New Ac Compressor?

Redsteve · June 29, 2015

Good afternoon Guys.

I have been out in the lovely weather today in the Lex and I thought to myself that it was very warm in the car so I double checked the AC was on...it was but the air coming from the vents was warm.

Upon further inspection the AC compressor doesn't seem to be engaging. I can spin the front of the compressor by hand so it looks as though the clutch isn't working.

I checked the fuse to make sure that was OK and it was fine.

I did a bit of digging on this site and found the instructions below to do a diagnostic test on the ventilation system.

With the ignition off, whilst pushing both the buttons marked 'auto ' and the air re-circulate one with the picture of an arrow curling to the right, turn on the ignition.
All the little green indicators will flash, and the screen shows 00. Press again the air re-circulate button and the system goes to sensor check. It goes through all the heater vent controls, the button functions, including front screen de-ice, temp change, etc, and a code appears in the display.

These are the codes

00=normal
11=inside temp. sensor
12=outside t/s.
13=After evap. sensor
14=water temp.heater radiator
21=solar sensor
22=compressor lock detected [short of refrigerant does this one]
23=coolant pressure
31=air-mix servo potentiometer
32=IN/OUT change damper servo potentiometer
33=Mode damper S/p
41=air-mix damper S/p.
42=IN/OUT change damper S/p
43 mode damper s/p

To cancel push the 'off' button

I got the 22 code.

My query is, is it possible the compressor shut itself down because it detects no refrigerant or is it just my compessor that has expired and locked in the disengaged mode?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Steve.

The-Acre · June 29, 2015

I think the compressor will engage even without gas. My last LS400 air con stopped working but the compressor still engaged, and it was holding gas OK. I bought a compressor from a breakers for £75 had it fitted and all was fine. I've just replaced the compressor on my 430, again from a breakers, this time only £50 + £10 postage, had it fitted and gassed and all was fine for a short time but then it stopped. Now it seems OK again, been blowing cold for a week, no idea why the sort term problem. If you do get one from a breakers, try to get one that's still on the car, if it's been laying around for ages it could dry the seals.

Titch LS · June 29, 2015

Steve, I'm pretty sure I recall reading somewhere that the compressor clutch on the LS is designed to disengage if the pressure in the system gets too low so it then runs without enough PAG oil. A re-gas could be all you need.

The-Acre · June 30, 2015

When I had mine fitted last week they checked that the clutch was engaging before re-gassing, obviously they only ran it for a couple of seconds, so maybe it disengages fairly quickly if there's no gas?

Titch LS · June 30, 2015

I would guess that a sensor would come in to play to disengage the clutch to prevent long term damage. Running the compressor with reduced gas pressure for a short period probably does very little harm. Running with no gas for a long time will eventually knacker the compressor; i.e. no PAG oil (in with the gas) to provide adaquate lubrication. Hence, it shuts itself off if too low.

Redsteve · June 30, 2015

Thanks for the replies chaps.

I can now confirm that when the system loses too much gas the compressor will not engage.

I had the car regassed today and there was less than I/4 of an ounce of refrigerant left in the system. As soon as the system was regassed the compressor started working again.

I am so relieved it was a cheap fix, I am skint this month.

I will apologise now for the crappy weather that will be on the way as my AC is now able to cope with the heat.

Steve.

The-Acre · June 30, 2015

Thanks for the replies chaps.

I can now confirm that when the system loses too much gas the compressor will not engage.

I had the car regassed today and there was less than I/4 of an ounce of refrigerant left in the system. As soon as the system was regassed the compressor started working again.

I am so relieved it was a cheap fix, I am skint this month.

I will apologise now for the crappy weather that will be on the way as my AC is now able to cope with the heat.

Steve.

So is there a leak somewhere? I know the gas can breakdown over a long period, but for there to be such a small amount in the system.

Redsteve · June 30, 2015

Hi Phil,

the garage pressure tested the system twice and both time no leaks were found.

I have owned the car for the last 7 or 8 years and in that time no-one has been anywhere near the AC, maybe over such a long period the gas just leeched away through the hoses and the new gas will do the same after a long time.

I used to drive a refrigerated van and I had to have the AC regassed every six months on that but no leaks were ever found.

I will just have to monitor the situation and see what happens.

Steve.

The-Acre · July 1, 2015

Hi Phil,

the garage pressure tested the system twice and both time no leaks were found.

I have owned the car for the last 7 or 8 years and in that time no-one has been anywhere near the AC, maybe over such a long period the gas just leeched away through the hoses and the new gas will do the same after a long time.

I used to drive a refrigerated van and I had to have the AC regassed every six months on that but no leaks were ever found.

I will just have to monitor the situation and see what happens.

Steve.

A good result then, and don't worry about putting a curse on the weather by getting it fixed, I can't cope with this heat so you may have done me a favour!

Scribe · July 1, 2015

Any recommendations of where I can get mine re-gassed? I know there was a thread on here a while ago but I think it was about an out-of-season special offer. I should have got it done then...

The-Acre · July 1, 2015

Any recommendations of where I can get mine re-gassed? I know there was a thread on here a while ago but I think it was about an out-of-season special offer. I should have got it done then...

There's a place in East Worthing, just down the road from you that did mine for £36 including VAT. It seems to be their price for all cars. Let me know if you go there and we'll meet up for coffee. Takes about an hour and a half.

http://www.elitegarages.co.uk/worthing/air-con.php

BTW, the place we go to in Hove are £65+

Scribe · July 1, 2015

Sounds good - I can take a gander at your car at the same time!

The-Acre · July 1, 2015

Sounds good - I can take a gander at your car at the same time!

Just let me know when you've booked in, I can be very flexible in the next two weeks or so.

Redsteve · July 1, 2015

My local ATS did mine for £30.

The-Acre · July 2, 2015

My local ATS did mine for £30.

That's a good price, it certainly has got cheaper, I was paying £70 years ago. What impressed me with the place I went to was the way he spotted straight away that it had rear air con which meant another 300gms or so of gas. I wonder if Halfords would have done that!