LS430 - Air Conditioning Diagnostic Code "23"

DomTurner · June 9, 2022

My car doesn't seem to be blowing air that feels that cold and I'm sure it certainly wont be enough in the coming months so I looked around and found a way to enter a diagnostic mode for the air conditioning system. It is showing me only code 23 and I have read mixed meanings for this code, does anyone know what it is exactly?

Heard it could be low gas, pressure switch etc...

Thanks!

BigBoomer · June 9, 2022

Code 23: Pressure switch
So, it's either the Pressure Switch has died (in front of the radiator) or else the refrigerant has leaked out.

DomTurner · June 9, 2022

5 minutes ago, BigBoomer said:

Code 23: Pressure switch
So, it's either the Pressure Switch has died (in front of the radiator) or else the refrigerant has leaked out.

Thanks! Do you know if it is part number 88719-40020 and is there a specific procedure to replace it?

BigBoomer · June 9, 2022

That's the beastie.
May be best to buy the part and take it to your local AirCon people to get the system checked and then if the pressure is good, get them to drain the system, replace the sensor, and recharge it. If the pressure is low, then you have a leak and the sensor may be OK.

cruisermark · June 9, 2022

17 minutes ago, BigBoomer said:

That's the beastie.
May be best to buy the part and take it to your local AirCon people to get the system checked and then if the pressure is good, get them to drain the system, replace the sensor, and recharge it. If the pressure is low, then you have a leak and the sensor may be OK.

agree with george - the LS430 air con pipes are known to corrode and leak

steve2006 · June 9, 2022

The rear AC pipes to the arm rest fridge are known to fail, repair is expensive due the the location and parts cost so many owners have had them capped off and accepted warm Diet Coke.

BigBoomer · June 10, 2022

14 hours ago, steve2006 said:

The rear AC pipes to the arm rest fridge are known to fail, repair is expensive due the the location and parts cost so many owners have had them capped off and accepted warm Diet Coke.

Steve is right, but those pipes do also feed the rear seat air conditioning as well.

Personally, I used the built in fridge once and it works (when the air-con works). However, I also have a 12v plug-in cooler box that does the same job far more effectively as it accepts all kinds of items rather than just cans of fizzy pop or small bottles of water. I assume that there must be some tiny bottles of Champagne that fit in there, but since I can't stand that fizzy Battery acid and it won't take bottles of Summer Lightning or Rochefort 8, I simply don't use it.
However, thinking about it bottles of Chimay 8 or 10 or even Duvel will fit.
Hmmmm, perhaps I should get the air-con fixed then?
Nah, after all that jostling about they would explode when you opened one and then the car would stink like a brewery. :laughing:

Malc · June 10, 2022

1 minute ago, BigBoomer said:

However, I also have a 12v plug-in cooler box that does the same job far more effectively

and the " poor " amongst us have a cool box ..... Wilko about £4.99 ? :yes:

Malc

BigBoomer · June 10, 2022

2 minutes ago, Malc said:

and the " poor " amongst us have a cool box ..... Wilko about £4.99 ?

Malc

Vivo 12v, 26 litre, https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B072PR2DHZ
Cost £55 4 years ago. Only gets used when we go away on trips but damned useful.
Much better than a mere cool bag. :thumbup:

steve2006 · June 10, 2022

Have you not considered a Merekat cool bag?

Every time you open it you get 2 free cinema tickets.

DomTurner · June 10, 2022

Took it down to the garage and turns out it was completely empty! They couldn't find any leaks and they did a pressure test and it was holding. Filled up now with near-on a KG of refrigerant and it is lovely and cool ready for the (few days of) summer!

Chilled diet coke for everyone!

Thanks for all the help 👍.

Edit, just wanted to ask if anyone knows why the US Ultra Luxury got rear seat air conditioners but in the UK we only got rear heated seats?

7 hours ago, BigBoomer said:

Steve is right, but those pipes do also feed the rear seat air conditioning as well.

ambermarine · June 11, 2022

The southern states are very humid and hot in the summer and most vehicles have A/C as standard, very rare to see people driving with windows open.

Luxury cars have every concievable aid to keeping the inside of the car cool including the seats as the sun blast through the windows and heats up the upholstery.

DomTurner · June 11, 2022

34 minutes ago, ambermarine said:

The southern states are very humid and hot in the summer and most vehicles have A/C as standard, very rare to see people driving with windows open.

Luxury cars have every concievable aid to keeping the inside of the car cool including the seats as the sun blast through the windows and heats up the upholstery.

Just strange as we got front cooled seats, just not the rear 🤔

BigBoomer · June 13, 2022

In the UK we never get hot enough for long enough to really need cooled seats, even for the front.
Having the air-con on is enough for those rare days when it is over 30C.
In most of the Southern US states it hits over 40C for half the year, so tinted windows, air-con, and cooled seats are a must.

Glad you got your air-con sorted.
Yes, the system takes a little over 900ml of refrigerant as the front system takes the usual 600ml and the rear system 300ml.
The rear system feeds the rear air vents, rear floor vents (under the front seats but pointing backwards), rear side vents (above the doors) as well as the fridge.