[Taha Mir]

Cross posting from the ecosport thread.

Anyone faced the issue of intermittent AC cooling?
Car is Ecosport 2013 tdci

AC just stops cooling at low speeds or while idling.
- Condenser fan operation normal
- Refrigerant evacuated and refilled
- Condenser pressure washed
- When it blows warm air, the evaporator hose under the hood is warm to touch. ( Condenser fan running and engine idling high)

When AC is restarted, it starts blowing chilled air as usual.

I'm suspecting the following,
-bad electrical connection to AC clutch or compressor.
-bad AC High/low pressure switch
-bad expansion valve?
-compressor control valve?

[hserus]

Additionally to all this please check the coolant levels and quality of coolant in your radiator, does it need to be changed?

You sorted out debris in the cooling coil and ac gas levels so might check coolant before the rest of this.

Originally Posted by Taha Mir

Cross posting from the ecosport thread.

Anyone faced the issue of intermittent AC cooling?
Car is Ecosport 2013 tdci

AC just stops cooling at low speeds or while idling.
- Condenser fan operation normal
- Refrigerant evacuated and refilled
- Condenser pressure washed
- When it blows warm air, the evaporator hose under the hood is warm to touch. ( Condenser fan running and engine idling high)

When AC is restarted, it starts blowing chilled air as usual.

I'm suspecting the following,
-bad electrical connection to AC clutch or compressor.
-bad AC High/low pressure switch
-bad expansion valve?
-compressor control valve?

[Taha Mir]

Originally Posted by hserus

Additionally to all this please check the coolant levels and quality of coolant in your radiator, does it need to be changed?

You sorted out debris in the cooling coil and ac gas levels so might check coolant before the rest of this.

-Coolant was first suspect so I topped it off to the max line. ( It was between min and Max)
-It was replaced around 1 year back when the thermostat gasket was replaced.
-It is bright orange in colour like it should be.
-I checked clutch operation today, it's functioning well. (Basically the compressor is engaged and running when the warm air blows.)

Paid a visit to a local mechanic again today. He says compressor will have to be opened up to inspect control valve. If black goo is found in compressor, then the entire system will have to be replaced for approx 35k rupees.

[Taha Mir]

Originally Posted by Taha Mir

Cross posting from the ecosport thread.

Anyone faced the issue of intermittent AC cooling?
Car is Ecosport 2013 tdci

AC just stops cooling at low speeds or while idling.
- Condenser fan operation normal
- Refrigerant evacuated and refilled
- Condenser pressure washed
- When it blows warm air, the evaporator hose under the hood is warm to touch. ( Condenser fan running and engine idling high)

When AC is restarted, it starts blowing chilled air as usual.

I'm suspecting the following,

-bad AC High/low pressure switch
-bad expansion valve?
-compressor control valve?

AC cooling reduces, goes off and increases on its own now, irrespective of vehicle speed or rpm.

I'm now suspecting a faulty cabin temperature sensor too. My car does not have auto AC, would it still have a cabin temp sensor?

With the way the AC blows cold air (when it does) i doubt if there's any major mechanical fault.

[scorpian]

Originally Posted by Taha Mir

AC cooling reduces, goes off and increases on its own now, irrespective of vehicle speed or rpm.

I'm now suspecting a faulty cabin temperature sensor too. My car does not have auto AC, would it still have a cabin temp sensor?
.

Yes your car would have in cabin temperature sensor which would signal the compressor to cut off when the cabin has cooled enough,without which the compressor would run continuously which happens when ac gas is low.

Was your ac gas filled with a machine or manually? I feel the best way is to autofill with the machine as it puts in perfect quantity of refrigerant leading to best cooling.

Regards,
Manoj

[Taha Mir]

Originally Posted by scorpian

Yes your car would have in cabin temperature sensor which would signal the compressor to cut off when the cabin has cooled enough,without which the compressor would run continuously which happens when ac gas is low.

Was your ac gas filled with a machine or manually? I feel the best way is to autofill with the machine as it puts in perfect quantity of refrigerant leading to best cooling.

