Ferrari Mailing List: Need some Ferrari AC advice Please

[Britt2Asa (Britt2Asa]

HI Guys,
 
While the winter is still hitting hard here in the UK I dragged out the  400i 
today for the first time since Nov and ran her up to get heat in the  exhaust 
and engine. She ran great from the get go which makes it the only older  
Ferrari I know of that doesn't mind sitting! Anyway with spring around the  
corner 
I have one niggling thing I need to fix and I need some advice  please.
 
The AC in the car has not been working properly. I had various issues with  
leaks and have had the compressor rebuilt and it is charged up with R12  
substitute and not leaking now. Problem I noticed last year when it was still  
warm 
out is that it blows cold intermittently. When it doesn't blow cold it is  
blowing outside temp, when it blows cold you can tell.
 
Last time I drove it and needed the AC I was getting nothing but warm air  
and then I felt some cold water dripping on my leg from under the dash  
somewhere. Shortly after it started blowing cold like it should. I am assuming  
something is freezing up intermintently and when it does I get no cold air.  
Unfortunately that's all I can tell you as symptoms. I replaced the dryer a 
year  or 
two ago but since then have had a leak and recharged the system a few times.  
Is it possible the dryer was destroyed when all the gas leaked out while I was 
 fixing that problem?
 
I know its not much to go on but finding an AC expert in the UK is  
DIFFICULT! The cold water was dripping from somewhere on the right side centre  
of the 
dash but there is no way to see as I was going 80mph at the time and it  was 
just a little bit of water. Any ideas? What might cause it and what should I  
do? (I assume replace the dryer again and re-gass but I would like to know what 
 that will fix). I am pretty bad on AC systems and how they work.......
 
Thanks in advance for your help.
 
Britt
 
BR in the  UK
1986 328GTS (LHD 89,940km) Died August 19, 2006 Shrewsbury UK
1980 400i  (RHD 72,000 miles)
Searching for the right 512TR
2003 BMW 530d
1991  Alfa Spider S4