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"Aircon needs regassing" - what if we leave it for a bit?
Comments
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Where did you get that incorrect information from, if the gas pressure drops below a certain pressure there is a low pressure switch that activates, the clutch on the pump will not cut in and the pump will not run.
The people who recommend 3yr services of course
eg http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/air-conditioning/
Most cars have a dual pressure switch on the high side that cuts the compressor if the high side pressure is below 200kPa (no gas) or above 3200KPa (blocked expansion valve/overfilling), what the pressure is on the low side with the compressor running @ 201KPa on the high side I wouldn't like to guess.
As to how the garage knows it is low on gas, most likely time since last regas, or they could stick their hand in the outlet and declare it is "not cold enough" (A proper test needs to know humidity, inlet and outlet temperatures)
Most likely there will be no problem for the OP, but I'd just pay the £30 for an evacuate and refill every 3 years if it is working reasonably.I want to go back to The Olden Days, when every single thing that I can think of was better.....
(except air quality and Medical Science)0 -
The people who recommend 3yr services of course
eg http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/air-conditioning/
Most likely there will be no problem for the OP, but I'd just pay the £30 for an evacuate and refill every 3 years if it is working reasonably.
Why pay for something that is unnecessary every three years, that is wasting more money than fuel.
Having worked in Ford, Nissan and Land Rover main dealers I have experience of more than the odd one or two aircon systems, and while Honest John may be some peoples bible I prefer my own working knowledge of aircon systems.0 -
IanMSpencer wrote: »
On Mercs the aircon is expected to be on all the time, the warning light is for when aircon is off! Below 4c it doesn't run because the air at that temperature does not contain any water, so there is nothing to de-humidify. Basically they cool the air so the water drops out and then use the heater to re-warm the air into the cabin.
I happen to own a Merc and that light is for Economy mode i.e. when lit you are IN economy mode and the air conditioning is OFF; it is NOT a warning light. For the logically challenged on this thread, that implies using the air con costs £££'s, why else have an economy mode to turn it off?0 -
I happen to own a Merc and that light is for Economy mode i.e. when lit you are IN economy mode and the air conditioning is OFF; it is NOT a warning light. For the logically challenged on this thread, that implies using the air con costs £££'s, why else have an economy mode to turn it off?
This old chestnut comes up time and again. Put simply, anything that draws an electric current or imposes a physical resistance will consume fuel. Aircon, rear ( or front ) screen heaters, the heater blower, the radio, headlights, the cigarette lighter .... On most cars, if you have the engine idling and switch on the rear screen heater, you can notice the engine revs drop slightly.
The only question is how much extra fuel is used. Switching on the radio will not have a noticable effect, aircon does have a measurable effect - although probably less than being overly heavy with the right foot.0 -
My car doesn't have air con and I've NEVER needed a cloth to wipe the inside of my window. It's called a bloody demister, most cars made in the last 30 years have them.
Your A/C works, great. Using them permanently is wasteful as the compressor requires more fuel to run, simple. Doesn't take a genius to understand.
Regarding the windows/sunroof, mythbusters did a comparison and at about 30-40mph, windows and sunroofs use less fuel. Any faster, and you should switch to air con.
That doesn't mean you need to use it constantly, like in the winter. Stop !!!!ing away fuel unnecessarily. The savings you make in economy will fix anything in the unlikely event your a/c breaks due to not being used. :wall:
I didnt realise one person could be so thick until I saw who posted this guff.
Hardly surprising that the bloke who drives a mobile garbage heap doesn't understand how a common and widely used gadget works - the closest Stoke gets to Air Con is the hole thats rusted through the roof of his embarrassing Favela Wagon.0 -
Of course aircon uses engine power, I recall on the old Daimler double 6 that in kickdown the air con compressor dropped out so that all 290 lethargic horses (from a 5.3 V12: you'd expect well over 500BHP nowadays) could drag it to 60 in under 8 seconds.
Still wouldn't be without it though.I want to go back to The Olden Days, when every single thing that I can think of was better.....
(except air quality and Medical Science)0 -
...all 290 lethargic horses (from a 5.3 V12: you'd expect well over 500BHP nowadays)
Not sure you would, y'know.
The BMW V12 in the current R-R Phantom lobs out 450bhp. 67bhp per litre. Scaled to 5.3, that's 350bhp. Sheer BHP-per-litre isn't what you're after in a car like that. Gobbets of creamy, wafty, effortless torque is.
Jag'll do you a 500bhp 5.0 these days. With a supercharger.0 -
I guess you are right, it managed a proper 3 speed Borg-Warner gearbox (that was good for exactly 60,000 miles :eek:) none of these modern 8-speed jobbies because the engine only produces any torque between 4200 and 4300 rpm.
I miss 5 star petrol
and proper cars that rusted away overnight 
I often wish I still had my old P6 3500, but the reason I sold it in 1980 was the huge amount of rust- it would probably go up the vacuum cleaner now :rotfl: I want to go back to The Olden Days, when every single thing that I can think of was better.....
(except air quality and Medical Science)0 -
Presumably, by measuring the gas pressure at the filling ports in the lines.
So it's "fine", right up until the time it ceases to work because there's insufficient. Does the same apply to coolant and oil?
Not if you want your car to live, but we are not talking about coolant or oil.
Measuring the pressure will not tell you the mass of the refrigerant in the system.0 -
In simple terms, the refrigerant becomes less effective over time. You can have a full system that doesn't cool very well.Nodding_Donkey wrote: »Not if you want your car to live, but we are not talking about coolant or oil.
Measuring the pressure will not tell you the mass of the refrigerant in the system.0
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