Fixing Fiat 500e A/C and Charging Problems

[Kletian_Drowa]

hoping for some advice from the community. I’m looking at a old Fiat 500e with around 30k miles that’s up for sale nearby. The car is in okay condition overall, but there are a couple of potential issues that I want to sort out.

The seller mentioned that the HV battery pack partially charges, and there’s an “Electrical System Service” light on the dash. On top of that, the A/C isn’t blowing cold. I’ve read a few posts on here, and it seems like it might be related to the R134a refrigerant charge for the EV system or possibly the coolant reservoir levels. My plan is to recharge the R134a, top up the coolant, check if the A/C blows cold, and then try charging it again. Does this sound like a reasonable approach, or has anyone experienced similar issues and found a different solution?

 

[rotas]

This sounds like a chiller issue. Have you tried checking it?

 

[NovaNomad_]

hoping for some advice from the community. I’m looking at a old Fiat 500e with around 30k miles that’s up for sale nearby. The car is in okay condition overall, but there are a couple of potential issues that I want to sort out.

The seller mentioned that the HV battery pack partially charges, and there’s an “Electrical System Service” light on the dash. On top of that, the A/C isn’t blowing cold. I’ve read a few posts on here, and it seems like it might be related to the R134a refrigerant charge for the EV system or possibly the coolant reservoir levels. My plan is to recharge the R134a, top up the coolant, check if the A/C blows cold, and then try charging it again. Does this sound like a reasonable approach, or has anyone experienced similar issues and found a different solution?

If you're gonna buy the car, you should get a scanner and check it out first. Top off the coolant with distilled water, and then try charging the AC with some R134a. If it needs more than a gallon of water, it's probably got a leak somewhere. If the water bubbles, you've got an AC leak too. I had a leak on mine, it was just a clamp, but it could look worse.

 

[LucyM]

Your approach sounds solid! Check the refrigerant and coolant levels first. For the battery issue, a diagnostic check might help.