Cooling fans and AC not working

[Excision]

Morning Folks,

 

My '07 PD170 vRS is getting-on in life and developing a fair few issues.

 

Today's topic - the car's cooling fans never run and my AC doesn't work. Is there an easy way to check if the fan unit (complete with AC controller built in) is dead? Otherwise it is take a punt and replace the whole thing at a cost of ~£300. Would like to fix this myself, rather than go down the garage route. My basic OBDII reader is of no help and I do not have VCDS.

 

Any advice or pointers gratefully received.

 

Thank you.

[Aston_Bodger]

I had this same thing with my 2007 VRS last year, it was the compressor that had failed, so had the system degassed and changed the condenser (the radiator looking thing at the very front of the rad pack, took me 3.5 hours to do it as the whole front end has to come off), and changed the compressor, and that cured the problem.

 

Got the parts from eurocarparts, so now I have a Nippon Denso compressor on the car not a Valeo that came with it.

 

Another way is to check the compressor shut off codes with VDCS

 

Hope this helps

 

Trev

[Excision]

Hi Trev, thank you for the reply and a potential solution. vRS's of this vintage can be a right bug9er. Were both the components you replaced dead at the same time? Rough luck if they were.

 

How is it that a failed condenser/compressor stops the engine's cooling fans completely from working? The fans are required to keep the car cool in high temps, so I am surprised an A/C component failure would knock them out and prevent them from fulfilling their primary purpose. I'd love to know if there is a DIY diagnostic test for the fans themselves.

 

Cheers.

 

[Aston_Bodger]

If you have VDCS you can check the fans work by doing a system check, its in the engine  group 01, adaption I think, its been a bit since I did mine.

 

The manufacturer of the compressor recommends changing the condenser anyway, tried to get just the drier pack from the dealers and they went though about 5 changes, you cannot just buy the drier pack now you have to buy a complete condenser £250!!!!!, hence why I got mine from eurocarparts used the discount code and got 25% off so I got it for less than £100, compressor was £230, degas was £20, regas was £30, a lot better than £1500 dealer would have charged, mine you I'm a mechanic so that helps.

 

I think its a fail safe, when the A/C is running it need air drawn though the condenser to cool it down so the fans run at high speed to assist with this, on mine it was the N 280 valve on the compressor, the Valeo ones you cant get them on their own?, Sanden I think you can get them, just held in with a circlip, but remove the gas first, and get a short drive belt, just to take the compressor out of the system as these run all the time and no lube they soon pack up, you will need one to move the car to have it regassed.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

Trev