Air Con Not Working

[Daviduk1]

Is this a UK forum?
Not sure if I have posted in the correct section.


The air con on my 2007 Nissan Pathfinder Trek is not working. When I tried to have it repressurised it was not holding gas. I don't know if there are any any air con pipes going back through the chassis which I know can be an issue. I think not, as there is not a third row of seats. The vent to the rear seats is at the rear of the centre console. Can I use compressed air to pressurise the system and listen for any leaks?
I think there is a diagnostic program but suspect that without finding the leaks it will not give any useful information.
What can a check myself. I don't mind spending a couple of hundred getting it sorted I do have insurance with Warranty Direct and will check what that covers.

 

[jims-terrano]

Hi yes mainly uk but of course anyone can join so yes we do have membership from other countries too which is great.
I’m not up on pathfinders myself but surely there will be an AC specialist in cheshire area who can fill with an inert gas with a dye to allow them to trace leaks.
They’ll be busy at the moment though, good look.

 

[solarman216]

OK like most mobile systems you have lost gas due to a leak, most are due to Ali pipe support rubbers holding salt and subsequently corroding till the pipe perforates, no you cannot use compressed air to find the leak, it is full of moisture which will be difficult to remove from the system, you need dry nitrogen or 134a gas but at £30 a Kg is expensive for leak finding, but unless you can hire a nitrogen bottle and regulator might be your only alternative, problem is once you find the leak the replacement pipe is likely to cost an arm and a leg, if you have a very skilled Ali welder local then you may be able to get your pipe sleeved and repaired but not easy, Rick

 

[macabethiel]

Air Conditioning

Your air conditioning will usually have a compressor, an evaporator, a condenser plus a dryer/accumulator, expansion valve & pipework.

Most places will initially re-gas your system with a marker dye included - purple is common. If there is a substantial loss of the air con gas the dye will quickly locate the leak as you will see the dye stain. The likes of Halfords will charge around £50 mark to do this, EU regulations mean that only a suitably qualified person can carry out this re-gas so not all garages offer the service.

You might be lucky and a re-gas will find no leak so you are sorted - even a good system will need a re-gas after several years use especially if it is not switched on during the winter period, in my experience the evaporator is often the culprit but that is just a guess.

My old Nissan Terrano R3mR system worked fine even though it was an N reg - they were pretty well made. I have seen condensers on the likes of Mercs that have failed due to dead leaves lying in the bottom of the matrix and rotting the unit.