[Mortis]

Originally Posted by throttlehead

I assume that the folks at Motofyx would have cleaned the condenser but nonetheless I’ll have it looked at the garage you mentioned. Thanks a ton!

Most welcome. Let us know how it goes.

[Crow]

I’m facing a few AC issues with my 2015 second-gen Swift ZXi. The car has automatic climate control (ACC) and it’s doing a couple of weird things now:

1. When I set it to recirculation mode and press the Auto button, the Auto text in the display starts to blink. ACC works fine as I can see the fan speed reducing or increasing based on the temperature in the car. Not sure why what light is blinking. A google search suggests it could be some error that an OBD scan can reveal. Has anyone else faced this issue? This disappears when I switch to external air mode.

2. Under hard acceleration the AC blows hot air. It becomes cold again when the RPM comes down to a manageable range. Eg: I downshift to overtake (air becomes hot or feels like just the fan is working without cool air) and the moment I’ve completed the overtake, it’s back to normal.

3. The outside of the windshield faces condensation/ fogging at night when the AC is running. I’m in Goa right now and I’ve been facing this issue for the last two days. I haven’t checked if it happens in the day but it started at night and reduced windshield visibility dramatically. When light falls on the windshield, I can’t see anything in this case. I’ve enabled the defogger but it has no effect as the condensation is on the outside.

The car has done 27k kms and all these issues surfaced recently, post servicing last week. Any help is much appreciated.

[imzahid]

I'm facing a problem in my Swift Dzire VXI Petrol (2009) which many of the Maruti owners have faced before. Air-conditioner works fine, cooling is okay, but the compressor makes a very irritating rattling noise while idling. The noise disappears when the revs climb beyond ~1200 rpm. Consulted a couple of mechanics who told me that it's the trademark compressor failure as in many Marutis and the only solution is to replace the whole compressor. I really dont want to spend a five figure amount on the compressor when the cooling is perfectly fine. Would really appreciate if someone could come up with a solution to this.

[Mortis]

Originally Posted by imzahid

I'm facing a problem in my Swift Dzire VXI Petrol (2009) which many of the Maruti owners have faced before. Air-conditioner works fine, cooling is okay, but the compressor makes a very irritating rattling noise while idling. The noise disappears when the revs climb beyond ~1200 rpm. Consulted a couple of mechanics who told me that it's the trademark compressor failure as in many Marutis and the only solution is to replace the whole compressor. I really dont want to spend a five figure amount on the compressor when the cooling is perfectly fine. Would really appreciate if someone could come up with a solution to this.

Sounds like an issue with the compressor pulley. Try lubricating the pulley bearing and see if it makes atleast a temporary difference. If the sound is completely eliminated then continue on. If it makes a difference but only lasts a while then try and find an AC shop that can replace just the pulley. If it makes no difference at all then it's likely an internal part and would require replacement of the compressor.

[1985Darkkid85]

Dear Team BHP'ians,

I have a 2012 Honda Brio which has clocked 101000 kms.

The evaporator/cooling coil need cleaning from all the muck, dust,salt n sand that would have found its way into the A.C system

Do you also need to get the radiator fins cleaned? How do I ensure the different for not damage during a pressure wash?

I am looking for a reliable Car Aircon workshop In south Bangalore, as I am not too keen on getting the job done from the ASS.

Any suggestions from fellow Team BHP’ians will be highly appreciated.

Cheers,
R

[rohitsharma359]

Hi All,

Ran into a problem with my Tata Zest AC while driving from Hyderabad to Kolkata. I had never faced this issue earlier. Below are my observations:

- AC seems to working fine for few hours (3-4 hours). After that the cooling drops suddenly.
- Switched off AC, but observed that the fan speed has also come down. Even on 3-4 fan was not throwing much air.
- If I stop the car for 30 minutes or so, AC starts working again. However, I observed a puddle of water under the car.
- One time, I could see the mist coming out of air vents.
- Few people suggested that there might me ice formation happening so if I run into same problem, just turn the knob to full heat and it'll melt the ice. Tried that yesterday, but no effect. After 10-15 minutes issue was still there. Even with the heater on full, air blown was cold only.

