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        General >> Problems >> air con problems
        
(Message started by: invernessguy on May 5^th, 2006, 1:12pm)

Title: air con problems
Post by invernessguy on May 5^th, 2006, 1:12pm

hi folks....

In VERY sunny inverness there is a problem.... a poor taxi driver was getting so overheated in his beloved scorpio, he had to retreat to the bar yesterday, to escape the interior of a blast oven!

My problem is that although the cc appears to be working ok, its not blowing cold, or even warm, but HOT air! Not had occasion to use it on low setting this year, but when i tried yesterday, it seemed to heat up rather than cool down.

Initial checks of cc show a fault 57.... hbc?
A quick look under the bonnet shows the air con compressor pulley spinning away, but pipes not getting cold.

Any ideas where to go from here guys, or is it off to a specialist? ( i wanna do as much testing myself before i take it to the local specialist)

Will the hbc fault stop cold air coming in? I thought it just controls the blower, which appears to be working as it should at present....

HELP i cant afford to go to the pub whenever the sun shines!!

donnie

Title: Re: air con problems
Post by scorpio_man on May 5^th, 2006, 1:31pm

hi donnie

the pipes not getting cold is a bad sign (well maybe).
you say the compressor pulley is turning, are you sure? the clutch is the bit at the front with the 3 lumps. is the system cycling on and off?

have you had it re gassed? could just be out of gas, but i would have thought the pipe would have got a bit cooler. :-/ might be a hole somewhere. check the rad at the front and follow the pipes to the exhaust manifold cover. could also be the expansion valve. then it's the seals. lots of them!

a regas costs about £40-£80, but make sure they put it into a deep vac for at least 20mins.

btw, halfords do a mini regas/repair kit. costs about £30-£40. I'D ONLY TRY THIS AFTER CHECKING EVERYTHING ELSE AS THE A/C SYSTEM IS NOT SOMETHING TO PLAY ABOUT WITH, IMO.

http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/acindex.htm
http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/acdealers.htm

recon compressor is about £250
dryer about £60
both can be fitted yourself after the gas has been removed.

Title: Re: air con problems
Post by invernessguy on May 5^th, 2006, 1:38pm

Thanks mate,

looks like im gonna have to 'trust' this to the professsionals >:(

I had a quick look around under the bonnet, pulley is turning, but cant be sure if the clutch is kicking in.....

I was holding the main pipe that runs along by the ex mainfold, and it didnt seem to be getting cold, but i know why the air was getting hotter.... the heat yesterday, sitting in traffic was 24 deg outside, and under the bonnet would be boiling, heating up the pipes, and then blowing hot air into the car >:(

Do i need to replace the hbc? Its showing code 57, but blower seems to be working ok at present... would that stop compressor starting?

donnie

Title: Re: air con problems
Post by scorpio_man on May 5^th, 2006, 1:41pm

hi donnie

most scorpio's show code 57! just means it's playing up a bit. it will pack in sometime though. :-/

costs about £100 +VAT :o

i just take mine out and give it a clean with contact cleaner and make sure it dry when i put it back in. :)

Title: Re: air con problems
Post by invernessguy on May 5^th, 2006, 1:48pm

thanks andrew, i replaced the hbc last year, as it was REALLY playing up, but at the moment it seems ok.

Need to get the ac fixed soon, as were gonna have our usual tropical weather all the way to october now, but dont tell those down south ;D

donnie

Title: Re: air con problems
Post by sector-9 on May 5^th, 2006, 8:20pm

Take the lid off the battery fusebox and you should see a short metal link called B9. It should be between positions 0+1 - turn it around so that it's between 0+2 and that will engage the compressor clutch.

If it does then see if it drops the temperature (don't leave it in this position though as the sensors used to protect the air-con system will have no effect). If temp. drops fine with compressor patched to run permanently then you've got an electrical problem. If the air-con makes no difference to temperature even when running then it's probably low on refrigerant OR the airbox assembly behind the dash isn't flipping over to select cool air.

Darren

Title: Re: air con problems
Post by ferretmobile on May 8^th, 2006, 3:54pm

Hi sector 9, I have to same problem as described above and if the rain holds off I will give yuor recomendations a go. Thanks for the good advice.
Ferret

Title: Re: air con problems
Post by Mummra on May 8^th, 2006, 4:57pm

It is very easy to see if the compressor is running, if you look at the front of it you will see 3 circular lumps. If you then start the engine, switch the AC on and look at the compressor you will see the pulley turning, but the clutch with the 3 lumps will probably still be stationary, then about 10-20 seconds later the compressor should kick in and the clutch with the 3 lumps will be spinning.

I had a problem with mine at the weekend and the compressor was not coming on. It is also worth checking the fuse, the fusebox layout on the main site shows fuse 35 30amp as the air conditioning compressor, but in my handbook fuse 33 20amp is for the AC. I had fuse 33 blown and replacing this restored my compressor to full working status. Fuse 35 is not fitted in my car, so maybe dependant on which engine you have.

Dave

Title: Re: air con problems
Post by sector-9 on May 8^th, 2006, 10:52pm

Just to clarify (Mummra is entirely correct), the pulley on the compressor is in two halves. The outer half has the grooves and is driven by the belt - this will be turning whenever the engine is running. The centre part of the pulley is connected the compressor shaft and will either be stopped (air-con off, faulty or pressure low/high) or rotating with the outer. It is the state of the centre half which you need to check.

Incidentally, even with the engine stopped, if you re-position the link in B9 (as described earlier, but you could also just apply 12V between the two contacts on the compressor itself) then you should hear a 'clack' from the front of the compressor as it engages the magnetic clutch. Of course, with the engine stopped the compressor shaft still won't turn!

Darren

P.S.

Not sure what F35 and R38 do - manual states these are for the air compressor but this is nothing to do with the air-conditioning system. Though it might possibly be for the self-levelling suspension but that seems to have it's own fuses and relays...?