Astra air con problem

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
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Thu 5 Apr 2007 18:06
Astra air con problem - Michelin
I have a 2001 Astra 2.2 SRI and have a problem with the air con.Last time i used it it was working fine ,that was a few months ago now.I switched it on today as it is very warm weather at the moment but for some reason it was not getting cold.Usually when i switch it on you can hear a pump start up and the revs on the car drop slightly and every couple of minutes the air con fan goes on for a bit and then off again,but for some reason now the yellow light on the switch lights up as it should but you don't hear any pump start up and the revs don't drop and the air con fan doesn't come on at all.
The car has had a new air con radiator and it was recharged or whatever they do to it last October as someone reversed their tow bar through the rad.
Has anyone got any ideas what it might be before i take it in and get told it will cost me loads to put right like they always tell you,it is booked in next week for a air con check at the garage that repaired it after the damaged air con rad.
Cheers
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Thu 5 Apr 2007 20:19
Astra air con problem - wrightstuff
It is more than likely to be a total or partial refrigerant loss, enough for the system pressure switch to open circuit. Then the compressor won't run, hence no cooling. It's not an easy thing to check without the correct equipment/pressure gauges. I would contact the garage that carried out the condenser change in October and explain the problem. It could be a leak on another joint or maybe a stone in the new condenser which would be bad luck. Sometimes you can see this through the front grille. A big leak here or anywhere else on the pipework may have left an oil patch which is a fair indication of a leak.
Hope this helps !
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Thu 5 Apr 2007 20:42
Astra air con problem - Armitage Shanks {p}
It has been mentioned in the BackRoom (by HJ Himself?) that a/c needs to be selected 12 months a year to keep the compressor turning, but not doing any cooling. This keeps the compressor seals in good condition and the system is better run all the time (off load in the winter) than woken up after a long winter and failing on the first hot day of the year, or a fault becoming apparent at that time. Standing by for correction on this!
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