Air con doesn't last - Focus

Discussion in 'Car and Van Talk' started by alexjb1989, May 29, 2023.

  1. alexjb1989

    alexjb1989 Member

    Hi all,

    I have a 14 plate Focus Titanium. 1.6 Diesel

    A couple of years ago, the aircon stopped working, so I topped up the gas. It then worked for about a week, then stopped! I measured the pressure and it had dropped. So I assume it has a leak. So I bought leak fixer, pumped that through (actually did it twice now), then topped it again again. It works! But after a week or so it stops!

    I am assuming it is a leak somewhere.

    I asked my local garage, and they said it wasn't worth their time (or my money) to replace bit by bit, so they would just replace everything! Obviously, with new parts!

    I completely understand. But I am wondering if I could try and replace the most likely culprits myself first... or buy the parts and pay them to replace them - knowing that it still might work.

    Can anyone recommend what to do?

    Compressor? Condenser? Hoses?

    Or do I just get them to replace the lot! They did say it would not be cheap...

    Any ideas?

    Much appreciated.!
     
  2. kitfit1

    kitfit1 Screwfix Select

    Most air con leaks in cars are caused by a stone hitting the Condensor, which is up front by the radiator.
    There is no point at all in just "topping it up", it will still go out anyway. The first thing to do is take the car to an air con specialist, NOT your local garage. They will find the leak and recommend what to do.
    Just for the record, if aircon leaks, it also means that the refrigerant is no longer in Vacuum because air has got into the system. So it wouldn't matter how many times you top it up it will never work because you have not used a vacuum pump to suck all the air out of the system before re-charging with refrigerant.
     
  3. McSport

    McSport Screwfix Select

    An aircon specialist will either put UV dye in, which can then be seen with a UV light to identify leaks.
    Some use sniffers to detect leaks.

    As above, condenser most likely but could be something else.
     
  4. techie

    techie Screwfix Select

    As above, take it to someone that has a clue
     
  5. quasar9

    quasar9 Screwfix Select

    Specialist (you can get mobile ones) have a proper machine that connects to the high and low pressure side of the system. It will vacuum out any remaining refrigerant and put back the proper amount along with lubricant (different for every make and model) which have an important role in keeping seals in good condition as well as lubrication of moving parts. During the evacuation process any leaks can be spotted. Using refrigerant cans to top up from the low pressure side can work but usually before a total loss. Although these machines are largely automatic with instructions appearing on screen, I would still go to a specialist as the machine can’t diagnose issues.
     
  6. Bob Rathbone

    Bob Rathbone Screwfix Select

    I took mine to Halfords, they had a re gassing machine that was just connected to the high and low pressure inputs, set and switched on. It removed the remaining gas, pulled a vacuum and left this for a time to check for leaks. No leaks so the machine returned the gas to the correct level. Very little work for the operator, he went off to do another job while the machine did the work.
     
    Astramax likes this.
  7. Cris 11

    Cris 11 Active Member

    Hi. I have often seen this people trying to save money and end up spending a fortune changing parts on a car and hoping for a fix, it rarely works.
    As previously said you need an air con specialist with the right equipment to trace the leak, it will be much cheaper in the long run.
     
    Astramax likes this.
  8. Astramax

    Astramax Super Member

    Halfords sorted my air con condenser on a Volvo V50....was not expensive, complete clean out and re gas included.
     
  9. Bob Rathbone

    Bob Rathbone Screwfix Select

    The machine Halfords use will inject a dye if a leak is suspected and the operator can then look for it with a UV lamp.
     
  10. Astramax

    Astramax Super Member

    Yes that's what happened...was 8 years ago though, but less than half the cost of Volvo main agent. possibly the same engine as Volvo were linked with Ford.
     
  11. GS63

    GS63 Active Member

    Interesting thread. We've had quite a few older Fords ( Focuses & a Mondeo ) & have found that the air con often packs in at about 120000 - 130000 miles.

    I might give a specialist a try...
     
  12. Mark Griffiths

    Mark Griffiths Active Member

    Just so you know, Aircon gas (R134a) is incredibly bad for the environment, incredibly bad for people to breath it in and it is also illegal to knowingly regas a system with a known leak.

    Take it to a specialist for a leak check.
     
    Abbadon2001 likes this.
  13. quasar9

    quasar9 Screwfix Select

    Took my car today to a specialist who only does air con to fix non functioning A/C. Most common problem seems to be the condenser, made of alu which corrodes gradually leaking the refrigerant. He showed me cars just a few years old that had leaky condensers and this ranged from a relatively new high end jaguars/Audis to newish Citroens. None had been hit by stones chips perforating the condenser. There were a few which had been messed about either by their owners or untrained garage mechanics by using the refrigerant can method. Although the machine was fully automatic, he put in the values manually.
     

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