Morning all,

Just hoped someone could clarify something for me please.

I know that in the Octy I the compressor doesn't engagage if the outside temp is below five degrees. I also know that if the aircon has been running during the journey when you switch off you get the trickling noise as all the water that was extracted from the air is dumped.

Are the two linked - I mean, is it the compressor that extracts the water from the air, and hence if it was less than five degrees outside you wouldn't get the "trickling" at the end of the journey?

Purely asking for my own knowledge, and hoping that my aircon is still working come summer!

The higher the humidity the more water you will get, the water forms when humid air goes over either the condensor or evaporator not sure which. As the air cools the water in the air returns to a liquid state and drains off, the compressor works on the air con coolant which is compressed then goes to the condenser by the radiator where it cools and becomes liquid. The liquid passes through a valve to the evaporator where it changes from high pressure liquid to low pressure gas, this change causes a further drop in temperature which cools the evaporator. hope this helps

Thanks, so I guess that leads me to ask are the compressor and evaporator/condensor all part of the same unit? I.e. if the compressor is not working, do the other two not funciton either?

I'm sure if I looked hard enough I could find a diagram on the net!

EDIT

And here it is....

Car Air Conditioning Specialists - Air con recharge, aircon parts, regassing, service, compressors, condensers

So I guess the compressor also circulates the liquid, so if the compressor is not engaged you are not going to get any airconditioning!

If the compressor is not working the refridgerant wont move in the system and so the aircon will not function. Maybe have it regassed first with dye in coolant to help identify leaks, costs between £40 and £70 and see if that helps before looking at changing the compressor

Also meant to add you will get less water build up in the cooler weather than in the heat of summer

Oh, I'm sure it is working (just not today because it is below 5!), I had it regassed and serviced last year (by CoolCar Aircon). I'm just one of those people who like to try and understand about how things work, even though I have no chance of fixing anything if it goes wrong!