Seeking advice on failed air conditioner

gerdalt

Apologies in advance for what I suspect may be a very basic question!!
I have a 2006 Toyota Corolla Verso.
In recent weeks I notice that the A/C no longer cools the incoming air.
What is the most likely cause of this failure?
Is the repair a DIY or expert job?
Ger

dooroy

System may need recharging .
There were aerosol cans of refrigerant available in some motor factors last year but to be honest I would prefer to bring it to someone who does air con .
I heard that some who tried this DIY method hadn't much success and ended up bringing the car to a specialist.
You may see some adverts offering this service by various garages who have the gear.

gerdalt

Is it just a matter of coolant or is there a pressure pump involved (and maybe failed)?
Ger

Atlantic Dawn

Can you hear the pump engaging? If you can it's likely a leak and needs regassing.

biko

Probably just needs regassing but if you haven't done it before it's quicker and easier to have a expert check it out in case something else is at fault.
A DIY kit is about 50 so if you can find a specialist locally you can probably get it done for that price anyway.

Tony Beetroot

I wouldn't go rushing in assuming it needs gassing, get any electrical fault ruled out first. I wouldn't go down the you tube diy gas refilling method. If it is a case of a leaking system doing diy puts harmful gases into the atmosphere.

gerdalt

Thanks for all those comments.
Just so I am clear, this is how it works?
There is a pump/compressor and it compresses some sort of liquid/gas in a closed system.
If it fails either:
(i) the electrical supply to the pump has failed or
(ii) the gas has leaked out and needs replacing and the leak fixing or
(iii) the pump/compressor is knackered and needs replacement

Have I got it right?

Ger

jimmyw

There is more to car aircon systems than just regassing, there are alot of reasons why the system is not operating and more than one component issue too.

Dont be bothering with those refilling cans, waste of time because the system needs an exact amount of gas and you cant know with them.

This guy below shows how it should be refilled, and if there are other faults but it needs to be checked for leaks first.Repair shops might use a more elaborate system than his, but it does the same job, so go to a specialist OP.

gerdalt

Thanks Jimmyw,
After that video, I'm out!!
Off to find an expert.
Ger.

jimmyw

Part of the problem with some car users is that they don't use the aircon over the winter months, and this is not good as it may harden up the "O" rings on the pipes and possibly cause other issues and this can cause the gas to leak out, and so when summer comes, guess what?.....it doesnt work :P.

I am not having a go at you OP,You car might have a simple fault such as a leaky pipe, but it could be bigger issues too, so your right to get it done.

blackbox

Don't assume the pump is faulty if it doesn't engage. Usually if there has been a loss of gas, a pressure switch will prevent the pump from engaging.

whizbang

On most Toyota's, does the light on the switch flash when pressure is low?

gerdalt

Good question. Would be good if the light did flash.
But not on mine - light is full on as it always was - just doesn't do cooling any more.
Ger

Neilw

I just had mine done on Monday.

The system needs to be evacuated first to remove any old refrigerant.
Then the system is held under vacuum for a period of time to make sure there are no leaks.
Finally the machine adds the correct amount of refrigerant and compressor oil forthe spec of your car.

This is all done automatically by the machine with some opening and closing of valves on the tubes by the operator.

The reason mine didn't cool was because one of the ac condensers was leaking, I replaced both of them and the ac drier unit.

Might be a good idea to replace the drier if the ac hasn't worked in a while.

Bogger77

fastfit do the re-gassing and re-oiling of the systems, was 50e last time I got it done. They had the machine in the video.

jca

I've used the refill cans in Halfords with great success. I check the pressure with the supplied gauge and add gas if needed. I use my ac all year round so I find it only needs a slight top up every second year.