Patrick Bateman Posted September 26, 2016 Report Share Posted September 26, 2016 This'll be going back to the trader/mechanic to get sorted soon but curious in the meantime. Both condensers, a radiator and a couple of pulleys were replaced just before buying the car but there appears to still be a leak from somewhere, although it's not a full on drip appearing, just a damp residue left at the bottom of the front right wheel arch liner. Now the other day a whine appeared which I thought may have been to do with the replaced pulleys but it seems it's from the AC. It's higher pitched than the typical engine whine and disappears as soon as I turn the air con off. Not totally constant but does vary, hence me thinking of pulleys initially. Another strange sound that I initially thought was the CD player comes and goes until I turn the AC off- sounds like the sound you get when a CD player is struggling to read a disc, very odd! I'm assuming it's something to do with the AC compressor if the system has run low again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobbie Posted September 26, 2016 Report Share Posted September 26, 2016 Maybe there's a leak at one of the junctions to the condenser or the pipework leading back to the pump. It shouldn't drip as the liquid immediately evaporates at ambient temp and pressure. The residue you see is the lubricating oil that is mixed in with the coolant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Bateman Posted September 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2016 Yeah i suspect so, shame that was missed. Are the strange sounds and the whine likely from the compressor itself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobbie Posted September 26, 2016 Report Share Posted September 26, 2016 10 minutes ago, Patrick Bateman said: Yeah i suspect so, shame that was missed. Are the strange sounds and the whine likely from the compressor itself? It seems the likely candidate, particularly if the system has been left unpressurised for a period without the protective oils circulating round. Hopefully a re gassing after fixing the leak will sort that out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edc Posted September 26, 2016 Report Share Posted September 26, 2016 You should check the rads if you are getting significant damp patches or drops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike597 Posted September 27, 2016 Report Share Posted September 27, 2016 The air conditioning lubricant is a greenish colour. If the damp patch is green you can be fairly sure that is where it is coming from. My guess based on what you've told us is a leak from the pipes. I would bet they knew there was a leak and gambled on replacing the condensers without checking the pipework fully - which is a little hidden so requires more work to expose and replace than the condensers. The whine is just symptomatic of the compressor running low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Bateman Posted September 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2016 15 hours ago, edc said: You should check the rads if you are getting significant damp patches or drops. It's not drops, not enough to show an obvious liquid. When I wipe the damp patch there is no colour (apart from muck) on the tissue. Tying in with what Nobbie said about the AC lubricating oil. Prior to me buying the car, the seller pointed out the obvious leak that was green fluid from the same spot, hence having the condensers done in the first place. O/S radiator was replaced, I initially thought the damp patch was from this as I had to top up the coolant from the minimum mark after having the car for 3 weeks or so. It was only last week I clocked a lot of condensation above the coolant filler cap after every journey. I lifted up all the boot carpet and there was no sign of coolant stains or damp around the expansion tank so I replaced the original cap. Since then there's no condensation now and the coolant is still at the max, touch wood it stays that way. Here's a picture of the damp patch I noticed initially- At the very bottom of the wheel arch liner is where the green liquid was initially leaking to. After wiping it completely clean it only took 2/3 days for this to reappear- Providing the coolant is steady with the new cap in place, hopefully it's just the air con. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searay Posted October 18, 2016 Report Share Posted October 18, 2016 I had the noisy AC compressor issue but leak detection and regas cured it. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Bateman Posted October 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2016 Car got dropped back with the seller today so I should find out early next week, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Bateman Posted November 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2016 Seemed to be a dodgy o-ring/seal from a pipe leading to the condenser in the end but when the guy re-filled the system to check for the leak there wasn't one! Luckily there was evidence of a leak around the area and all seems well since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrickeyTattoo Posted November 16, 2016 Report Share Posted November 16, 2016 I have a whine from my air conditioning but only when it's on bars 1-5 in terms of power. Anything stronger than that and it stops. Need to get it fixed shortly. Was quoted £400-500 for new condensers, or rings etc and labour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobbie Posted November 17, 2016 Report Share Posted November 17, 2016 8 hours ago, TrickeyTattoo said: I have a whine from my air conditioning but only when it's on bars 1-5 in terms of power. Anything stronger than that and it stops. Need to get it fixed shortly. Was quoted £400-500 for new condensers, or rings etc and labour. I'm assuming the whining is due to low gas in the system and they're assuming a leaking condenser as the cause. It's a straightforward DIY project that many on here have done with condensers available at £60-70 each. If you haven't already done it, it's worth fitting mesh to your air intakes while the bumper is off to stop the ingress of leaves which can build up and rot the condensers. Expensive first year ☹️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrickeyTattoo Posted November 17, 2016 Report Share Posted November 17, 2016 3 hours ago, Nobbie said: I'm assuming the whining is due to low gas in the system and they're assuming a leaking condenser as the cause. It's a straightforward DIY project that many on here have done with condensers available at £60-70 each. If you haven't already done it, it's worth fitting mesh to your air intakes while the bumper is off to stop the ingress of leaves which can build up and rot the condensers. Expensive first year ☹️ Indeed but at the moment not essential due to winter I mainly have the Aircon off and the window slightly open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Bateman Posted November 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2016 Manual states the AC compressor switches off below about 3 degrees regardless. I actually find that quite annoying as it really helps when clearing the inside of the windscreen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Bateman Posted April 23, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2017 Well the same whine is back, I thought the A/C was a bit cr*p but it was hard to tell on the colder days. Using my thermapen placed at the vent the difference between as cold as possible with and without the AC on was about 10 degrees Fahrenheit. So it still works a bit but not very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxstercol Posted April 25, 2017 Report Share Posted April 25, 2017 Just had my air con regassed, its reading about 4degrees out of the centre vent on full. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Bateman Posted April 25, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2017 That's a bit better than the 15 Celsius I was getting! The good news is regardless of this I was going to be booking the car in for a service at SP Autobahn come May/June and the air con chap knows Stu there very well anyway so I'll kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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