Anyone had aircon problems yet? I'm getting an intermittent sqeal, only with the aircon running. Usually when its been on for a good while and usually when driven hard ie. high revs. Can I hope for a slipping belt or is there the potential for something more expensive? Must be due for a big bill, haven't spent anything on it for at least 3 months! - (#172) Ian Dunse, 23 May 01
ian, funnily enough, I had my system regassed today...
Check that the belt is tight, yes, but it's probably just the compressor's electric clutch not locking in quick enough.- mine does it the odd time when accelerating. - (#173) david miller, 23 May 01
David
Hope you're right, I'll take a look this weekend. If you don't mind me asking, how much did you pay for the re-gassing? Had mine done last year. I was warned off going to "cowboy" outfits so took it to a refridgeration specialist, found the name in yellow pages. He claimed that he found a leaking valve but could not trace all the pipes as there were "miles" of it that would have involved a lengthy (and costly) strip down. He then re-gassed the system at a total cost of £169 (I was expecting £80!). Apparently it probably needs doing every 4 years! Mind you using it over the past couple of days has been great, beats having a gale from an open window anytime.
Cheers
Ian - (#174) Ian Dunse, 23 May 01
I did all the checking of joint etc myself, and went to a local autoelectrician that also does aircon. They recovered 580g, evacuated the system, and filled it with 1200g. Cost was £50.
David - (#175) david miller, 23 May 01
David
Thanks for the feedback. I thought I had been stung. I'll shop around more next time.
Cheers
Ian - (#179) Ian Dunse, 24 May 01
David is right,i had the same problem,it has just cost me 400 for a new compressor and dryer for my E55 AMG! - (#1189) john henthorn, 6 Oct 01
i have just became the proud owner of a 1990 royal lounge 2.0td townie.am very impressed with every thing so far but have a problem with the air-con not working.have been told by a friend of mine who is a industrial air-con engineer that there is no coolant pressure in the system and it will need re-charging , something that he can do for me if i can found out what type of gas the system uses and the quantity of gas required.any info that anybody can give me on this would be greatly appreciated.another problem i seem to have is that although the air-con compressor belt spins with the engine running,when i switch on the air-con switch the pump does not seem to engage,i.e the front of the pulley does not begin to spin, could this be due to a faulty relay? - (#176) Peter Bennett, 23 May 01
If there's no gas in the system, a low pressure switch stops the compressor from cutting in to protect it.
Refrigerant is R-12,
quantities are
Front only 750g
F&R 1200- 1400g
f+R + fridge 1600g
HTH - (#178) david miller, 24 May 01
David,thanks for the info on the air-con system. Another question I hope you can help me with now , my townie is NOT fitted with a cooler box only front and rear systems. I have located two unions on the air-con pipework,one underneath by the n/s front wheel,the other by the expansion bottle near the compressor. Are these the only filling points or am I missing something? - (#190) Peter Bennett, 24 May 01
You are correct, the one in the wheelwell is the high pressure valve (the sight glass is beside it), the one at the compressor is the low-side or suction valve.
HTH - (#194) david miller, 25 May 01
THX very much for the info supplied - saved me a lot of heartache on this particular problem !!! May need some more help in future as am very new to these Jap imports but am enjoying it so far !!!
Hope I can turn to you for help in future.
THX - (#207) Peter Bennett, 25 May 01
After reading the info about the air con and not knowing when my purchased townie of two weeks had last been done. My fingers did the walking, I choose a local auto aircon firm, who turned up four hours later to do the job. They recovered 260g, pressure tested, dried the system out - deep vacum, added 1440g of R12 refrigerant and some mineral oil, Gas/leak test with electronic sniffer and treated both evaperators with antibacterial spray. Time taken just over an hour cost £68.00. They advised me that the original refrigerant is now illegal and that the particles of the R12 are a lot smaller and thus escape faster, recommending that it is done every 12 – 18 months this of cause could be just sales pitch for repeat business. What do you think? - (#286) John Hardman, 7 Jun 01
thanks for the info about re-charging below...
I have a mate who can re-fill air-con systems, and he tells me that R12 is now illegal (due to CFC issues, as of Dec I think)
there is a direct replacement gas that he can use - has anyone used this yet? - (#369) skippy, 28 Jun 01
It's illegal to produce R12, the only gas now available is reclaimed/recycled. There are a number of direct replacements available, or you can try your luck with R134a A search on the net will bring up a few options - (#370) David Miller, 28 Jun 01
After reading the info about the air con and not knowing when my purchased townie of two weeks had last been done. My fingers did the walking 2nd June, I choose a local auto aircon firm, who turned up four hours later to do the job. They recovered 260g, pressure tested, dried the system out - deep vacum, added 1440g of R12 refrigerant and some mineral oil, no mention that this gas was illegal, Gas/leak test with electronic sniffer and treated both evaperators with antibacterial spray. Time taken just over an hour cost £68.00. They advised me that the original refrigerant is now illegal and that the particles of the R12 are a lot smaller and thus escape faster, recommending that it is done every 12 – 18 months this appears not to be the whole truth. - (#407) John Hardman, 2 Jul 01
Sounds like you got a good deal there John. Just shows what a rip-off the motor industry can be, pays to shop around. Thanks for the info.
Ian - (#424) Ian Dunse, 4 Jul 01
Hi. Can anybody help? Firstly, does anyone know where I can have my air con system (2.0TD town ace) serviced in the Bristol/Bath areas (even a bit further out). I've just been quoted £180 from a repair centre down the road - surely not?? Also, my nearest air con specialist told me that air con imports contain R12 fluid which is illegal in UK. It would have to be changed to R134 and as the conversion is a lengthy process, he kindly told me he wouldn't touch it! Has anyone else come across this or is he telling me porkies? The air con keeps alternating between cutting out and kicking back in, but I have fitted a new belt. It's also not as cold as I thought it would be. I don't know where or when it was last done, so any help glady received!
regards
Barry - (#371) Barry Powell, 28 Jun 01
Porkies, I'm afraid. I recently had mine topped up with R12 for £50. And a conversion to R134a isn't too difficult,doing it perfectly is...
