So my climatronic air con isn't working, all the bits are there but the electric feed to be compressor clutch only reads 4.5v, it also reads 4.5v when the air con isn't on and also when the engine is completely off. Has anyone got any ideas about what wrong?

Thanks in advance!

Have a look under the battery. There is a module there which controls the radiator fans and the AC compressor. Might be something to do with that. AFAIK, it won't switch on the compressor unless it gets a signal from the ac pressure switch telling it that there's enough refrigerent in the system.

Thanks rk696, appologies its been so long for a response Ill admit to completely forgetting about this as in its own special way the air con fixed itself a couple of days afterwards, the compressor started working again! Very wierd! (Not that im in need of the air con at the moment given the temperature outside)

Thanks

The AC compressor wont operate below 4c (bit of info)

(Not that im in need of the air con at the moment given the temperature outside)

Aircon is disabled below 4c anyway, but above that its really good at keeping the windows demisted in damp conditions regardless of temperature. Aircon is not all about providing cold air, it can also be heated to provide hot air conditioned air.

Very true, leave it on as otherwise parts and seals may well fail and seize.

check you have both fans running as aircon will run both.

The fuse box above battery , check connections and also the fan control unit that is under the battery can play up

Aircon is not all about providing cold air, it can also be heated to provide hot air conditioned air.

Interesting, I always thought air con was pretty much about cooling the car in a similar way to a household fridge using a carnot cycle.

Air con works happily above 4degC, fingers crossed it stays that way.

James

It will dehumidify the air but then if you heat it up afterwards it will be warm and dry, which helps clear the windscreen.

So how come having air con on in winter demists the windscreen so much better than econ? For me its the difference between 20-30 seconds and 5 minutes in temps below 4oC. Above 4oC its even faster to demist.

Does the drier thingy still come on? Super technical that!

above 2C the aircon will work I think (it switches off when it reaches 2C and turn back ion at 4C - maybe a tech can enlighten us?)

if you set your climate to 30C it takes in the outside air, DRIES it, then heats it to 30C, this means it can remove the condensation from the windcreen much faster

if you run ECON, it just takes in outside air and heats it to 30C, the difference is with ECON the air has not been dried (or dehumidified)

Its a good idea to run AUTO all the time for this reason as it reduces condensation within the car

Edited 28 January, 201313 yr by STSKODA