Think my AC is fubar\'d...

[RemarkLima]

Hi all,

Just had a man over this morning to regas my AC and it all seemed grand... It had no gas in really, but only a little bit of pressure so he thought there wasn\'t a leak...

...So it fills up OK and the AC works grand. Shut it all down and pop inside for a bit and then I think I\'ll go for a wee spin around the block and make sure it\'s all working OK... It\'s working fine to begin with, so it\'s a bit chilly so I I turned it off for a bit.

Now the weird bit, when I was getting close to home, I turned it back on, where it didn\'t feel very effective and then seemed to be making it harder for the car to idle... I know very little about AC. Could it be a seized pump or something? Or something simple that I\'m missing?

Cheers,
Mark

[FD3SNuttah]

ac does put extra load on the engine... if it had siezed it would have made a horrendous noise.

[RemarkLima]

Well I\'ve not a the AC for ages (it\'s not done anything) and the battery has been disconected a few times... So it\'s probably the ECU just relearning what to do when it\'s on

I drove it a bit later and it seemed to work fine again... No hideous noises so hopefully all good!

[RemarkLima]

OK, it\'s doing it again today... It\'s weird.

Basically on steady cruise with the AC on there a brake on the engine, something resiting quite a bit, then it\'s OK, then again resistance and OK...

At idle, the revs drop right down then pick up, but just as they drop down there\'s a click from the engine bay... And it keeps happening...

One thought I think it could be, that the electric is somehow being cut with the AC on, as at one point after the AC being on for a while my stereo turned off... Then back on. But didn\'t loose any settings.

Any ideas at all???

[Jono FD3]

The AC pumps run for a while when you press the button to chill the air, then disengage for about 1-2 mins untill the air starts to warm slightly, then kick back in again for 30 odd seconds to get the gas running aound again, then stops, starts, stops, etc.  So the system isn\'t continuously on which is why you feel resistance / extra load on the engine, then less load, then load again!!!

The newer systems do run continuously, but but the pump circulates the gas slower so it doesnt kick in & out all the time!!!

Jono

[RemarkLima]

Ah... It\'s seems much sooner than 1 - 2 mins tho.. Maybe it is then... I\'ll have to time it I guess!

[Jono FD3]

This is how it used to work on my old eunos roadster & when you\'ve only got a 1.6 it\'s a pain in the arse when the pump kicked in as you realy felt the resistance on the engine!!!   Don\'t quote me on the time intervals, but that is deffinatly how it worked on my old roadster!!

Jono

[RemarkLima]

I guess this is under no boost, so low torque... But the drain feels massive! And the clicking at low idle seems weird... Almost like it\'s not idleing up properly... What revs should the car sit at with the AC on?

[Joeh]

the car should automatically raise revs to make up for the useage.. o_o;

[RemarkLima]

Yes indeed, but to what revs?

It idles without AC at 750 revs pretty much solid. Should it idle up to 1000 rpm?

[Archbish]

Bizarre - i was about to post the same issue!!  

Same as you, I had no gas in the AirCon, and from the moment it was sorted, and I run the AC, stuff is not good (same engine braking feeling, etc etc).  My feeling is the ignition is not getting enough charge.  Mine is so bad the car will actually stall at standstill!!

I\'ve ordered some new plugs and leads, and if that doesn\'t work, I\'m going to get the alternator checked out.  

But if anyone has any better ideas, please do let me know!!!

[RemarkLima]

Yeah, I get a similar feeling... I htink I\'m going to rewire my earth on the battery as I\'ve know it\'s not too great at times!

Maybe the live as well and just make sure the connection is 100%.

But yeah, any other ideas would be good!