What could be the problem here? Should I get my thermostat checked? or could it be low refrigerant.
I am nearby Kolkata right now and don't know any good AC technician. If anyone has any recommendations, could you please advise a good technician in Kolkata. It's around 3 hour drive and I can go to Kolkata and get the car AC serviced.

I am planning to go on another trip from WB to Punjab soon and as it's still pretty hot out there, would be really helpful if AC works.

Thanks in advance!

[emkay.india]

Hi all,

I'm facing an issue with my car's AC for the past year or so. Mine is a Swift petrol 2008 variant and since past 1+ year the cooling of AC has gone down.

It's satisfactory during early morning or night (when temperature is less) but during hot noons, it barely cools the cabin. But when RPM is high the cooling gets better. Also there's a loud krrrr sound coming from the AC throughout it's operation especially during standstill but reduces when the car is moving. MASS told to replace the entire unit costing 30k+ but I'm not keen in doing it. But if that's the long term solution I'll go ahead with it.

In this respect can anyone suggest a good AC mechanic in Chennai who can troubleshoot and fix this.

Thanks.

[Shubhendra]

Originally Posted by rohitsharma359

What could be the problem here? Should I get my thermostat checked? or could it be low refrigerant.
I am nearby Kolkata right now and don't know any good AC technician. If anyone has any recommendations, could you please advise a good technician in Kolkata. It's around 3 hour drive and I can go to Kolkata and get the car AC serviced.

!

Most probably thermostat is bad. Because of ice formation over a period of time, air flow gets reduced. If you switch off the AC for sometime and switchon after 30 mins does it again work properly for next few hrs?

[carboy]

My 15 year old Swift's AC had stopped working - so got that repaired today. The repair shop said some coil was leaking & hence had to be changed & also gas was refilled.

After I got it back, I drove the car again after an hour or 2. Now on the road, when speed was around 40 & took my feet off the accelerator, the car's power went off & I had to crank it again. Happened 2-3 times in a running car - anytime I take my feet off the pedal, the car's power shuts down (doesn't stop obviously). Then I parked the car near the place I wanted to go to & then drove it back home again after 30 minutes - the drive back seemed OK. After I parked in my building, I noticed that the odometer light was on - I think it comes on only when the headlights are on. But now it was behaving the opposite - when headlights on, odometer light on & the dashboard is lit but with headlights off, the dashboard gets lit.

I phoned the AC mechanic - he said it's unrelated to his repairs & he didn't touch any wiring & I should go to a car electrician or a battery guy to get it checked?

What could be the problem? Could it be related to the AC servicing or is it just a coincidence?

[carboy]

Originally Posted by carboy

After I parked in my building, I noticed that the odometer light was on - I think it comes on only when the headlights are on. But now it was behaving the opposite - when headlights on, odometer light on & the dashboard is lit but with headlights off, the dashboard gets lit.

This wasn't true. I checked again after it got darker. Was an illusion. So the only problem was with the car power being shutdown when I took my leg off the pedal.

[Nissan1180]

I have a question and I’d be grateful for a response.

My Nano’s AC does not work very effectively during the day. I suspect that it needs a refrigerant top up. I called a few AC workshops that have good ratings on google. They said that a gas top up would be Rs. 700 and an AC service would be 1500. Which one should I opt for? The service includes compressor oil replacement and condenser cleaning. I don’t think they do the evaporator cleaning because they said that it will only be touched if required. Thanks.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by Nissan1180

My Nano’s AC does not work very effectively during the day. I suspect that it needs a refrigerant top up.

How old is the car? Has the a/c filter been cleaned / changed? If so, you can first get the a/c system checked for leaks and gas refilled. Drive around and check for improvement.

There are very dedicated radiator cleaning shops: they specialise in it and do only that. And they do a mighty good job at cleaning the radiator. Fin by fin. A/c shops will mostly just spray water at pressure. Won't do a lot, if nothing.

[Rshrey22]

Originally Posted by emkay.india

Hi all,

I'm facing an issue with my car's AC for the past year or so. Mine is a Swift petrol 2008 variant and since past 1+ year the cooling of AC has gone down.

