Ask a silly question, but it was a rather warm day yesterday so I thought 'well lets test the old air con' which hadn't been turned on since last year.

I switched it on and set it to Auto to give it good blast, low and behold cold air slowly began to cool down the cabin.

As I parked up at home I noticed a puddle on the camber of the road coming from under the car, I got on my hands and knees and saw where the water was dripping from... I was a little worried at first (until I lifted the hood) but then when I saw the 'pipe' thing pointed downwards where the water like liquid was dripping from...

Pardon my ignorance... but this is normal isn't it... or is there a problem?

 

no problem that condensation.

 

But you should run it every month to keep the seals in good condition.

 

run it all year round it does more than just cool the air.

 

Yep it dries it as well

 

air con is awesome in the rain. stops all that ****ty steaming up of yer windows.
And yeah, like above, run it at least once weekly'ish to keep the seals in good nick.

 

all air conditioning creates water when the chilling is on and when its humid and warm it will create even more.The domestic fridge creates water but it is chanelled on to the motor which is warm and it evaporates into the air . powerman

 

Wow!

Is there nothing you people don't know?!

Ted.

 

Can someone please tell me whether I should leave the middle button pushed in (light on) when I have my right temperature button pushed in (light on) for auto. Or do you only push the middle button in to stop outside air. I don't find the handbook that clear.

I don't know how I can tell if my air con is working properly as the fans are on but the air coming out doesn't seem that cold to me even when I have the temperature dial set at 20 or below. (MY05 Euro)

 

Middle button is for the chilling and will come on if you put fan to Auto and lower the temp gauge and it will also come on when you select the air to windscreen position even if its very cold inside/outside,this actually demists the windscreen very quickly even though warm air is being delivered(if warm temp selected) aswell(only comes on briefly),but you can switch it off using the middle button if you want save a bit of fuel.The other two buttons are for rear window heater and air recirculation within the car,its a good idea to recirc when its hot outside and chilling is on..theres no point trying to cool the air coming in from the outside thatswarm it makes sense to cool the inside air which will already be cooler. Saves alot of fuel because the chilling will switch off when set temp is reached powerman

 

Okay... so my air con blows out cold air...

How do I know the seals are damaged if they were and when do I, if need be to re-gas...

My air con blows out cold air so I guess that means all is good???

Is it possible to overuse air con... or before you shut off to blow normal air through for a little while... ???

Please advise...

 

It either works or it dont.

1 start engine
2 turn temp gauge to max cold
3 turn air con on(middle button)
4 notice engine labour a bit
5 air coming into cabin should get colder than normal
6 outside of car from underneath you will notice a lot of heat being given off
If your system doesnt do as above then its off to a air con service center to find the leak and recharge system or other fault..air con is not a DIY fix unfortunatly..and dont forget your cheque book

 

Why do you need to use the aircon to keep the seal in good condition? I've been driving around in my MY99 not using the aircon to save fuel and increase performance. Thought I was doing the correct thing, only used the aircon once since I got the car (2 months ago).

 

The lubricant is in the R134a (gas/liquid) the only way to get this stuff around the system is to use it.

 

Aha. Thanks, will have to start my system up now and then

 

as dipster says.
the R134a oil does not mix with the gas like earlier R12, so it needs to circulate oil to he compressor shaft seals, otherwise the seals dry out!
i fitted air con to my MY00 .
didnt experience any noticable difference in performance or consumption!

 

the air con system has drain tubes which re leases ecess water on to the road.

we probably have 5 or 6 people a week at work coming in sayin that their car is leaking , so it is normal, nothing to worry about unless the drain tubes block up and water then runs into the footwells

 

I must add that I use my aircon everyday without fail. It is permanently on. Can't be doing with breething everyone else exhaust fumes.

It seems most people use it less than they would 'launch control' [if they had it].

 

Don't you mean re-cric to avoid other people's exhaust fumes?

On had a car with aicon for 2 months. Going to enjoy getting used to it

 

It dont come for free..lowers performance and drinks fuel

 

Actually it can use less fuel than it takes to overcome the extra drag if you open the window instead.

 

When your stood still there no drag and beleive me if you put it the air con on you will use a lot more fuel than opening a window.If you open the window it makes no difference to the performance ..had to laugh at this one