Myles Posted May 18, 2002 Share Posted May 18, 2002 After sitting in rush hour traffic on the way home from milton keynes two evenings running (thursday & friday), I have come to the conclusion that my A/C is not working . The green A/C led illuminates o.k. , but `tis not cold & there's none of the usual erratic idle from the pump turning on & off . Can someone please advise me the best steps to take? Check a/c fuse?(when I find the interior fusebox) Is there anything else I can check under the bonnet (pump?) before giving it to a professional for a regas???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MISTER T Posted May 18, 2002 Share Posted May 18, 2002 on the mk3 supra i had same problem after checking fuse box finding it was ok went to face the proffesional a/c for re-gas and found it only lasted 1 week when i complained i was told yes you have a leak! no you dont say was my reply! i was then informed on the pump there is a blow out fuse which stops the magnetic clutch from engaging desingned to save your pump in the event of gas getting low or leaks, this could be your problem as it can blow cutting out the pump but leaving the dash lights ok. The other thing is these magnetic cut in clutches have a very low tolerance level ie the gap between engaged and idle is thousands of an inch this is defined by washers as time goes on these spacers wear and either have to be taken out or replaced the only way this can be defined is by putting on a/c and watching does clutch engage pump active ? if yes does bubles appear in sight glass of filter ? if so gas is low if clutch does not engage whilst running if poss hit clutch with small hammer this should give split second of gap closing thus magnetic field holds engaged down side is this has to be done every time as when you switch off engine it dis-engages if this is the case you have to remove spacer. this cost me £100 quid to find out as it only takes the a/c bloke half an hour but as he stated your paying for knowledge and experience Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myles Posted May 18, 2002 Author Share Posted May 18, 2002 Thanks Mr T, does that mean there are 2 fuses to check? Also , pardon my ignorance , but , where's the a/c pump on a mk4? intake or exhaust side ? I think the top pulley on the intake side is for power steering .... you mention a sight glass ... is this the sight glass just behind the nose cone with a grey cap marked `H' & about 3/8" pipes leading to & from ????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayg Posted May 18, 2002 Share Posted May 18, 2002 Hi Myles...same thing happened to mine 6 weeks ago. Checked all the fuses but in the end its usually just a re-charge. I asked toyota and they quoted something stupid in the £150-200 mark. As advised on this site I went to a specialist found on the net. Local place called AIRCONGO. They were brill, let me watch, talked me through the whole process, checked everything, re-gased with heated gas, weighed and measured precisely, oiled pump, descaled/smelled great after, infra red checked for iodine leaks.....you name it he did it....30 mins tops....£68 for cash...brilliant service. He said that he did most of the main dealers and they just top loaded the bill.....gits. Take it to a specialist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terminator Posted May 18, 2002 Share Posted May 18, 2002 It is most likely to be your coolant. If you have insufficient the pressure will be to low and the system will not function. To run a system diagnostics check, hold in the two large double symbol switches on the top row of the heater controls, while you turn on the ignition, you don't have to start the car, all the heating system lights will flash, release the buttons and count the flashing lights and note the light position. Do this in daylight or the dash sensor fault will show. Let us know what you get. The sight glass is at the front near the expansion tank for the radiator. You need someone to hold the revs at 2000 with the fan on full and the temp dial turn to low, you should see bubbles and then the system runs clear. If you don't get bubbles at all first the fluid is very low, if you get bubbles but they don't clear then it is just low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian C Posted May 18, 2002 Share Posted May 18, 2002 That so needs to be in an faq on this site! That's a great bit of info, Mr. T-800. -Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myles Posted May 19, 2002 Author Share Posted May 19, 2002 Originally posted by Terminator To run a system diagnostics check, hold in the two large double symbol switches on the top row of the heater controls, while you turn on the ignition, you don't have to start the car, all the heating system lights will flash, release the buttons and count the flashing lights and note the light position. Do this in daylight or the dash sensor fault will show. Let us know what you get. ... well , all the leds flashed 3 times , then the led with the fresh air symbol flashed continuously . Originally posted by Terminator The sight glass is at the front near the expansion tank for the radiator. You need someone to hold the revs at 2000 with the fan on full and the temp dial turn to low, you should see bubbles and then the system runs clear. If you don't get bubbles at all first the fluid is very low, if you get bubbles but they don't clear then it is just low. [/b] Tried this & it looks like the fluid is very low .... so unless the flashing led tells us something , I'll need to get a regas ... I'll look-up the smartgroups emails , I think I saw a regas company on there in SW London , does a regas for £50. Thanks Phil ..... & Thanks Ray , let's hope I can find a similar sort of outfit down this way . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MISTER T Posted May 19, 2002 Share Posted May 19, 2002 myles looks like the ineviatable then well as you have already been advised dont go main dealer or any motor dealer cos they only call out a mobile guy and add their cut:devil: there used to be a place at erith just of what is bronze age way following the old road towards abbey wood a shop what looks like a run of the mill corner shop i think it was called refrigeration specailist or something origanal like that they were very reasonable, anyway you cant miss that shop if they have shut down, my mechanic at work has mentioned he has the equipement to re-gas as he does his own and other peoples he is at abbeywood good luck:thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terminator Posted May 19, 2002 Share Posted May 19, 2002 That is exactly the code I would have expected to see, abnormal fluid pressure. A recharge should sort your problem out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myles Posted May 19, 2002 Author Share Posted May 19, 2002 It'll be wednesday week b4 I get to go & have a look , what with work & ozzfest at the weekend .... I've just done a search on `alltheweb.com' & found `Powerbase' that do a regas for £55 + vat ... so if there's no major leaks it might not be too bad ... Thanks Mr T , I may contact you re your mechanic mate if I can't find that place in erith Myles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myles Posted May 19, 2002 Author Share Posted May 19, 2002 Originally posted by Terminator That is exactly the code I would have expected to see, abnormal fluid pressure. A recharge should sort your problem out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myles Posted May 23, 2002 Author Share Posted May 23, 2002 I got a mobile aircon tech out for a recharge which they do for £60 + vat , suited me fine as I'm on nights this week & don't have much spare time . It became obvious fairly early on that there is a leak somewhere as we could both hear hissing . He tracked down the leak to the lower pipe from the condensor to the compressor (so I'm now looking for one of them) & confirmed that the compressor is working o.k..... he wasn't going to charge me , but I insisted £15 ..I know , but I hadn't had much sleep . Anyway decent chap ... when he comes back to either a) fit the pipe & recharge or b) just recharge after I've fitted the pipe , should I broach him re a club discount??? 5-10%??? He also has an informative website http://www.airconditioningforcars.co.uk and covers Kent & s.e London (but can go a little further) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisrocks Posted May 23, 2002 Share Posted May 23, 2002 Just out of curiosity I tried the test on my car... got the set of 3 flashes then the front windscreen fan icon flashed continuously....any clues as to what this means ?? also anyone know of a decent AC place in the midlands ?? as I`m struggling to find anywhere below the £90 mark TIA -cr- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic Posted May 24, 2002 Share Posted May 24, 2002 I tried the same test this morning all the green lights in the row and all the ones around the fan speed adjuster flashed about 4-5 times then I was left with the front orange windscreen light flashing continuously, is this normal Phil? cheers Nic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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