[subramanyam84]

Originally Posted by T1000

Will top of gas help? Is it possible the internals of the compressor rusted as the vehicle was not used for 4 months?

Yes, it is possible that the compressor internals can get rusted and the unit may need replacement. But the occurrence is very rare. Loss of gas is a more common occurrence and an economical check. So before going for replacement, I'd test it once with topping up the refrigerant.

Also as an additional check as @pixantz suggested, do you feel a change in engine RPM when the AC clutch engages?

Regards,
Subramanyam

[T1000]

Originally Posted by pixantz

Smoke from compressor area isn't enough data to deduce a possible solution to your problem. It's like calling up a doctor and saying that you're feeling nauseous and so should you pop a pill or drink lime soda or then undergo surgery. You want all the answers without even a diagnosis?

Things have to be checked. How can you expect a fellow-bhpian to even cough up a possible resolution with next to nill data regarding the situation? No offense, I just think that only a person who has physically inspected the vehicle can give you a credible reply which, in itself, is not a very common issue.

That said, as far as I know, Ac compressors never smoke. On their own, at least. There would be need for a proper sequence of investigation into the issue, like to start with seeing if the compressor is at all switching on, followed be checking if there is adequate refrigerant in the system, are the drive belt/s in the required condition and setting, then is the condenser fan also functioning, does the rpm increase when the ac is switched on as desired, etc etc. A collective remedial procedure can only be suggested after looking into such various symptoms and conditions. Please take it to an active technician/expert and see how it goes. Cheers.

Point taken.
These observations were made by a mechanic in front of me.
When AC is switched on ,
1. Condenser fan works, blower works
2. RPM increases when AC is switched on
3. No cooling, aluminium pipe(that goes to the dash) on the cold side is at room temperature
4. After few mins of running, squeaky noise came from the compressor and then smoke, its not the smell of rubber burning.
5. the mechanic pushed a screw driver into the port used to connect pressure gauge to check if there is gas inside. gas at high pressure escaped through it.( a crude way to check without connecting a gauge)

then he concluded the compressor needs to be replaced.

I agree without actually checking the vehicle no one can correctly diagnose the problem..
objective of the post is to get opinion from someone who have been through similar situation.

Thanks

[pixantz]

Originally Posted by T1000

Point taken.
These observations were made by a mechanic in front of me.

After few mins of running, squeaky noise came from the compressor and then smoke, its not the smell of rubber burning.

( a crude way to check without connecting a gauge)

then he concluded the compressor needs to be replaced.

I'm not ruling out a bust comp but things here seem fishy to me still. You can never fully trust most of these "ac guys" these days. Because, in this case, there is no explanation from him as to what made him conclude that your comp is bust.

The squeaky noise can be coming from a bust comp pulley bearing too and it starts squealing as it gets hotter with the friction. A bust comp will mostly start squealing as soon as the ac is switched on and not after 5 minutes. Yes, it can mean a bust comp too, as there is also squealing if the comp parts are jammed inside(which means your comp is bust) and makes the comp clutch slip against the comp pulley hence causing squealing. Not sure of the source of smoke though.

A bad comp should essentially mean:
1) Jammed unit which gets hard and fails the comp clutch.

2) A unit not being able to provide desired pressure readings(suction and discharge, both) as to facilitate a soundly working ac system.

3) a condition of "black death" as it is called, where the internals of the comp gets all warped and gets the whole system to get a thick black liquid in the whole internals of the ac.

These are some common bad comp situations. Was your ac working fine before you parked your car last time? If it was, there is a high chance the issue is something else and not your comp.

A comp change is quite a profitable job for ac guys and so they make a fast buck there. I strongly suggest getting a second opinion with some other guy. Or two.

[T1000]

Originally Posted by pixantz

These are some common bad comp situations. Was your ac working fine before you parked your car last time? If it was, there is a high chance the issue is something else and not your comp.

A comp change is quite a profitable job for ac guys and so they make a fast buck there. I strongly suggest getting a second opinion with some other guy. Or two.

Yes. AC was working fine before it was parked.
Anyways, Will get a 2nd opinion .
Thank you.

[Dieseldrifter]

Hello people.

