Air con regas did not work- what next

[hivez]

2001 Boxster S, 6 Speed manual, UK-South Wales

Had my air con regas last week after noticing a decline in the cooling. The guys at the aircon garage said it was down on gas but was not leaking- When I got it back I noticed that they had checked the fuses because the panel wasn't fitted properly and was hoping they had not just changed a fuse although they looked fine to me. When I checked it -it did seem better but it was quite a cold UK day anyway but a week later it's back to normal, infact its the same temp with or without air con with the setting set to LO. I checked the air con pipes with the engine running after a long run with it set to LO around the battery area and the pipes were at a temperature equivalent to the metal work surround ie not cold, the pipes felt like they were slightly pulsing.

Is there anything I can check myself before I take it back. It had a 48k service recently is there anything that may have been disconnected perhaps near the polyrib belt that was changed (clutching at straws now)

Grateful for any ideas

[adsach]

2001 Boxster S, 6 Speed manual, UK-South Wales

Had my air con regas last week after noticing a decline in the cooling. The guys at the aircon garage said it was down on gas but was not leaking- When I got it back I noticed that they had checked the fuses because the panel wasn't fitted properly and was hoping they had not just changed a fuse although they looked fine to me. When I checked it -it did seem better but it was quite a cold UK day anyway but a week later it's back to normal, infact its the same temp with or without air con with the setting set to LO. I checked the air con pipes with the engine running after a long run with it set to LO around the battery area and the pipes were at a temperature equivalent to the metal work surround ie not cold, the pipes felt like they were slightly pulsing.

Is there anything I can check myself before I take it back. It had a 48k service recently is there anything that may have been disconnected perhaps near the polyrib belt that was changed (clutching at straws now)

Grateful for any ideas

"anything I can check myself?" Not really. First someone needs to recheck the gas pressure.

If it were me - I would take it back to your aircon guy and ask for an explanation. He should recheck the pressure for free.

If the aircon guy now has a different story, such as a bad compressor, and wants more money - ask for your money back, and run-don't walk- to another aircon shop.

He might be honest, but your results don't inspire confidence.

[RICHBLUEBOX]

hi mate, had the same thing recently. took my car to someone to regass the a/c.a few days later it was not cold anymore. anyway i took it to a place called alpineair in london near hangar lane. they are the dogs. they showed me where the a/c condensers were leaking and there and then, they replaced them. in under 3 hours, well worth going to. if you need the number let me know. it cost me £580 but now ice ice cold.

[0586slb]

If its not getting cold so soon after a re-gas, it was either not done correctly, or something else is at fault. As mentioned elswhere on Renntech, the front condensors are notoriously good at collecting leaves and other debris that end in a cold damp corner that harbours enough moisture to corrode the pipes to the condensor. You have to remove the front bumper to inspect them, but once removed its good to get everything brushed out and breathing again.

If it wasn't a leak, you can pop the engine cover off from behind the seats and watch to see if the AC clutch is engaging. (If not, check fuses etc...)

How reputable are the guys at the AC garage? I've heard of everything from using the R134a 'aerosol' type refill cans to using the high pressure service valve and not checking the PAG fill.

To service the AC effectively, it should have been pressurised to check for leaks, evacuated (with the PAG oil drawn off too) flushed with nitrogen, evacuated again, quantity of fresh PAG calculated and then refilled with the correct quantity of PAG and R134a to the correct system pressure. It just takes the minutest particle of dirt to restrict the restrictor and its a dashboard out job to fix.

[deliriousga]

Is the mixer working? There's an electronic flap that mixes hot/cold that can fail.

Also, as was mentioned, the condensors can be torn up by rocks from the road. We have some mesh covers on the front vents to guard against this. The PO of ours had to replace a condensor and the dealer told him it happens all the time so he put the covers on and they have worked very well.

[hivez]

Thanks for everyones replies.

I took the bumper off and cleaned out an amazing amount of debris. I couldn't see any damage so took it back to the aircon garage. He eventually found a very small leak coming from the pipework to the centre of the car but couldn't get in any further without taking the bumper off so hopefully that will be tomorrow.The guy that did the original test appologised that he didn't find the leak first time and took the £75 for the regas off what ever this repair bill is going to be.

I would like to fit grills but won't that cut down the airflow -its like having a couple of dustbins in there.