Air Con

[twomercs]

The air con on my CLK does not seem to be getting as cold as it used to - any ideas please

 

[The Editor]

Air-con system all lose around 10% of their refridgerant per annum (more if you have a leak). Once the overall pressure gets too low the efficiency of the system will suffer. If the pressure gets TOO low then there SHOULD be saftey features that kick in to protect the compressor.

Take it to a reputable Air-con specialist (or your stealership) and they will put some high coloured dye in your system. run it for a week or two and take it back. Anything coloured bright green/yellow is a leak !!

They will then be able to give you a quote as to how much the repairs should cost you.

Cheers


Mark

 

[jberks]

Interesting point. Is it as high as 10% per annum? Sounds a lot.
I thought mine wasn't as good as it used to be, it gets there in the end but seemed to take longer than I remember, but then I use it in anger that rarely it's probably just my impatience. Its 5 1/2 now so at 10% id be running at around 45% full and would need a recharge.

 

[The Editor]

Yes - they do need a recharge from time to time and 5 1/5 years you could well be down to 50% or so of refridgerant. The compressor will still function until the pressure drops so low that the saftey valve kicks in and shuts off the compressor. It won't do any harm but as you say, it won't be as efficient as before and will 'take longer to get there'.

Climate control is great because it's on all the time (unless you turn it off !). That means the system is working all the time and the seals are lubricated and do not dry out. The worst thing you can do is not run your Air Con for a while. People think "Oh it's winter.. I don't need it on"..... WRONG !!

I have Climate control in my car and the Air con is on permanently on in the wifes car all year round (just dial in some heat in the winter months).

The marginal extra fuel consumption is outweighed by the fact that...

1) My windows never mist up - Safer Driving

2) I shouldn't get a nasty bill for replacing seals and re-gassing my system every 2 minutes !! - Healthier Wallet :-o

Just my two-pennyworth !!

Cheers

Mark

 

[pascal]

Thats very interesting Mark (about the seals), as the default on MBs is on.

It was mentioned here a few months ago: Why MB has got 'ON' for default. Bad news for 'Friends of the Earth' etc.:grin:

I leave mine on 95% of the time, and I don't notice the loss of power at all, although I have heard friends of mine with small engines(non MB) saying that it makes huge difference in their runarounds.

Pascal

 

[The Editor]

Hi Pascal,

Yup - MB got it right !!.... That's one of the first things I noticed when I got the wifes MB.... There's only an 'Off' button !! One of the most common air con probs is the seals drying out/splitting/cracking etc which means you lose pressure - expensive repair. As a compromise Air con systems should be used AT LEAST once a month for a couple of hours or so to stop this happening. The refridgerant isn't just that, it's also a mixture of oils/lubricants to pretect your system and compressor. If it's not switched on, those oils can't do their job !!

You're right on the smaller cars - The bigger the lump under the bonnet the more it can cope with the extra hp to churn round the compressor. My wife had a little Daewoo Matiz a while back WITH AIRCON !! :-D . It was only 800cc, you had to turn the A/C off to get up a hill !!!

Cheers

Mark

 

[Lordjellybelly]

My W202`s [98 240C] air con is very cold... 6` at the outlet but after a hot day`s drive, parking for 20 minutes, and driving again the fan doesn`t blow for perhaps another half hour although air flow is still very cold at speed. Fuses are OK. Could a sensor somewhere be overloaded? Do these symptons indicate recharge needed? Before this reputed heatwave hits us is there an explanation so I won`t be taken to the cleaners when I take the car to a specialist.

 

[jonpiz]

Yes - they do need a recharge from time to time and 5 1/5 years you could well be down to 50% or so of refridgerant. The compressor will still function until the pressure drops so low that the saftey valve kicks in and shuts off the compressor. It won't do any harm but as you say, it won't be as efficient as before and will 'take longer to get there'.

Climate control is great because it's on all the time (unless you turn it off !). That means the system is working all the time and the seals are lubricated and do not dry out. The worst thing you can do is not run your Air Con for a while. People think "Oh it's winter.. I don't need it on"..... WRONG !!

I have Climate control in my car and the Air con is on permanently on in the wifes car all year round (just dial in some heat in the winter months).

The marginal extra fuel consumption is outweighed by the fact that...

1) My windows never mist up - Safer Driving

2) I shouldn't get a nasty bill for replacing seals and re-gassing my system every 2 minutes !! - Healthier Wallet :-o

Just my two-pennyworth !!

Cheers

Mark

My wifes aircon sounded like it needed a regas and now we cannotm turn the aircon on. Is this what happens when the pressure gets too low?

 

[vijilants]

The air con on my CLK does not seem to be getting as cold as it used to - any ideas please

Take it down to Kwickfit....they do a full service and recharge for £45. The whole thing is automated using the proper equipment, and Ive had it done there. It emptys the system, refills it with correct level of oil and gas, checks for leaks and you get a printout as to how much came out of the system and what went back in.

Furthermore if the car doesn't pump out any colder, they give you a full refund !

 

[karlefr]

HI, I found that in the wintertime, when it is below 10 degrees, and I set the aircon on very cold the air output doesn't feel as cold as in the summertime. It actually feels warm. I went to have it checked in February last year and everything was fine and it worked all summer long! I had it regassed in October.
So maybe there is nothing wrong with your aircon system. I would leave it on 'on' all the time anyway!

 

[television]

Many household fidges and freezers stop working at 10 c