After marker air conditioner

Noddycar · Postby **Noddycar** » Mon Jan 21, 2019 6:04 pm

Hi all

I had repairs done to my NA6 aircon last year, but it has died again. Has anyone had success fitting a totally new aircon to this model? The evaporators are tiny, but I just wonder if a good aircon mechanic can do something to retrofit a new system. Any assistance will be appreciated.

My poor MX-5 has been sitting in the garage for over 12 months, as my kids have been parking behind it, or there is a trailer there, or a caravan.... Finally lost the plot and made them park on the street. Despite having a battery charger connected, the battery had died, then I drove off and the aircon failed about five minutes later. Dropping the top is fine, but not in the middle of the day, so this heatwave may push me to a new aircon.

SuperMazdaKart · Postby **SuperMazdaKart** » Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:11 pm

The problem is likely the seals in the a/c system have dried up & cracked from not being used. Using it cycles the a/c gas to keep the seals lubricated.

I would think a good a/c tech could make something work, but at a cost. Probably not an aftermarket kit as such, but they'd probably have to do a mix & match of various parts off the shelf & maybe make some custom ones (lines/fittings/mounts etc).

Though, about the battery. Recently my workplace (car dealership) had a problem with one of the cars that wouldn't run the a/c as the battery needed to be replaced. Even though it was jump started & the engine running. While I'd be somewhat surprised if a car as old as the NA6 would do the same, perhaps get the battery replaced (or try out with another) first & see if the a/c works again.

Noddycar · Postby **Noddycar** » Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:43 pm

Thanks

The aircon was working (not perfectly, but it was cooling) until after the batttery was replaced.The compressor seems to be kicking in, but it is not cooling. The aircon was quite noisy, even after the repairer fixed it last time, so I wonder if the compressor has died. It almost sounded like a belt screaching when the aircon was turned on, but that does not make sense if it is the compressor?

Locutus · Postby **Locutus** » Mon Jan 21, 2019 11:13 pm

The compressor is belt dríven. Check the condition and tension of your accessory drive belt.

Noddycar · Postby **Noddycar** » Tue Jan 22, 2019 7:09 am

Thanks! Will look at it this afternoon when I return from work.

Noddycar · Postby **Noddycar** » Tue Jan 22, 2019 8:16 pm

Belts seem to be OK. It is a bit noisier in there with the aircon on (see the attached video). Weird that it was working, then stopped after the battery was replaced.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rbv9y3nbli0g ... 4OP2a?dl=0

Mr Morlock · Postby **Mr Morlock** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 3:58 pm

take it to the air cond guy and they can check it. Compressors are buyable albeit not cheap- they will tell you.

Noddycar · Postby **Noddycar** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 4:00 pm

Looks like the only solution. Checked fuses etc, but it is really weird it stopped working after the battery was changed

I had a new compressor a few years ago, the evaporator last year...

hks_kansei · Postby **hks_kansei** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 4:28 pm

The screeching tells me there's something going on in the compressor, or at least near it.

My AC system is totally empty, and it still doesnt make any screeching noises (well, when I bypassed the low pressure safety switch to confirm that was what was stopping it from kicking in)

I'd remove the belt and just give all of the pulleys a spin by hand to check if they're moving freely, and confirm that one or more haven't got seized or damaged bearings.
Unfortunately you cant really test the AC compressor by hand this way, since you'll need the engine running to activate the magnetic clutch on it to check the internal bearings. (and you'll lose a hand putting it down there with the engine running) But at least it helps check it's not just simply a siezed/sticky idler bearing that makes noise under the added load from the AC.

But yeah, only surefire way is to get an aircon tech out to check it's got gas, and for them to use their sniffer thing to see if they can trace the leak (if any)

Noddycar · Postby **Noddycar** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 4:43 pm

Thanks

Some awesome advice here. I've been missing my drives in the MX-5, so will be getting this sorted ASAP. Until the AC mechanic can take a look, it will be early morning and late evening trips with the top down only.