W169 Air Con Problem

[ds21h]

Hi I recently bought a 2005 W169 A160 CDi.

The air con system was not working correctly so I have replaced a leaking condensor and had the system re-gassed but the compressor does not engage.

I have 12v to the compressor and there is power to the sensor at the bottom of the condensor.

Does the system need to be re-set by a dealer before it will work?, or am I right in guessing that the clutch on the compressor is faulty as well, or could it be the sensor on the condensor?

There are no fault codes showing on an OBD reader, but I do not know if these OBD's are good enough to interrogate the computer sufficiently.

Any info or advice would be appreciated before I go to the expense of purchasing another compressor.

Many thanks
Mark

 

[LostKiwi]

To interrogate the Aircon unit you will need an MB specific code reader (iCarsoft, STAR etc)
What code reader are you using? A generic reader will only read engine codes (and even then only some of the codes available).

What part of the country are you in? Someone nearby may be kind enough to use their reader if you're local and go see them....

 

[ds21h]

Hi thanks for the reply, I don't have a Merc specific code reader so I will probably need to invest in one.

We are in South West France, no indies locally so either I need to buy an iscan or Main dealer to find the fault I guess.

mark

 

[LostKiwi]

Where in SW France? We have a house there.....(Charente Maritime)

A couple of us on here have houses in that region.

 

[ds21h]

Hi thanks for the reply, we are near Ruffec in the Charente, don' mind travelling.

I have replaced the compressor as it was faulty and had the system re-gassed but the compressor will still not engage.

I guess the car has stored faults that need clearing.

Can anyone tell me if an iCarsoft i980 will suffice or do Ineed a STAR diagnostic to clear the faults.

Thanks
Mark

 

[John Laidlaw]

I believe the icarsoft will clear your codes in most cases...

 

[ds21h]

Hi thanks for the reply about the iCarsoft, I probably need to invest in one to save a lot of trouble.

I have now discovered the problem with the air con not working was a lack of gas in the system.

After replacing the faulty compressor the local garage re-filled the system but it would not get cold, I re-checked the supply to the compressor and switch and all was ok, so checked with the garage who had re gassed the system to get a print out of how much gas had been used.
They came back with a figure of 210 units of gas, but on checking the specifications on the car it requires 750 units to fill the system.
Back to the garage to get the system checked over again using a different machine and now they have put in the correct amount of gas it works fine.

Many thanks for the replies.

Mark