[ragtopcav]

It's hot, damned hot! real hot!

So what? aircon has gone on holiday :evil: that's what.

P-test today revealed that there's some refridgerant in there, but insufficient to allow the low pressure valve to open, It'll go in for a re-gas next week, they were happy that the last time they filled it was over 2 years ago and the UV dye did not show up under a lamp, so hopefully it is just a natural fall off on a system that is 12 years old in October.
o the UK heatwave will officially be over once my aircon is fixed, I'm sure of it.

 

[boxman]

hehe, steph and i went out in the vert on sunday :lol: lovely, not, i wanted my 9-3 with air con and i ended up with a face like this ;oops: :roll:

 

[earthworm]

Boxman, Pep Boys has some R134a for $8 with a coupon.

But assure that the ringster charges the correct price..
This 134 freon does seep and the components($$$) do become porous. So if a $8 DIY recharge is effective for 2 years or so, that is not bad, and no chlorine gas is being lost..

 

[ragtopcav]

Boxman, Pep Boys has some R134a for $8 with a coupon.

Boooo! we have nothing like that [yet] we still have to go to the 'specialists' though on the up note of that I had a pressure test and diagnostic for nothing, it'll be about £30 for a drain down, dry out and re fill. That'll hopefully last at least another 2+ years

 

[Munki]

No A/C here either. I took it in to be re-gassed today and it turns out that the compressor is not kicking in. I hope it's electrical and not a failure of the compressor.

 

[boxman]

. I hope it's electrical and not a failure of the compressor.

if it is give me a yel as i have a comressor i could let you have how ever its most likely to be a relay as i found out on the 9000 i've just sold, or the anti frosting stat

 

[djtaylor]

No A/C here either. I took it in to be re-gassed today and it turns out that the compressor is not kicking in. I hope it's electrical and not a failure of the compressor.

Look at it this way, the compressor is only working *if* the clutch engages, if the compressor isn't running then it's a high chance that it's electrical. If the compressor had seized then you'd know about it.

David.

 

[djtaylor]

Boooo! we have nothing like that [yet] we still have to go to the 'specialists' though on the up note of that I had a pressure test and diagnostic for nothing, it'll be about £30 for a drain down, dry out and re fill. That'll hopefully last at least another 2+ years

Yeah we do have it http://www.car-air-conditioning-supplies.com/carshop/home.php?cat=254

Except that the price for the full set of R134a, oil, dye etc alone comes to more than the price I pay for a chap to do a home visit, fully vacuum and re-gas to a known quantity rather than adding an amount of R134 to an unknown system.

David.

 

[Munki]

if it is give me a yel as i have a comressor i could let you have how ever its most likely to be a relay as i found out on the 9000 i've just sold, or the anti frosting stat

Nice one. I'll go through the diagnostics later on today. The garage I took it to said they reckoned the clutch had burned out, but I'm not so sure - it was an independant with no Saab experience. I'll let you know if I need the compressor though.

 

[Munki]

Right then, I've gone through the basic diagnostics.

The clutch is not engaging. So,

I grounded pin1 of the pressure switch; the compressor did not start up.

I checked fuse 19 in the cabin fuse box, it was good.

I checked fuse 5 in the engine bay fuse box, it was good.

I checked the AC relay, by bridging across pins 30 and 87 of the relay socket; the compressor did not start up.

I checked that battery positive was applied to pin 30; it was.

I measured the resistance across pins 1 and 2 of the pressure switch's male connector; it was less than 1 ohm.

So, either the clutch is shagged or the fault lies elsewhere. Sadly, in order to look any further into it I need access to and ISAT. Looks like a trip to the dealer's then

 

[boxman]

unplug the wire from the compressor and connect that straight to the battery to see if the clutch engages and also check to see if there is a spark if there is a spark then it could be the gap between the clutch and the pulley is too large to pull the clutch on to the pulley

 

[sadders]

Boooo! we have nothing like that [yet] we still have to go to the 'specialists' though on the up note of that I had a pressure test and diagnostic for nothing, it'll be about £30 for a drain down, dry out and re fill. That'll hopefully last at least another 2+ years

Halfords do a kit for about £30 with gauge. I saw them when it was cold, now they have sold out!

 

[Munki]

unplug the wire from the compressor and connect that straight to the battery to see if the clutch engages and also check to see if there is a spark if there is a spark then it could be the gap between the clutch and the pulley is too large to pull the clutch on to the pulley

I have researched this further and it seems that the live feed to the compressor passes through the overheat protection; there is a thermo switch between the feed in and the unit.

Apparently, if the temp of the compressor is above 140 deg C then power will not be passed to the clutch solenoid. So, if applying power from the battery directly to the compressor via the wire in does not start the compressor, how can I rule out a faulty thermo switch?

 

[boxman]

if your car has this then it will be in the form of a sensor screwed into the side of the compressor with 2 wires coming off it, 1 to the comp' the other to the power supply, it will have bullet connectors on and you will be able to bypass this by removing the connectors and connecting the power supply straight to the comp'

 

[Munki]

Result!

After a few pointers from Boxman I now have A/C again.

Using a multimeter, and connecting it to the red wire going into the compressor, I established that the circuit was open. I then tested to see if there was a power feed to the compressor, there was. This meant that either the clutch solenoid or the thermo switch was defective.

I tested the feed from the other side of the thermo switch to the solenoid and there was a closed circuit. So, I then tested the thermo switch for continuity and the circuit was open.

It seemed conclusive that the thermoswitch was defective. I then connected the red feed wire to the wire going to the solenoid, to take the switch out of the circuit, and the clutch engaged.

I now have A/C again and I only need to replace the switch. It should be much cheaper than an entire compressor.

Nice one Boxman, the drinks are on me next time we meet up, mate.

Don't you just love Saabcentral? :cheesy:

 

[djtaylor]

I now have A/C again and I only need to replace the switch. It should be much cheaper than an entire compressor.

FWIW, I've just adjusted the clutch on our Volvo compressor and did some reading about the thermoswitch. On our model, it was known to be over sensitive and was omitted on later models so I took the moment to bypass it while I was doing the job as doing it again involves about 6 hours of disassembly/reassembly of the power steering pump/alternator/brackets and sundries - just way too much bother .

The warning was "don't remove it, it's direct into the refrigerant!" so if you choose to replace yours, you will probably need to get it de-gassed first, then re-gassed afterwards.

Personally, I wouldn't bother.

David.

 

[Munki]

I did hear that replacing it would involve a drain and refill. Are you saying that I should just leave it out of the circuit then?

 

[boxman]

i wouldnt bother replacing it either as on the 9000 saab omitted it too on the later cars



ps i'll hold you to that drink :cheesy:

 

[ragtopcav]

Aaaaagh! So I get it re gassed and all is well for nearly a week, then, it stops again :evil:

Can't hear the compressor clutch engage so I check fuses and swap the relay with the fog lamps all OK, so I got to the thermo switch on the pump body and link it out, no joy, I ground out pin 1 on the plug that goes to the low/high pressure switch the compressor runs but no cold air in the cabin :evil: then I notice the dye and oil around on of the filler points :roll: I wonder...

 

[SaabScott]

I recharged mine on Sunday .. that and my wife's Tercel ... they are both ice cold.

As a matter of fact, I don't think mine has ever worked as well as it is right now!:cheesy: