Air Con went BANG when I switched it on. Help!

[Green440wedge]

Some experienced advice would be appreciated!

The car was hot today inside under the sun showing 32 degrees on the outside temp gauge. I left the engine running when I stopped and parked up for 10 minutes as I had a fridge plugged in the boot.

I decided to turn on the A/C. However it went BANG under the bonnet and a gushing of gas could be heard and vapour could be seen exiting the bonnet and grill. I turned it off. I can't see anything looking down the front of the engine to the compressor.

I am guessing a seal has blown on a connecting pipe to the compressor. I don't use the a/c much but I have never had a problem with it. Could it be the compressor itself though?

Any good ideas would be appreciated!

[oilit]

may be worth checking around the AC intercooler /piping to me - but without knowing where the leak has come from hard to be precise. you may still be able to see where the oil dampness has leaked from

[oragex]

Is the serpentine belt fine ? That would be my worry, especially on the D5 engine.

[barrybritcher]

use a UV light - most AC gas has UV dye in the lubricant oil

[wynnj]

If the compressor has seized you probably won't be able to turn the engine over on the starter.
Have you checked to see if the A/C radiator or one of the flexible hoses hasn't split; a UV lamp as suggested previously would help locate the source of the leak?

[dingov70]

Hello there , sorry to read about your A/C . You need to step back from the panic surging through your system & start logically searching for the location of the fault .

Seeing as how you could see vapour exiting from the bonnet / grill , the most likely cause would be the condenser , the dryer unit or pipe /hose . It should be fairly easy to locate the leak .

As the gas has all run away , there is nothing stopping you using compressed air to "fill " the system and listen & look for any hissing or signs of oil mist . You will not require the engine to be running for this . Once the system has been repaired , the vacuum & purging process will draw out any moisture prior to the injection of oil & refrigerant gas . Surprisingly large chain tyre retailers are very competitive on pricing & offer guarantees , speaking nicely to one may also speed up your fault finding process as the can charge the system with dry nitrogen .

A/C condensers are prone to corrosion & impact damage due to being mounted behind the grill . This weakens the tubes and finally bursts occur . Aluminium is wonderful but does have its drawbacks

Hope this helps , good luck

[Green440wedge]

Thanks for your advice, I will investigate further...