Victor Soo

Hi guys,

A newbie here. I am at my wits end as I have been without AC for close to 3 months. In my region it is tropical weather and living without the AC is unbearable. My model unfortunately is not that common here.

I went to the AC guy and initially he fixed a leak. However I got my back banged in a minor accident as as a result the AC Econ mode keeps kicking in buy itself. The AC guy reckon it is because the grounding/earthing wires for the pressure sensor are located at the back and he fixed this. He did say there were 2 other grounding/earthing wires located at the back which he had no idea what they were for and he left them alone.

After this was fixed the AC lasted me 2 days before another leak happened which drained me of all my AC coolant. AC guy said he found the discharge of my condenser to be very hot indicating that the fans are not "powerful" enough. Both my Big fan and small fan are still running with the small fan feeling much stronger. When ignition is off. the big fan blades rotates easily with a slight tug. AC guy said possibly fan clutch or whole fan needs to be replaced but he is not familiar enough with the car to take it apart.

I have been reading many audi forums hoping to narrow down the problem but I have not found a case exactly like mine. Would appreciate any input & help I can get here!

jcman

First thing, if you are losing refrigerant gas then you have a leak.

Second, the high pressure switch is designed to stop the compressor from damage to it and the system from forced leaks as a result of higher than rated pressures.

The best way to remedy the problem is to look for any vagcom codes and leak check the system repair the leak and follow the recharge procedure to a tee, or find someone that knows what they are doing because over charging will cause more problems and so will sealant additives "not all will" but most do, the red flag here is the "AC guy" makes no remark about pressure readings instead he remarks on a hot discharge line from the condenser? I think the proper comment would be the line to the condenser and that would be normal if you live in a rocket-hot region.

Victor Soo

thanks jcman. After a few more rounds of checking I was asked to change th radiator fan clutch first. According to the "ac guy" he fixed the leak but it only lasts for around 2 weeks before it leaks again due to my fan no longer speeding up according to the speed/temperature. Changing the fan clutch this week and keeping my fingers crossed!

georgeb944

You are getting hosed. A leak will not be fixed by changing the fan clutch. A leak will be fixed by finding the leak and replacing the part that is leaking.

Victor Soo

I think you missed something, I better clarify. He said that he fixed the leak multiple times but it can't last 2 weeks coz of the fan not doing it's job.

So he will only re-fix the leak once the fan is sorted out. Hope this makes it clearer.

SloopJohnB@mac.com

You can't just 'fix' a leak unless it's a bad O-ring or seal. A leaking evaporator or condenser is generally 'fixed' by replacing the leaking component. And thereafter a dying fan won't cause it to leak again.