AC gas was filled manually. My fuel economy has gone down from 21 kmpl to around 18 kmpl in the same use case.

[scorpian]

Originally Posted by Taha Mir

AC gas was filled manually. My fuel economy has gone down from 21 kmpl to around 18 kmpl in the same use case.

From my experience over filling causes more load on the engine which can reduce fuel efficiency hence my preference to have it filled exactly as per manufacturer recommended quantity via machine.

[Taha Mir]

Update: got the refrigerant control valve of the compressor replaced at a local mechanic.

Result: made no difference to the intermittent operation of the compressor. Still blows freezing cold air for a while then normal air. Restarting AC gives freezing cold air again.

Next step is to get the compressor replaced. I have a doubt regarding this; compressor wasn't filled with gunk or any black mess. Should I get just the compressor replaced or the entire AC system?

Here's the valve that was replaced.

[hserus]

Are you sure the cooling coil is in good condition?

Then test the entire system for leaks that might cause icing up or moisture buildup. Injecting refrigerant with a dye and checking for colour might show this up.

Then check the compressor clutch, piston, expansion valve (which you changed right) etc see if that can be serviced instead of the whole thing.

Originally Posted by Taha Mir

Update: got the refrigerant control valve of the compressor replaced at a local mechanic.

Result: made no difference to the intermittent operation of the compressor. Still blows freezing cold air for a while then normal air. Restarting AC gives freezing cold air again.

Next step is to get the compressor replaced. I have a doubt regarding this; compressor wasn't filled with gunk or any black mess. Should I get just the compressor replaced or the entire AC system?

Here's the valve that was replaced.

[Taha Mir]

Originally Posted by hserus

Are you sure the cooling coil is in good condition?

Then test the entire system for leaks that might cause icing up or moisture buildup. Injecting refrigerant with a dye and checking for colour might show this up.

Then check the compressor clutch, piston, expansion valve (which you changed right) etc see if that can be serviced instead of the whole thing.

No symptoms of frozen cooling coil. Cabin filter has always been replaced religiously. Air flow is always normal. Just a simple on/off of the AC fixes the cooling, so it can't possibly be a frozen coil.

The valve that was changed was refrigerant control valve. Mechanic man said expansion valve and clutch is fine and that there are no leaks in the system. (Compressor was removed and RCV replaced on it and the entire system was inspected, except what's under the dashboard)

I feel it's something electronic that's asking the compressor to cycle on and off. How do I go about checking the cabin temperature sensor?

[hserus]

Originally Posted by Taha Mir

I feel it's something electronic that's asking the compressor to cycle on and off. How do I go about checking the cabin temperature sensor?

Any malfunctioning sensor should show up in an ECU scan. If it is the thermostat get that checked as well it is a common culprit.

[harish5000]

My 12 YO Fiesta's air conditioning system has been my only headache till date. Have changed the AC coil thrice now due to leakage. And this time around, the cooling effect had reduced drastically. Usually, Fords are known for their efficient air conditioning system underneath. In my case, the chillness from the blower is very poor. The cooling efficiency dips everyday and it could be felt in the cabin.

I am looking for some leads in Coimbatore area who can fix my air conditioning issue all together. Looking for an expert in repairing automotive air conditioning systems within Coimbatore. Kindly help with any contacts if anyone had come across.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by harish5000

My 12 YO Fiesta's air conditioning system has been my only headache till date. Have changed the AC coil thrice now due to leakage. And this time around, the cooling effect had reduced drastically..

Do you change the ac filter regularly? Fiestas have their filter located inside a panel under the drivers side gear shift column that needs an Allen key to open it rather than being behind the glove box like in most cars. So it often gets over looked when servicing the car.

[Taha Mir]

Originally Posted by Taha Mir

Cross posting from the ecosport thread.

Anyone faced the issue of intermittent AC cooling?

Closing off this issue. I just paid 45k rupees to Ford ASC to replace my compressor and it's clutch. AC blows ice cold now.

[Jeroen]

Just thought some of you might find this interesting. I just replaced the (leaking) condensor on our 2015 Ford Fiesta:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-d...ml#post5325516