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have a 97 astra...recently the compressor has been acting real funny. when u put it on only the normal hot air of the blower comes on. only when i pull the engine beyond 4000 rpm that the compressor switches on. after that there is no problem in the ac till the time you switch off the engine.
went and spoke to the opel service center they are telling me to replace the compressor.
any one know what could be wrong and if it could be repaired.
thanks..

I dont think you have to replace the compressor...but an overhaul seems to be in the offing. By any chance are you living at badhwar park, colaba?

Drifter

There's nothing wrong with the a/c compressor as it is working when you rev the engine above 4000 rpm & does it continue to work after that when the revs drop below 4000 rpm.
I don't know if the car is fitted with factory air from Germany or ( I presume) local Indian retrofit. Assuming you have the system fully charged with refrigerant & all systems go -
Check the clutch activating relays it might be sticking thus failing to kick in.

after starting i need to rev the engine only once beyond 4000 rpm. after that as long as the car is switched on there is no problem what so ever with the ac. the a/c coolant and gas were fully topped up only a month back. will check the clutch relays tomorrow.

Hi Adil,

As sss11 says, the first thing that popped into my mind as well was the possibility that the compressor wasnt being driven at all.

A good low tech way to check that would be to set the car on idle and open the hood and get someone to swtich on the ac & compressor, and see if there is a noticeable load, or if you can hear the clutch clicking on.

cya
R

i get what you are talking about. will check it in the morning. however if i dont feel any apppreciable load after switching on the compressor which i guess will happen what should i do.

went and checked my car today. opened the hood with the engine idle and then switched on the compressor. you can feel the revs rise by about 200 rpm but you dont feel the the characteristic sound of the compressor neither do you hear the clicking of the clutch.

after that drove my car. i switch on the compressor drive past 4000 rpm in 1st gear then you can feel a very slight load being taken by the engine and the cooling taking place.

however if you switch off the compressor and then try switching it on again you have to again drive it past 4000 rpm for it to get started again. otherwise you only get hot air.

hope you guys can suggest something so that atleast i have something specific to tell the mechanic tomorrow. thanks.

Hi,
Seems like ur compressor clutch is misbehaving. Check up the AC relay if its fine, put in another relay and test it first rather than buying one. Also ask an electrician to check if the alternator is producing the correct voltage. As this sometimes delays the ac relay to switch on.

Cheers
Dom

hi guys,
thanks for all your help. just came back from the local mechanic sitting in a really cool cabin of my astra.

i asked the mechanic to check the relay. he opens the box and what does he see? A CUT WIRE!!!

then he checks the compressor and guess what? THERE IS ANOTHER CUT WIRE THERE!!!!

after sticking these wires with tape i switch on my a/c and everything is back to normal.

now i got the job done in 20 bucks what the opel garage was saying would have costed me 14000 rupees.

all said and done i am curious about one thing. i had gone to the opel garage some days back for some other work. on the way the a/c was working fine. however when i picked up the car in the evening the a/c was giving me the problems which i described before.

now i am not saying that the opel guys cut the wire neither could the mechanic confirm whether the wire had been cut or had come out on its own. but isnt it a coincidence?

the fort point guys have done some really good work on my car but i think now my confidence in them has become ZERO.

Fortpoint doesnt have a good reputation...this incident only adds to my case.
something is fishy here.

Drifter

Hey adil,
I had the exact same problem with Fortpoint.Once i took my car there as i had problems with braking.After a thorough check by the mechanics,they came to a conclusion that the brake pads had worn out.Anyways,i asked them if the job could be done for a lesser price as i was planning to sell the car in 2-3 weeks.After some convincing,the senior mechanic advises me to pay him some 2000 rs unofficially and pick up the car in the evening.I agree and leave.
Picked up my car in the evening and took it for a short spin.The brakes were working marvellously.And guess what he had done!!! Replaced my brake-pads with some other Astra's pads.Hell,i was stunned.He's like this usually happens.Now we will charge the other cars owner officially in the bill saying his brake pads had worn out.
I had no point to argue as my work was done as expected.I left the place and on the way back home realise that my temperature sensor is missing.LOL
You get some,you lose some.Thats Fortpoint for you.I swear never to go there again and sell me car off within the next 10 days or so. :D
So maybe,thats what they'd done to you.Be careful with these people.

X

hey as far as i know astra's brake pads at the dealership cost 2000 rupees. what was the actual price he told you for the brake pads?

Thanks for closing the loop Adil (no pun intended...lol)...and letting us know what was wrong.

Its strange that the wires would make contact only after the car did 4000RPM...lol

cya
R

He quoted me 8000rs for the same.Are you sure new brake pads cost 2000rs,because i am not?? :confused:

X

a set of 4 front pads cost 2000 rupees at fort point. according to the last time i changed them which was about 5 months back. this does not include the rear drums. the front discs (not the pads) cost 10000 rupees.