MAZDA 3 - MAZDA3 AIR CONDITIONING | Technical matters | Back Room Forum

Mon 28 May 2012 12:57

MAZDA 3 - MAZDA3 AIR CONDITIONING - SK12

Hi,

I have had a problem with my 2007 mazda3 air conditioning since last summer. Basically the compressor seems to be engaging and disengaging all the time but it gets disengaged for a very long time when the weather gets hot e.g. during summer days. I asked the mazda dealer in Godalming to check the AC when I took it for a comprehensive service. They didn't have a clue (yes supposed to be mazda specialist!! www.guildford-mazda.co.uk/) and for the money that they charged me for the service to say that oh we put thermometer in the car and didn't find any fault, is just outragous. As a result I never go back there again for anything and i do not recommend them to anyone. I also took may car to the Halfords Autocentre in Guildford where they supposedly do performance test as part of their AC service (you can check this on their website here www.halfordsautocentres.com/Basket/?fasttrack=false). They recharged the AC whitout even telling me whther the level of the gas was low or not in fact they seemed like bunch of cowboy mechanics because as soon as I left their workshop I realized that the AC is not working and went straight back to them and they were just cluless. I contacted their head office and logged in a complaint, nothing has hppened yet though.

Anyway story cut short, I am now just wondering if there is any honest professional mechanic out there that I could trust to rectify this AC problem?

Thanks

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Mon 28 May 2012 14:43

MAZDA 3 - MAZDA3 AIR CONDITIONING - Dave N

John at www.air-care-automotive.co.uk/

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Mon 28 May 2012 23:19

MAZDA 3 - MAZDA3 AIR CONDITIONING - Railroad.

Air conditioning works by firstly compressing a refridgerant gas (R134a) against an expansion valve. The compressed heated gas passes through a condenser where some of its heat is given off causing the gas to change to a liquid. It then flows through the expansion valve on the other side of which is a much larger space. This causes the pressure and consequently the temperature to drop considerably. The now low pressure liquid then flows into an evaporator where due to the second law of thermodynamics heat from inside the car is drawn to it, causing the low pressure liquid to evaporate back into a gas. This is then drawn back to the compressor via a receiver drier which ensures any remaining drops of liquid which could damage the compressor are removed, where the whole process starts again.

Possible causes for the system not working include:-

Leaking, Insufficient or excessive refidgerant.

Faulty compressor or loss of power supply.

Blocked condenser.

Faulty high pressure sensor.

Faulty evaporator temperature sensor or ambient temperature sensor.

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Thu 31 May 2012 14:44

MAZDA 3 - MAZDA3 AIR CONDITIONING - SK12

I have found out what the problem is. I believe is the wear of the compressor's clutch causing an increased gap and not engaging the compressor properly. That is why it works only for few minutes when the compressor is cold and as soon as it gets a bit hot disengages. This is apparently easily repaired by removing the compressor’s clutch and reducing the gap. However it needs special tools and space to work underneath the car which I do not have. Does anyone know any aircon technician who offers repairs such as this?

Thanks

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Thu 31 May 2012 19:53

MAZDA 3 - MAZDA3 AIR CONDITIONING - elekie&a/c doctor

These people could help.www.readerair.co.uk/

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Sat 2 Jun 2012 10:19

MAZDA 3 - MAZDA3 AIR CONDITIONING - SK12

Thanks, but I already tried them. They only replace the whole compressor which is quite expensive.

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