R12 can no longer be manufactured, but is being recycled AFAIK
HTH - (#372) David Miller, 28 Jun 01
Sounds like your air con does need charging. I had the same symptoms last year. Transpired I had a leak. I was informed or read somewhere that you should expect to have to recharge the aircon every 4 years so although I may have just missed the R12 issue for now, it is going to effect us all within the next 3/4 years. It would be interesting for other contributers of this site to share their experiences in this area.
Ian - (#378) Ian Dunse, 29 Jun 01
thanks david for info i still need to find a service manual on townace 4wd diesel 2ltr especilly on the electrical system thank you . - (#382) winston, 29 Jun 01
Join the queue!!! - (#383) David Miller, 30 Jun 01
can anybody suggest a reasonable air con firm in the Bristol area.One garage said "yeah no problem",They would need it for the day and it would cost around £180.I looked elswhere and was told if it was an import the R12 gas would need replacing with R134 and parts of the compressor and a valve would need replacing aswell, I`ve noticed on the message board that some garages are quite reasonable, any help would be appreciated
Barry - (#394) Barry Powell, 1 Jul 01
is it possible to check the aircon myself and if so how? - (#951) RON COE, 31 Aug 01
Umm, does it cool? Seriously, though. It should cool the air to 10C below ambient, or 5C, whichever is lower. Also check the sight glass when it's running. Sight glass is in front of LH front wheel on 4x4 versions, in front of the rad on cr21.
You should see fluid with the odd bubble. Continuous bubbles, foam or nothing indicates a problem. - (#957) David Miller, 1 Sep 01
Is it normal to hear occasional clicking while the air conditioning is on, seems to be the compressor switching on and off. We've got a townace super extra 2.0td 4wd auto 90 model. - (#1290) ali, 26 Oct 01
Yes, the compressor cycles when the air leaving the chiller reaches about 5oC - (#1291) David Miller, 27 Oct 01
Thanks; thought it might have been low on gas....
- (#1299) Ali, 27 Oct 01
Is there some servicing that i need to be aware of to get the air con working properly? I have read somewhere that some liquid needs topping up or replenishing. Could you please help.
Many thanks - (#2729) Andy Stancliffe, 22 Apr 02
Just want to say thanks to you guys again, Im a former townie owner but now have an estima, still use this site though as quite a lot of things cross reference between the 2 vehicles. I just got my "lucy" regassed and the air con is like siberia now thanks to a posting that i found on this site. Thanks once again and keep up the brill work. These vehicles, the townace and the estima are tremendous vehicles, made all the better by the help given on sites like these!!!!
- (#8170) phil elliott, 23 Apr 03 9:17
Hey Phil
weren't you going to write us a little piece on the differences between the two vehicles saying where one scores points over the other?
- (#8171) Ian Dunse, 23 Apr 03 9:26
Good idea, I'd be very interested in a comparison.
- (#8172) Rob Storer, 23 Apr 03 10:26
bought some wynns aircon deodoriser today ..instructions say squirt it into interior air intake with aircon off.. but my question is WHERE DO I FIND THE INTERIOR AIR INTAKE ? detailed instructions please lol
- (#9048) ron coe, 9 Jun 03 16:40
It's behind the glove compartment and, for easy access, just take the drop down cover away. It's correctly called the re-circulation intake so, make sure that you slide the control lever over to the recirculation position.
- (#9049) John Davis, 9 Jun 03 17:10
took the glove box out last night but for the life of me i couldnt find the intake, HELP
- (#9050) ron coe, 10 Jun 03 9:55
It's right up in behind the l/h dash vent. Move the recirculate lever, you'll see a flap move.
Or remove the passenger side corner light, and spray up behind the headlamp. That's where the external inlet is.
- (#9051) david miller, 10 Jun 03 11:38
I've just bought a toyota estima enima and would like to know what bulbs to put into the fog lights. I know they are 12v 35w but cant find the correct fitment anywhere
- (#9186) Michael Winchcombe, 16 Jun 03 16:34
Does anyone know a contact for exhaust systems rather than going through a main dealer?
- (#9531) Ian Lawrence, 7 Jul 03 11:08
Hi all just thought you might like to no you can get your aircon regassed at Beverad Riverside Works Hull Bridge Beverley East Yorkshire .tel 01482 860876 .it cost me £94 it took one hour to do and it was R12 gas
- (#9617) steve, 12 Jul 03 14:53
Having air con gas changed tomorrow at 12.00.
I phoned 2 specialist local both said they use R49 gas.
Price £60 no vat. Is this ok. Please be quick if not so I can stop.
Thanks Phil
- (#9578) Phil, 10 Jul 03 16:45
My hiace was charged with 416a gas a few months back - I don't know anything about gas but the price quoted is very good.
You may find your answer in 'ace answers' while waiting for a more informed response
Chris
- (#9579) chris turner, 10 Jul 03 17:22
thanks for reply chris.
- (#9580) phil, 10 Jul 03 17:42
There are a dozen or so R12 alternatives on the market. People who do the job will no doubt have their favourites, mixing additives to get a good result as suits them. You are really leaving it up to their "expertise" I suppose. Purists would say that R134a is the best alternative. The main thing is to ensure you get some form of guarantee.
- (#9581) Ian Dunse, 11 Jul 03 1:57