Air Conditioning not working

[ger_uk]

Hi All,

I’ve just bought a Megane 1.5 DCI on a 04 plate. My problem is that when I press the air con button, nothing happens. On my other Megane you can hear a relay kick in, the engine changes tone as the radiator fan kicks in. I’ve checked all the fuses, but they’re fine. Does anyone know how I can diagnose this problem, is there a separate relay I can’t find or are there sensors to measure the gas pressure? Any help would be great.

Thanks

Ger

[IainMW]

Hi and welcome to the club

If you've only just bought it then you need to go back to your dealer and get them to fix the problem.

[meganeboy]

From what you say, sounds like there is no gas in the air con system!!

WHen I had my old Clio, I had punctured the air con radiator (due to a collission) and all the gas escaped. When I pressed the A/C button, it lit but there was no clicking noise.... take it to the dealer and ask them to check the system for any leaks

[xr25]

Could be either no pressure in the system or the pressure switch has failed.
XR25

[DaveP]

The gas level doesn't seem to need to drop much for it not to kick in. Mine had got to the stage where it would sometimes work but mostly not work. Oddly it would nearly always kick in if you went up a steep hill so I'm guessing the liquid refrigerant at the bottom of the system must have been coming out of the accumulator (low down below the washer bottle) and enabling the sensor to see some refrigerant and letting it switch the compressor on. Anyway, I got the dealer to vacuum out the gas and weigh it to see how low it was. There was 550g and the full charge is only 600g so it was only 50g short. They put the correct charge back in and its now working consistently so it seems that the loss of as little as 50g of gas is enough to stop it from working. Good luck getting yours fixed.

[ger_uk]

Hi and welcome to the club

If you've only just bought it then you need to go back to your dealer and get them to fix the problem.

Hi, Bought it from a garage 250 miles away, also having problems with the clutch being heavy, so currently in negotiations to get that fixed, don't like my chances with air con. To top it all off, the handfree is playing up, the sensors don't work and the lock buttons are intermittent. Begining to wish i left it on the Forecourt.

Thanks to everyone for their info, cheers

[man with megane II]

Hi,

Just read the thread, I have the same problem.

Aircon light comes on when button pressed, but no clicking of relay & no aircon.

I paid for the gas to be recharged but still no aircon. All fuses Ok.

Unfortunately for me the car (1.5DCI 100 megane tourer) is out of warranty.

Can anyone please help me!! Any advice appreciated.

Thanks.

[ger_uk]

Hi Megane Man,

I had mine tested for leaks and recharged. It only had 5 grams of gas in it, needed 550 grams. Worked fine after. Sounds like a sensor or relay may be faulty. May be worth having it checkout with a specialist, but probably won't be cheap. Then again, is anything to do with cars these days !

Good luck, hope it's nothing much....

[davelowe]

Best not try to operate the air con if it suddenly develops any kind of problem. Switch it off and get it checked asap. On my last car (nissan almera V plate) the aircon switch engaged a clutch that drove the pump. On that, the air con system also contains a lubricant which the pump needs in order not to seize. Not sure if its the same these days, or with renaults - it may be permenantly belt driven. Either way best to be cautious...

[man with megane II]

Hi,

I could check the relay myself, does anyone know where the relay is located?

If so, is access easy? The fuses in the engine bay are really difficult to get at or is it me being stupid!!

Also where would the sensor be, I could check for a loose connection.

Thanks.