It's satisfactory during early morning or night (when temperature is less) but during hot noons, it barely cools the cabin. But when RPM is high the cooling gets better. Also there's a loud krrrr sound coming from the AC throughout it's operation especially during standstill but reduces when the car is moving. MASS told to replace the entire unit costing 30k+ but I'm not keen in doing it. But if that's the long term solution I'll go ahead with it.

In this respect can anyone suggest a good AC mechanic in Chennai who can troubleshoot and fix this.

Thanks.

Exact same issue was happening in my Wagon R since hot summers started. Service Center told me to get condenser and AC Compressor replaced. My Condenser was visibly damaged. Net estimates were upwards of 20k. Went to nearby Car AC service wala bhaiya. He changed the condenser coil for 4k and took 1500 more for gas refilling and evaporator coil cleaning.

It's bussing now, that's all I can say, sometimes I have to switch off the ac, as it gets very chilly .

Bad condenser will affect the compressor and in the long run, will damage it. But try replacing the condenser and gas refilling, it might work in your case too..

[emkay.india]

Originally Posted by emkay.india

Hi all,

I'm facing an issue with my car's AC for the past year or so. Mine is a Swift petrol 2008 variant and since past 1+ year the cooling of AC has gone down.

It's satisfactory during early morning or night (when temperature is less) but during hot noons, it barely cools the cabin. But when RPM is high the cooling gets better. Also there's a loud krrrr sound coming from the AC throughout it's operation especially during standstill but reduces when the car is moving. MASS told to replace the entire unit costing 30k+ but I'm not keen in doing it. But if that's the long term solution I'll go ahead with it.

In this respect can anyone suggest a good AC mechanic in Chennai who can troubleshoot and fix this.

Thanks.

I went to a local AC mechanic who checked and gave below 3 options. From the time the car was bought in 2008, nothing was done to the AC components. The noise mentioned above started about 4 yrs back but cooling was not an issue. Since last 7-8 months cooling has also gone down and only during night I can feel the AC. MASS said to replace compressor costing upwards of 32K. Now options given by the local mechanic are as below.

1. Re-fill AC gas but it'll go down soon as there seems to be a leak in cooling coil. Cost 1K
2. Re-fill AC gas and replace cooling coil. AC will work fine as long as compressor is good but as the noise first started about 4 yrs back it might be in its last days. Cost 6.5K
3. Replace compressor, condenser, cooling coil - basically everything. Replacing condensor is to ensure the old oil in it doesn't affect the new compressor. Cost 24.5K

Now coming to the compressor, my 2008 model seems to have come with a fan type compressor which seems to have this noise problem inherently. Later models came with piston type. He said piston type (Subros) costs 11.5K and will have less noise and more life. Only catch is this is 50cc less compared to the car's engine volume and hence cooling will be at 95-97% though driver or passenger won't feel the difference. It could only be found while testing with meter it seems.

The original type compressor (fan type) comes in Sensui model and costs 13.5k but this is prone to fan noise again and eventually fail soon compared to piston type. Apparently later models of Swift came with piston type after Maruti identified the issues with fan type.

Now my questions are as below.

1. Which option to choose from above 3, I'm inclined to replace everything for peace of mind and also this is the first time I'm fixing/spending something for the AC. It served me well for 13+ yrs.
2. Can I go for the piston type Subros compressor? Will there be any impact due to not going for original fan type compressor?

Thanks in advance.

[hserus]

Once you have opened the dashboard to get at the aircon parts your mechanic will surely be able to find out what the issue is rather than blindly replace everything. If the compressor is ok and the issue is a leaky cooling coil, change the cooling coil. If everything is ok and you forgot to change the ac filter all this time, change just that. (etc)

Originally Posted by emkay.india

[*]Re-fill AC gas but it'll go down soon as there seems to be a leak in cooling coil. Cost 1K[*]Re-fill AC gas and replace cooling coil. AC will work fine as long as compressor is good but as the noise first started about 4 yrs back it might be in its last days. Cost 6.5K