Fiat x290 cab aircon

[jezport]

Yesterday I noticed that the aircon wasn't blowing icy cold air, now it was 10 to 12 degrees so it was hard to tell. But when I get in my old Jag the air feels icy.

Ive never really noticed it as being particularly cold air from the Fiat but im wondering if it is normal or a fault. I know the compressor is cutting in and I know modern vehicles have compressors which work at varying rates. So is it faulty? Is it that at lower ambient temperatures the aircon will only cool slightly and just run the compressor at low output? Or does it need a regas? Maybe it never had enough gas from the factory.
The van is 2 1/2 years old.

 

[Neckender]

Can’t help you Jez, but we travelled down to Spain a couple of years ago and I said to Pat this aircon is not very good as I couldn’t feel icy air.
We pulled up at a service station mid day and when I got out of the van the heat just hit me, so obviously the air on was working fine.

John.

 

[Minxy]

We find that it works fine in our camper, in both extremely hot and not quite so hot temperatures so I wonder if part of the reason could be due to your larger roof height?

 

[Richard n Ann]

I'd be surprised if your 2.5 year old van has lost it's AC gas.
Sometimes I think our car AC isn't very cold then I realise the heater is partly on

 

[jezport]

Heater isnt on and its 10deg outside around 15 inside. Aircon is working ( can hear clutch click but I would expect air of under 5deg to come out of vents around 10 deg.

Can feel air temp from vents drop slightly but not much. I wonder if its working but due to the outdoor temperature being low it knows and doesnt chill too much.

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[Blue Knight]

The Fiat aircon system is designed for the EU market so the compressor and auxiliary kit is not exactly huge, plus, there's the obvious giveaway in the title that this is for cab use and not for a huge MoHo space such as a Revolution van.

Still, that said, it should be knocking out cold air so are there any signs of the following:

1. Is there any associated smell when you switch the AC on?

2. Is there a good increase in air flow when you turn the air speed up from 1 to 4 etc?

3. Is there any difference in the temps when the van is moving as opposed to when it's sitting idling on the drive?

4. How often do/have you used it?

There could be a few things here from small leaks in the pipework to a blocked filter to A damaged front condensor from road debris tax.

I haven't got any specific experience of the Ducato system but we had constant AC issues pertaining to the above points when I lived in the Middle East - our Toyota Landcruisers were always suffering from problems of this nature.

 

[SpeedyDux]

The X290 cab AC is a bit weedy compared with a decent car system but better than nothing. It can take a while to feel the benefit on a sunny day.

I sometimes forget it needs the fan setting to be at least 1 otherwise nothing happens.

 

[two]

Strangely, the Fiat aircon is about the only thing I haven't criticised on my van.
Fiat is positively the worst form of transport I've had the misfortune to own.

 

[Jonno1103]

Air con, use it or lose it, notional life expectancy of air con gas is two years. They're not just about cold air, they also produce warm filtered air when used in conjunction with a vehicles ventilation system. Our systems in the cars and the motorhome are never turned off.

Personally I find it a bit strange that even car owners ignore their air con especially as irregularly used unserviced systems have be found to contain the legionella bacteria.

Ideally I'd have it checked every year if your van is only used periodically. if in use regularly I'd still maintain a 2 year service interval.

 

[jezport]

Ok,
Had an automotive aircon specialist out.
He first of all noticed leaked aircon oil on the high pressure filling valve and cap. He emptied the system. Fitted a new valve and vacuumed and refilled the system.
There was only around 150g of the 550g gas in the system, so it had lost a good proportion of the gas if it had been correctly filled by Fiat in the first place.
The vent temperature is now dropping to 2 degrees.
So fingers crossed that the issue is sorted.

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[joka250]

Air con, use it or lose it, notional life expectancy of air con gas is two years. They're not just about cold air, they also produce warm filtered air when used in conjunction with a vehicles ventilation system. Our systems in the cars and the motorhome are never turned off.

Personally I find it a bit strange that even car owners ignore their air con especially as irregularly used unserviced systems have be found to contain the legionella bacteria.

Ideally I'd have it checked every year if your van is only used periodically. if in use regularly I'd still maintain a 2 year service interval.

Excellent advice. Spent years telling customers this, most ignored it, to their cost.

 

[Allanm]

Lots of people don’t use their air con in the belief that it reduces mpg. If it does, I doubt you would notice it.
Ours is in all the time in the car and van. It helps keep condensation at bay in the winter, provides fresh filtered air all year round and ensures the air con system system and seals are well lubricated.

 

[Blue Knight]

I'm one of the worst offenders as I keep the AC off as it gives me a splitting headache and a dry throat.

 

[Larby]

Ok,
Had an automotive aircon specialist out.
He first of all noticed leaked aircon oil on the high pressure filling valve and cap. He emptied the system. Fitted a new valve and vacuumed and refilled the system.
There was only around 150g of the 550g gas in the system, so it had lost a good proportion of the gas if it had been correctly filled by Fiat in the first place.
The vent temperature is now dropping to 2 degrees.
So fingers crossed that the issue is sorted.

Now you just need a hot summer to justify it

 

[Mikeco]

My cheap version works fine.

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