I would greatly appreciate good advice by your expertise. This weekend I took out the Maranello (550) for a ride and noticed that no cold air comes out of the vents, irrespective of what the position of the temperature selector ist. I checked fuse 20 and relais M, both are OK. Relais M clicks upon operation of the "stop" button. I also believe to hear that the compressor appears to come in and out upon pressing and depressing of this button (slightly different running noise also). Looking at the window of the dryer, it appears that the refrigerant is there (small dancing bubble if "stop" is not pressed and nothing to see if "stop" is pressed). Also, the defect came up apparently instantly, i.e. no decrease in cooling over the time. Thus, it seems that the refrigerant is not low. If I turn the temperatur selector fully clockwise, emerging air becomes hot. If I turn the temperature selector fully anti-clockwise, the fan blows full, but the air emerging the vents has just the environmental temperature. I presently nevertheless suspect some defect in the climate control unit (center console). Is this a likely thought? Any other suggestions? Thanks in advance, Cheers, Bernhard
You might want to pull off the lower belt cover and verify that the compressor is actually engaging. If not, could be anything from low pressure to a failed clutch.
If you are getting the small bubbles when the button is in the run position that shows that the compressor is moving Freon but it shouldn't have bubbles in it, you are probably just low on Freon from a slow leak and it finally went below the working level. Get one of the Freon top off kits from an Auto Parts Store and put one can of Freon in the system as instructed by the instructions included with kit and see if that helps, DO NOT put more than one can of Freon in it, if that doesn't do it, take it to an Automotive Air Conditioning Shop. Take it to a Ferrari Dealer at your own risk, but they will quite often start the repair process with a new $4100.00 compressor. Chuck
Hm, thanks for the thoughts. Though, it is not foaming, just one single (!) small bubble dancing around below the window. This is why I (at the moment) suppose that the freon is still up to pressure, and the dancing bubble an indication that the freon is being moved in the system. If there were a slow leak, I would believe that the cooling power decreases with time, but not suddenly between two weekends? At least the old aircons behave like that, if the cooling power decreases,this was an indication of dropping pressure. If it were a fast leak, there would be real foam in the dryer window? And furthermore, in any case the pressure check switch located in the drier would cut out the compessor clutch at below 2 bar. If the freon pressure were too low, the clutch would stay inactive (assuming that the switch is OK). Well thats why I try thinking first, before going to Ferrari, because they indeed will presumably start replacing everything until it works, step by step, and every (wrong) step paid with $$$$$ by me ....
Start with the simple stuff first. Mine was only 1lb low on Freon when it stopped blowing cold. Adding a little Freon brought it back to the usual "meat locker" level of cool.
Freon can be bought on ebay. R34A. It can come with a sealer and a guage built in. Try that first a cheap fix. If not use a dye to look for leaks. If necessary replace the dryer evacuate the system and replenish. ( you will need a vacuum pump for this) I am not an expert on AC ,but all my cars run cold with my little fixes.
Check for a feed at the compressor when the a/c is on. It's a green cable with a black connector on it. If you are getting a feed here it's likely there is refrigerant in the system and the control panel etc is working. If there is a feed, disconnect the compressor plug and check the compressor side of the connector for continuity to earth. If it's open circuit the clutch pack is burnt out. The most common cause of this is oil leaking into it from cam seals/rocker gaskets etc. if there is no 12v feed when the system is switched on, I'd check the refrigerant amount first. Don't bother with the gas in a can crap, have someone hook it up to a machine and check it properly. Have a look around the centre of the a/c compressor for signs of green/ AC oil, they can leak between the compressor halves. Also check the drain tubes for the same in case the evaporator is leaking. Pull the right hand forward wheel arch trim out and check the bottom of the drier bottle isn't rusted through as people often don't bother changing them and they rot out. If you need an AC compressor there is a place I use in the uk who refurb them for around £450, pm me if you need their details..
Thanks a lot to all for the hints, I will report about the cause. Rustybits, if the compressor needs rebuilding, I will be happy to inquire about the place in the UK
I have now checked by testing the min/max switch located at the dryer bottle. It has 3 functions. 1) cuts out the magnet clutch at pressures below 2 bar, 2) cuts out the magnet clutch at pressures above 25 bar, and 3) switches on the auxilliary fan at pressures above 15 bar. There are four contacts, but I do not know the internal circuits. However, considering the above, it seems clear that if none of the contacts has low resistance to any of the other contacts, then the pressure must be below 2 bar. The other option, pressure above 15 bar, would lead to (whichever) 2 contacts having low resistance in any case, since then the auxilliary fan would need to be switched on. For measuring it is helpful to remove the connector assembly for the right headlight. This is done most convenient by releasing the bolt securing the whole assembly rather than disconnecting the connector. Watch out not to let anything fall down. The connector of the mix/max switch is removed by feeling the underside of the plug for a resilent securing wire running across the bottom. Push this wire against the plug body and, holding it pushed, pull off the plug. The contacts are not visible, but accessable to normal test wire tips. They are oriented horizontally and arranged in a horizontal row, making "blind" contacting with the tips quite straight forward, you can feel the gaps between the contacts. It is possible to measure the resistance between all contacts and if none of the measurements shows low resistance, then (I believe from logic) the pressure is low. The engine does not need to run for this test, obviously. Seems to be a quite straightforward and easy check for low system pressure. I will now bring the car to the local Ferrari workshop for filling up the system (including leak check). And have them check in particular the dryer bottle bottom, as recommended by Rustybits. The car needs MOT anyway this month.
P.S.: According to the wiring diagram in the workshop manual, the two contact pairs within the min/max switch are potential-free, i.e. none switches through to the body (earth).
Bad idea. They don't stand by their work and don't take responsibility for the damage caused by their shoddy work.
Bear has a good reputation and from what you said, they did a second rebuild on their dime when yours failed. Expecting them to cover all the labor is probably being a bit optimistic.
You're probably right about the expectations aspect. But why shouldn't we expect that they take responsibility for their negligent work? Isn't that an essential part of what makes a vendor reputable? If they don't take responsibility for damages caused by their faulty work how can they be considered "reputable"?
