Sharan 2.0 2001 - Sharan Aircon problem

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Mon 2 Aug 2010 02:32
Sharan 2.0 2001 - Sharan Aircon problem - rexel

I changed the battery recently on my 2001 Sharan and noticed shortly afterwards that the Aircon was not working. It was a hot day and we tried switching the aircon on but didn't get any cold air. Later I noticed that when the ignition was switched on the climate control panel flashed for about 15 seconds, which the car book says indicates a malfunction. The car has not been used much for the past two years, often sitting in the garage all week and sometime for two weeks. Even when the car was used Aircon was not always on. Aircon had never given any trouble before, having had the car from new. Checked all the fuses which had an aircon sign against them and they were all ok. Tested the two gas filler points and gas hissed out. Have been running the car for the past 300 miles or so with the air con switched off. Ran the engine yesterday to warm it up to change the oil and got some burning smell from the left side of the engine (where the pumps/ drivebelt are. Couldn't see any obvious fault when I inspected the aircon components from under the car. Any help to diagnose and repair would be appreciated.

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Mon 2 Aug 2010 13:47
Sharan 2.0 2001 - Sharan Aircon problem - fredthefifth

Seems a bit strange that the problem appeared after a battery disconnect, but maybe that is just coincidence. On my 2002 Alhambra (that I don't have any more) the flashing climate control panel meant low gas. Not necessarily out of gas, so would still get the hiss. Not being used for two years wouldn't help either and by the way, climate control systems should be left switched on, not just used when it hot.

You might get away with a regas but the Galaxy/Alhambra/Sharan are all prone to aircon faults I'm affraid. Check this site for proof and some good advice.

http://www.fordgalaxy.org.uk/

FTF

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Mon 2 Aug 2010 13:51
Sharan 2.0 2001 - Sharan Aircon problem - Craigdm

No practical advice for the poster, but this problem simply re-inforces the false economy of not running the A/C system. All stems back 20 years or more when A/C was only found on luxury motors, and your dad would tell you that it increased the mpg by 10% or more.

Modern systems use nothing like as much power, and they prefer to be in constant use rather than left off for weeks at a time. The repair costs of an under used system will far exceed the cost of leaving them switched on.

In high-end cars the default is to have the system on, and you have to actively switch them off. There's also the mis-guided folks out there who only think A/C is for summer, it's actually more important in the winter where it dries out the air in the car and stops steamy windows.

I've never seen the need to switch it off in any of my cars over the past 15 years...

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