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Airco compressor doesn’t kick in

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Guido   
Thu May 17 2018, 12:24pm
Joined: Sep 08 2016
Member No: #2777
Location: Beaulieu
Hi All,

The system has been filled but the compressor will not kick in. The compressor needs to be replaced according to the garage. However, with the help of Lexia the clutch of the compressor can be switched on/off. Am I correct in thinking that the pressure switch is not working so that the refrigerant cannot circulate? Can it be replaced without losing all of the refrigerant? Merci.
MGmike   
Thu May 17 2018, 01:59pm
Joined: May 21 2017
Member No: #3151
Location: South Queensferry
Guido wrote ...

Hi All,

The system has been filled but the compressor will not kick in. The compressor needs to be replaced according to the garage. However, with the help of Lexia the clutch of the compressor can be switched on/off. Am I correct in thinking that the pressure switch is not working so that the refrigerant cannot circulate? Can it be replaced without losing all of the refrigerant? Merci.


The compressor needs to be running to fill the system with refrigerant! You have probably only filled the low pressure side!

If you can operate the clutch from lexia, I would do so with the engine running and ensure the system fills completely.

If it still won't run after fully filling/pressurising the high side of the system you are right to look at the pressure switch. I suspect it will lose the refrigerant when removed but others may know better...

cruiserphil   
Fri May 18 2018, 10:09am

Joined: Jan 24 2010
Member No: #38
Location: Celbridge
Hello Guido,

This happened to me and another forum member before. - Click Here -. What happened was that the system was filled but when ambient temperatures rose the system pressure increased and the pressure switch shut down the system. Before changing your pressure sensor or compressor, get the gas released in small steps and see if the system starts working again.

Best regards,

Phil C.
Guido   
Sat May 19 2018, 01:24pm
Joined: Sep 08 2016
Member No: #2777
Location: Beaulieu
Thank you very much for your replies, but they leave me a bit confused. The boss of the garage says that he began by charging the system partially while adding a tracer to check for leakages. There were none, so he fully charged the circuit (and charged me 89 euros) but told me that the compressor needed to be replaced. I took the car (C6 2.7 hdi which has done some 146000 kms) home and played around with the Lexia. I found that the clutch of the compressor could be operated but only when the engine is not running. If the clutch is bad, it can be replaced without replacing the entire compressor.
How could the garage fill the system when the compressor was not running? Did he really fill the system or is he just pretending? For when I tried to release some of the pressure from the high as well as the low side, no refrigerant came out!
Since there is no more refrigerant to be lost, I can safely replace the pressure switch, part number 6455.Z3. I was told that it sits near the right front wheel. Some pressure switches come with a built-in valve so that it can be replaced with only a minimal loss of refrigerant. We will see. I think I will buy a set to fill the system myself. I am not afraid to replace the compressor myself, as I already have had to remove it once, together with the alternator, to replace the coolant inlet house, but I am not looking forward to do so.
Even though I live in France, where the C6 was designed and made, it is very difficult to find a capable garage. Sadly, this not my first bad experience with a garage in my neighborhood. Perhaps I should look for a garage in Paris, where the majority of the 10000 C6’s sold in France drive around. A friend of mine said to try Garage Johan Oldenhage in Holland, who specializes in C6, where according to him many Belgians and even French find solace, some 800 kms to the north. Probably worth it.
Regards,
Guido.
 

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