Bongo Fury

Interesting experience this afternoon as I had an aircon service done as we had no cool air. A very professional engineer came to do the work. He did a full range of tests as you would expect (not the Kwik Fit fill it up and don't care approach) and discovered there was no gas in the system at all. After two hours of checking and crawling all over the Bongo he could detect no leak. So he filled it up and all is working fine.

We'll now watch to see what happens. He has added a UV dye so a leak will be easier to spot in future but he was very puzzled to find no gas and no leak.

So where did it all go?

We've had the Bongo for two years and whilst I've not found the heating system particularly good as it never seems to follow the temperature I set very well (both heating and cooling). I'm certain we did have some air con working last Summer as I'm fussy about keeping cool on a hot day.

I did have to set the temperature up quite high to get any decent heat coming out of the vents and I did manage to get the interior cool enough when I wanted to.

I did discover the little lever under the bonnet last Summer that has a winter and a summer setting for the incoming air so I thought maybe it was that for a while.

The AA say

"Must I get air conditioning serviced?
Regular servicing is important for health and to maintain the system working effectively, as up to 15% of the refrigerant gas will be lost annually from a nominally gas-tight system.

Run your air conditioning at least once a week throughout the year.
Have the refrigerant gas checked regularly and topped up to manufacturers' recommended levels.
Help improve hygiene and air quality with a regular cabin filter change, as it can become blocked with pollen.
A regular air duct clean helps remove the bacteria and fungi that can cause unpleasant odours.
Service air-conditioning units every 30,000 miles or two years to avoid costly repairs."

So I guess it depends on the history and if your Bongo had been recharge in the homeland or while here before today?....

He won't find a leak, if there is no gas to leak.
As Mike says, aircon must be used regularly to maintain the seals. If you haven't used it all winter, and the gas was getting low, it could well have all leaked out. Running the aircon will lubricate the seals again so that, with gas in, it will work.

Hi
Mike...
You're right about the coolant loss, i've seen figures of 14.5-15% bandied about, and a 2-year health check...i had mine done 3 years or so ago...must write a service into the diary!!!
Cheers
Helen

I always used the air con even in winter as I am aware of the need to lubricate the seals.

He filled the system with nitrogen/hydrogen gas mix and used a hydrogen detector to try to find any leaks.

He also suggested that the high figures often quoted for coolant loss each year are quite outdated and it's probably around 3% per annum in reality.

I take the point though that perhaps the gas fell to such a level that once the a/c didn't work any more due to the low pressure and with me not noticing this over the winter the seals became "un-lubricated" and any remaining gas then just leaked out leaving the system empty.