator, the colder it gets.

Finally some Receiver Dryers have a sight glass on the top of them, but sometimes its covered with a a black sticker. If you can see the top of the Dryer and peel off the sticker, start the car, run the air con and look in the sight glass. If you see a constant flow of white bubbles, then it needs a regas The Dryers are often mounted in front of the radiator. Its a small metal cylinder usually silver, or black. about 200mm long & 50 odd mm round.

Steve

[Nab]

When you measure the temp of the air just as it comes out of the vents (with a thermometer) rule of thumb says it should be about 4°C.

[ticky]

When you measure the temp of the air just as it comes out of the vents (with a thermometer) rule of thumb says it should be about 4°C.

Agreed, but on low fan speed.