Cab Air Con (Fiat Ducato) (1 Viewer)

[ontheroadagain]

The air con in our 18 month old motorhome doesn't feel very cold.
I am awaiting delivery of a cheap air con thermometer from ebay, but how cold should the air be coming from the vents?

 

[Geoff185]

Probably wants regassing, they will check for leaks as part of the process. If leak detected they will add a dye to find it.

 

[ontheroadagain]

Probably wants regassing

But should it need regassed at 18 months old?
(I always run the air con on every trip for at least 10 or 15 minutes even if it is not required).

 

[Sue and Rick]

Take it back under warranty if it’s only 18 months old

 

[Geoff185]

Warranty is interesting on this, can claim condenser damaged ( stone etc ) and therefore not covered. Had this on VW Golf, warranty did not cover

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[RustyRuss]

Run the vehicle with the aircon on it‘s maximum cold setting with the fan on 2-3 setting. After about 1-2 minutes you will hear the engine revs rise slightly as the aircon pump kicks in, if there is plenty of gas in the system it will run for 2-3 minutes then the engine revs will drop slightly, they will rise again in a minute or so as the pump kicks back in. If the pump and engine revs rise for only short periods of time, say 10-20 seconds, then you’re running out of gas. Make sure when you get it re-gassed that they add fluorescent dye to show where potential leaks are, and lubricant to keep the seals gas tight. I had ours re-gassed this time last year, full hit of 0.55kg of gas, lubricant extra, dye extra. Got it re-gassed about 8 days ago before we came away to France and it had about 0.15kg left in it, it still worked but wasn’t very cold. Cost me £85 from my extremely tame and extremely accommodating garage, Horseshoe Garage, Kingsley, near Frodsham. Our moho wasn’t used for more than 1000 miles between arriving home from France in first week of July 2022 and leaving for France on 16th June 2023. It worked perfectly when it went in to storage for the winter in late September 2022. Laying up isn’t kind to aircon. As Mark at Horseshoe said, “Run it all the time when the engine is on, the slightly increased fuel consumption is less costly than the re-gas”

Hope this helps!!

Cheers!

Russ

 

[RustyRuss]

Doubt that lack of gas in the aircon will be covered under warranty……

 

[ontheroadagain]

Take it back under warranty if it’s only 18 months old

I do have it booked in for them to check, but just wondering how cold it should be.

 

[RustyRuss]

It should be cold enough that when the vents on the dashboard point at your hands on the steering wheel it becomes to cold to steer after about 3 mins and you have to direct them into the cabin or at your lower torso or head!

Russ

 

[Sue and Rick]

I would guess at the minimum setting on the air con unit, or just a little below to get it to that temp then slow the fan. Mine in the car is too cold at 16 C

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Folkranger]

The air con in our 18 month old motorhome doesn't feel very cold.
I am awaiting delivery of a cheap air con thermometer from ebay, but how cold should the air be coming from the vents?

It should be very cold, and fairly quickly. My car air con has started to not get cold and I compared it with that in the motorhome, really cold.

 

[ontheroadagain]

It should be cold enough that when the vents on the dashboard point at your hands on the steering wheel it becomes to cold to steer after about 3 mins and you have to direct them into the cabin or at your lower torso or head!

It is definitely not that cold.
I spoke to the service manager at the Fiat Professional garage I use and he said that the air
should be 8 deg C or below as it exits the vents. I have it booked in for them to check for leaks and re gas if necessary.

 

[lottie6]

my aircon failed at 12 months, repaired under warranty by fiat who replaced a hose that had been rubbing on a sensor & lost refridgerant.
apparently this is quite common in ducato, mine is 2021 burstner

 

[royandsharont]

If it’s an auto box I believe there will be no venting properly to the drivers footwell and this may add to the overall feeling of warmth. Design fault

 

[Bramidan]

If it’s an auto box I believe there will be no venting properly to the drivers footwell and this may add to the overall feeling of warmth. Design fault

Well that answers a question! The occupier of the passenger seat always tinkers with the a/c claiming her feet are cold whilst mine are comfortable.
I do find both the a/c and the heater are not exactly quick compared to our car.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Burgo]

Ours went on the wonk due to the temperature sensor on the wing mirror failing. Is your exterior temperature displayed correctly on the dashboard?