I have a 2014 model all new ford fiesta facelift. It has done 33000 km. It has developed a strange issue in its a.c when it is idle the a.c is super cool like a typical ford. Vent temperature gets as low as 4 degrees in maNual mode. When outside temperature is 42 degrees. But when it starts moving on highway speeds say above 50 then vent temperature goes to 8 to 10 degrees. I can clearly feel that temperature of vent air is not cool like idling. I took car to harpreet ford moti nagar , delhi. They checked every thing... They have given a clean chit fro their side. Everything functioned flawlessly according to them, refrigerant ok, no leaks, clutch engaging, high side low side pessures normal. Technician suspected radiator fan malfunction and changed that with new, cooling coil cleaned, condensor cleaned after removing bumper, a.c filter changed.
After this work vent temperature comes 2 degrees lower. Earlier it was 8 and 12. But now 4 and 10. This problem doesnt show when we raise rpm at idling, but comes into play when rpm increase while car is on move. During move or parked the vent temperature is never stable. It keeps on fluctuating up and down even at constant speed. I can say that when car moves its only half performing than a typical ford a.c. i got it checked at other local mechanics also but all become clueless on listening to the problem. . Kindly help me what could be the problem here..

I suspect following things now.
1. Cabin temperature sensor is erratic.

2. A.c compressor relay malfunctioning.

3. Fan belt slipping marginally or loses tension while car is on move, though there is no slipping belt noise.

4. Worst case, compressor and condensor are gone.

Actually from 2014 to 2017 car was used very less. Only 10000 km. It used to remain parked for many days as my job profile was like that.

I need your expert opinion because many experienced mechanics have failed. I shall be very thankful to all of you.

[Dieseldrifter]

In continuation to my above mentioned observation of my car ford fiesta a.c.

Today outside temperature was 41.

I started in afternoon. Car parked in sun. Cabin temperature 60..
.i started a.c by keeping window glasses open for 5 minutes. Then closed and kept on cruising on highway. I decided to measure cabin temperature drop instead of vent temperature.

Blower was at speed 4. Top speed 6.

In 20 minute run on highway the cabin temperature down to 31 from 60. Infact it was stuck on 31 for last 5 minutes. This means 29 degree drop in 15 minutes.
But as i entered in city traffic then i could feel the vent air getting colder as usual. The cabin temperature which was stubborn on 31 came down to 28 within 10 minutes in city. I could not check further performance as i reached my destination. When i stopped the radiator fan was making extra noise but it was not that much noisy as it used to be in my fiesta classic. That fan was very very loud and used to start very often whenever i stop. But this fan is not that much noisy.. ford has replaced it . But still it doesnt run that often.

This is whole story.

Kindly guide me.
Thanks in advance

[chaudh2s]

Originally Posted by Dieseldrifter

In continuation to my above mentioned observation of my car ford fiesta a.c.

Also get the fresh/recirculated air flap inspected. If it is stuck in open position, outside hot air will drop your grille temperature when moving at higher speeds.

[Dieseldrifter]

Originally Posted by chaudh2s

Also get the fresh/recirculated air flap inspected. If it is stuck in open position, outside hot air will drop your grille temperature when moving at higher speeds.

Thanks for your reply
When i switch on fresh air then i clearly feel less cold air from vent and slight moist odour air comes.. When i switch on recirculated mode then it becomes colder and odourless. At high speeds the odour and moisture remains same when vent temperature increases.

In next visit i will suggest the ford technician about thing you just mentioned. Thanks. I will update you

[prithm]

Originally Posted by Dieseldrifter

Thanks for your reply
When i switch on fresh air then i clearly feel less cold air from vent and slight moist odour air comes.. When i switch on recirculated mode then it becomes colder and odourless. At high speeds the odour and moisture remains same when vent temperature increases.

In next visit i will suggest the ford technician about thing you just mentioned. Thanks. I will update you

Your observation of feeling warmer air from vent during fresh air intake is correct & nothing to worry. It's performing as expected. It takes a while for outside air to be cooled by the coil & pumped into cabin. Thus, it's warmer & " fragrant " when compared to recirculation mode.

You might want to do one thorough cleaning of condenser coil, fan, lubrication of vent flap in service center. It helps you clean the muck off & remove that mildew smell.

[hserus]

And keep the vehicle in recirculation mode and ensure that "auto" is lit up. So climate control is automatic that way and the AC performs at an optimum temperature.

If you don't have the auto button on cooling is noticeably less efficient. I've seen this with my fiesta when others drive it and don't know how to use climate control, having only used regulator type manual aircon so far.

[pixantz]

Originally Posted by Dieseldrifter

This is whole story.

