Ford Focus 1.6 - Ford Focus 2002 Air Con Problems

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Mon 18 Jul 2011 20:41
Ford Focus 1.6 - Ford Focus 2002 Air Con Problems - jonny_5

Hi there,

I see there have been many posts on this issue but can't quite match up the symptoms to my problem.

I bought my 1.6 petrol focus in Jan and realised that the air con wasn't working. The light on the button was on but the compressor just didn't engage. The relay and fuse seem fine. I got advised to re-gas it as low pressure will mean the compressor won't kick in anyway. It was re-gassed last sat and low and behold the compressor was working again. Two days later and it was back to square one and no compressor but the light was still on. I assumed there must have been a leak somewhere to cause the pressure to drop again.

I took it to my local garage on friday and explained the problem. They said they would check the electrics, the pressure and for any leaks in the system. I got the car back and they said the system seemed fine and they simply gassed it up and away I went with cool air and a working compressor! However, a day later, the compressor has stopped kicking in and so i'm once again without air con - which is starting to be quite depressing given the journey I have to make soon to northern Italy.

Does anyone have any ideas what the problem may be and possible solutions? It seems I have had the system working twice but can't seem to keep it going. Possibly a pressure switch? faulty compressor? When it was working, it was fine and wasn't intermittent at all.

Cheers in advance!

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Mon 18 Jul 2011 21:33
Ford Focus 1.6 - Ford Focus 2002 Air Con Problems - elekie&a/c doctor

I f you have had the system re-gassed twice and the system has worked ok afterwards,then it would be a fair to say you have a leak on the system.Check around front of car,especially the a/c condensor rad.hth

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Mon 18 Jul 2011 22:48
Ford Focus 1.6 - Ford Focus 2002 Air Con Problems - jonny_5

Cheers for that. If the garage are saying that there are no 'obvious' leaks when they re-gassed it, is it fair to say a slow leak which is hard to pick up would empty the system within 24-36 hours? I guess if it is a leak, it is emptying to a point where the compressor won't kick in.

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Mon 18 Jul 2011 23:55
Ford Focus 1.6 - Ford Focus 2002 Air Con Problems - Railroad.

The compressor will become damaged if it's operated without any refrigerant gas or lubricant. That's why it won't switch on if the pressure is low due to a leak. When A/C systems are re-gassed a leak detector dye is usually added. This dye shows up brightly under an ultra-violet lamp. Any leak should therefore be able to be located fairly easily. The condenser and 'O' ring seals are the most likely culprits, but it's also possible that the evaporator could be leaking too. Although this is quite rare they're not usually an easy job because they're very often buried under the dash and quite inaccessible.....

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Tue 19 Jul 2011 12:35
Ford Focus 1.6 - Ford Focus 2002 Air Con Problems - Dave N

"Cheers for that. If the garage are saying that there are no 'obvious' leaks when they re-gassed it, is it fair to say a slow leak which is hard to pick up would empty the system within 24-36 hours"

The garage obviously don't know what they're doing regards a/c. If a car comes in with no gas, then it either has a leak, or someone stole the gas. A 24 hours leak should be easy to find, especially on a common car. Find a decent place that knows what they're doing (might be hard, as all garages have an a/c machine, so instantly became a/c experts) that will actually check the system for leaks, instead of putting more gas in it. The condensor is the usual culprit on these, and is easy to see/check/fix. But of course, not as easy as doing nothing and sending the customer away with fresh gas and a bill.

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Tue 19 Jul 2011 13:17
Ford Focus 1.6 - Ford Focus 2002 Air Con Problems - madf

Ask for your money back: they are incompetent. and have taken money twice and not fixed teh pronblem. If they refuse, tell them you will complain to Trading Standards. And do so,

There is a leak.

Go to a proper specialist. A dye test will show a leak very quickly.

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