 

[ontheroadagain]

Is your exterior temperature displayed correctly on the dashboard?

Yes, it appears to be correct.

 

[ontheroadagain]

If it’s an auto box I believe there will be no venting properly to the drivers footwell and this may add to the overall feeling of warmth. Design fault

It has a manual box.
The air con does work, it just isn't very cold.

 

[Burgo]

It has a manual box.
The air con does work, it just isn't very cold.

Have you checked the fresh air filter - they get flagged up with insects, pollen, small leaves, dog hair ets etc.

 

[ontheroadagain]

Have you checked the fresh air filter - they get flagged up with insects, pollen, small leaves, dog hair ets etc.

Thanks. I will check that too.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Zigisla]

I have just had mine done. Although nearly 8 years old. The “aircon man” says many motors are not fully charged from new so not too cold at 18 months wouldn’t be unusual. 195g were removed from mine and the correct 950g replaced. At testing the temp was down to 3.8° which was exceptional. 7° is considered good.
Hope this helps

 

[mikebeaches]

The air con in our 18 month old motorhome doesn't feel very cold.
I am awaiting delivery of a cheap air con thermometer from ebay, but how cold should the air be coming from the vents?

I have had a similar problem with my cab a/c - I wrote about it here a couple of days ago.

Fiat Ducato cab air con

Seeking advice and wisdom on getting the cab air conditioning condenser replaced on my 2016 130hp Fiat Ducato. A/C stopped working in France last summer, where I got it re-gassed and all OK. :giggle: But a year on and no longer working again. :cry: We have an auto A/C specialist a couple of...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Two points to add: my van is older than yours and has its 7th birthday next week.

The air con specialist said he was getting a reading of 4 degrees centigrade after it was re-gassed on Wednesday.

 

[mikebeaches]

...Cost me £85 from my extremely tame and extremely accommodating garage, Horseshoe Garage, Kingsley, near Frodsham. Our moho wasn’t used for more than 1000 miles between arriving home from France in first week of July 2022 and leaving for France on 16th June 2023. It worked perfectly when it went in to storage for the winter in late September 2022. Laying up isn’t kind to aircon. As Mark at Horseshoe said, “Run it all the time when the engine is on, the slightly increased fuel consumption is less costly than the re-gas”

Russ

Small world - we used to live in Kingsley and know the Horseshoe Garage well!

Mind that was a good few years ago now...

Glad to hear they are still delivering top service.

 

[ontheroadagain]

The air con specialist said he was getting a reading of 4 degrees centigrade after it was re-gassed on Wednesday.

Good result.
Did you find a leak or is a case of "wait and see"?

 

[mikebeaches]

Good result.
Did you find a leak or is a case of "wait and see"?

Just at the moment, it is 'wait and see', but I suspect the expert's view that it looked as though part of the condenser appeared in poor condition, is probably right. He put some dye in with the re-gas, so hopefully it should become apparent where the problem lies.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[TrudeandDall]

But should it need regassed at 18 months old?
(I always run the air con on every trip for at least 10 or 15 minutes even if it is not required).

Recently had my 8 month old Ducato regassed under warranty. It was not cold at all, when it was checked it was found that a Schrader valve had been leaking all of the gas out. New valve and a re-gas and we are now cold again.

 

[Landy Andy]

I have just had mine done. Although nearly 8 years old. The “aircon man” says many motors are not fully charged from new so not too cold at 18 months wouldn’t be unusual. 195g were removed from mine and the correct 950g replaced. At testing the temp was down to 3.8° which was exceptional. 7° is considered good.
Hope this helps

Do you have rear air con?
550g if front a/c and 950g if front and rear a/c.

 

[donkey]

I believe the dye used is only visible under ultra violet light. I use a small UV torch.

Geoff

 

[Zigisla]

Do you have rear air con?
550g if front a/c and 950g if front and rear a/c.

I’ll check when I get back. He did ask at the time, but I have the bill for 950g.

 

[EuroTrotters]

Mercedes (enza ( now e-star)) Trafford park wouldn’t repair mine under warranty,

The condenser was leaking due to corrosion.

They also quoted me double the standard price because it was a flash motorhome.

I’m an Automotive A/C technician so fix it myself for around £145 at the time

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}