Kindly guide me.
Thanks in advance

If you're getting 4deg grill temp at idle, your comp seems OK. If it wasn't, you wouldn't reach that temp at all. Further check if there is any corrosion or hole/gap developed in the frontal side of car body in places like firewall which would allow hot I outside air to leak into cabin at speed.

Technically, the expansion valve is the device that regulates the gas flow for even cooling at different engine rpms. If this boy is stuck, it may cause problems like you're having. I don't know what kind of compressor is a 2014 Fiesta equipped with, but if it's got the later type ones with a regulating Valve, like those in VW cars, and even some of the newer a hyundai cars like i20 and Creta, then that also causes problems at varying speeds.

Might help checking those.

[Dieseldrifter]

Originally Posted by pixantz

If you're getting 4deg grill temp at idle, your comp seems OK. If it wasn't, you wouldn't reach that temp at all. Further check if there is any corrosion or hole/gap developed in the frontal side of car body in places like firewall which would allow hot I outside air to leak into cabin at speed.

Technically, the expansion valve is the device that regulates the gas flow for even cooling at different engine rpms. If this boy is stuck, it may cause problems like you're having. I don't know what kind of compressor is a 2014 Fiesta equipped with, but if it's got the later type ones with a regulating Valve, like those in VW cars, and even some of the newer a hyundai cars like i20 and Creta, then that also causes problems at varying speeds.

Might help checking those.

Thanks a lot for the valuable suggestion. Your advise really looks like its going to help.
One thing i have noticed over a period of time is that vent temperature increases after driving for around 10 kms at speed of 80. There after it keeps at 9 to 10. Its not like it starts fluctuating right from start. For my work place i touch highway after 5 km city run. Then a.c works well for next 10 km on highway and then finally becomes erratic after that.

One more thing i have noticed that when i was having old fiesta classic diesel its fan used to start very very frequently within 10 seconds of stopping in summers. But even when ford people have changed fan of my new fiesta i seldom find that loud fan noise which used to irritate me on fiesta classic.. even during afternoon with a.c i seldom feel the same radiator fan speed.. classic fan sometimes used to start immediately after switching on the engine. People used to say that your car makes so noise.

When i open bonnet the fan of my fiesta is running but this one doesnt make loud noise , though it makes noise like classic but very very less frequently.

Kindly apply these findings in further advise so that i could argue with ford technician on 6 may 2018.

Thanks in advance

[pixantz]

Originally Posted by Dieseldrifter

When i open bonnet the fan of my fiesta is running but this one doesnt make loud noise , though it makes noise like classic but very very less frequently.

Kindly apply these findings in further advise so that i could argue with ford technician on 6 may 2018.

Thanks in advance

This could be the issue too. The fan has two speed settings. Two circuits, basically. One is slow speed and one is high speed for when the radiator thermostat commands the fan to start at full speed and also when the Ac again commands for high speed.

Ideally when the Ac is switched on the fan should always run at high speed until the Ac cuts off, which is normally for about 10 seconds. If the fan is slow when Ac is switched on then that's the problem. At highway speeds the compressor makes higher pressure and needs full speed of the fan to cool the refrigerant gas. If this doesn't happens the high pressure switch starts erratically cutting off the Ac because if high system pressure and this results in less cooling.

The problem seems to be in the high speed circuit which could be a fuse, relay, or the fan thermostat which regulated the fan speed. Normally there are two seperate fuses and relays for the slow and fast speed. Check those. Also the thermostatic switch which varies the fan speed.

This could also be a wiring glitch/gremlin.

Just to rule out that the fan is not faulty, check if at all it runs at full speed. To do this keep the car at idle with Ac switched off and wait. When the fan cuts in it should run at full speed and cut off at regular intervals. If this happens successfully then the fan is OK.

All the best.

[sgiitk]

This is the first time that I had a compressor failure. I have had AC cars since 1980! My Honda Brio needed a new compressor. Then a day later the blower packed up (one speed not working as rated). I have given up on the latter but the compressor is up to scratch. I changed both the compressor and condenser.

[Dieseldrifter]

Originally Posted by pixantz

This could be the issue too.

I checked in afternoon today under 40 degree temperature with a.c on. Fan with lot of noise started immediately when i stopped. I waited for 1 minute but fan was running with typical loud noise. So i think fan issue is ruled out.

Now there are 2 main issues.

1. Temperature sensor on cooling coil.

Or,

2. Fresh air vent opening under speed of vehicle.

2 days to go. Lets see what ford engineers could guess.

Thanks for your concern