f1anatic Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 I was cruising at 60 mph with the temp set up for 68F and all of a sudden I get a blast of warm air. Nothing that I subsequently did to diagnose or correct the problem helped. i read on the site that people find cycling between cold and warm air perfectly normal - not for me. It would have held temperature 65 or 85 no matter. I never had this problem. The compressor seems to want to cycle - I mean you hear it click. can it be a matter of low charge or I have a burst pipe ? where would a pipe or a rubber hose most likely burst on our AC systems ? How many people actually went to the dealership as opposed to just recharging the system (low coolant) ? Any suggestions ? I am extremely pissed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1anatic Posted July 12, 2008 Author Share Posted July 12, 2008 One thing that I did notice: my engine compartment was particularly hot - but the fans were working. I did have my fan relay changed last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rao Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Sounds like you have a leak. Rob IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CAR YOU SHOULD NEVER DRIVE IT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1anatic Posted July 12, 2008 Author Share Posted July 12, 2008 Yeah ...but where ? I need to get a tracer die and yellow goggles...shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rao Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 1. Is the compressor cycling on? If it is then you have low prssure not no presure 2. you should be able to find the leak if it is fairly large since oil will also be leaking and it is very distinctive looking and smelling, plus it makes a mess. 3. If you have a small leak then you need to go to the parts store and get the recharge stuff with the dye and put it in, then you will find the leak. Rob IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CAR YOU SHOULD NEVER DRIVE IT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJMC Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 AC failure seems like a comon problem for our cars. Most likely caused by a rock... DIY repair http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65804 Pics don't seem to be up anymore http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38029&highlight=rock+condenser Sudden death of AC http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68219&highlight=rock+condenser http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32382 http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26345 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bbc84 Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 well atleast its gonna be cool the next few days, u would of burnt up these past few days without A/C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1anatic Posted July 13, 2008 Author Share Posted July 13, 2008 Thank you guys. Looks like I am not noticing anything unusual given the overall forum experience. I will diagnose things tomorrow with a dye but i do not recall hitting any stone, road kill, hot chicks etc. I did park in a different spot last night and I did find my car in a puddle of water this morning. Also, where the condenser is, there are no unusual dents or indentations. I may have burst the piping elsewhere - I guess I find out tmrw. What is the consensus ? Warranty or not ? I am chilling at 47K but this is not powertrain. Itr is some 700 dollars is it not ? I am ...***ed ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1anatic Posted July 13, 2008 Author Share Posted July 13, 2008 As I went back last night, my AC was working fine. So much so that on my short 10 mile trip back home I had a headache from so much AC. This morning it was again working correctly. i went to Murry's (auto parts store) and bought 2 x 85 gram Refrigerant + Red Dye + Leak Stopper. Our system is rated 2 lbs so...I figured something MUST have evaporated from the system in the 3 years I had the car. I added 25% juice. Too much ? Too little ? Using an electronic thermometer, with the AC blowing at Max, the temp was 50 F. After i added the 2 cans, it dropped to 46 F. Seemingly no leak after another 10 min of operation, I will keep it under control. I think, in the order of likelihood 1) The A/C compressor did not restart from its on-off cycle. (working fine this morning though) 2) Recirculation command was canceled and opened up the door for outside warm moist air upon failure of the A/C compressor to restart (I did notice that on the display). Now there can be an issue with the recirculation control for the inside-outside door itself. 3) The HVAC control module (whether it is the in-cabin controls) misbehaved (I was not tweaking the system when it happened yesterday while this morning seemed to function just fine) 4) A leak. But a leak would not cause the AC to come back to live after the car had been parked for 6 hours. A leak would also become apparent after putting the red dye fluid in the system. I personally suspect the combined events of 1) and 2). The AC compressor did not restart, and the recirculation command was canceled, the door was opened and warm outside air did come into the cabin. Following a prolonged engine shutoff, the AC compressor started working properly. I will have to keep it under observation and see how it behaves on a long trip. Luckily, it is really in the front of the car, not that I would replace it myself, but at least you do not have to remove the spark plugs and the turbo to get to it :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1anatic Posted July 13, 2008 Author Share Posted July 13, 2008 Well I went to Gurnee today to inquire about the item that Dicks' Dicks did not get me. AC worked just fine and I was happy. BUT on the way back, the moment I turned the AC on, the bleeding HVAC fan started making noises - like a metal on metal grinding. It is effing annoying I cannot stand it. How come all this crap-out is happening at once ? By the end of my journey back it was quite cold in the car - hurray the AC compressor worked and no leaks...but the fans are licking me the wrong way. Anyone else experience noisy HVAC ? Anyone know where I can buy the HVAC fan and where in the car is it ? I think there will be no miracles with this one...leave the car parked and starts working quietly .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rao Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 1. You should not have added refrigerant - it does not "evaporate" you should have the pressure checked to make sure you don't have too much in the system, too much is as ad as too little. 2. The fan noise is probable a leaf or other debris - crank the fan up to max speed and see if it goes away. Rob IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CAR YOU SHOULD NEVER DRIVE IT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1anatic Posted July 14, 2008 Author Share Posted July 14, 2008 I checked online and there seems to be a case of the mysterious drain hose being clogged and letting the water come in there and do its rusty business. Cannot say for sure, i will look into it tmrw. But how do I clean the said plug AFTER I remove the blower motor ? Is there another hole for it where it communicates with the outside ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rao Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 You aren't going to remove the blower motor The drain comes through the firewall - check it out. You should be getting a little puddle of water from it when the AC is on - this is where it comes from. Rob IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CAR YOU SHOULD NEVER DRIVE IT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1anatic Posted July 14, 2008 Author Share Posted July 14, 2008 1. You should not have added refrigerant - it does not "evaporate" you should have the pressure checked to make sure you don't have too much in the system, too much is as ad as too little. 2. The fan noise is probable a leaf or other debris - crank the fan up to max speed and see if it goes away. You aren't going to remove the blower motor The drain comes through the firewall - check it out. You should be getting a little puddle of water from it when the AC is on - this is where it comes from. The noise does go away at higher speeds. As I said, i will remove it tomorrow to look into that. And I should be cleaning that anyways - seems to be a common issue. I looked for the drainage hose, it is fairly down in the engine bay, I probably have to remove the right wheel to be able to extend my arm get to it - unless you suggest otherwise. That being said, I have always felt the AC became less cold as time went on. Not warm, just not as cold. I have been complaining about it for 1.5 years...This was the last post in which I wanted to add some AC "oil" bfore I had the issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1anatic Posted July 14, 2008 Author Share Posted July 14, 2008 I had a twig inserted in the fan. Upon removing and cleaning the fan, the noise is still there. The drain was clear, I blew compressed air thru it, that aspect is fine. The noise inside the car is annoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJMC Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 I had a twig inserted in the fan. Upon removing and cleaning the fan, the noise is still there. The drain was clear, I blew compressed air thru it, that aspect is fine. The noise inside the car is annoying. Yikes! After removing the twig was it the fan that was still making the same noise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1anatic Posted July 14, 2008 Author Share Posted July 14, 2008 yes, unfortunately Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongHiway Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 twig bend the fan blades and, now it's not balanced? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1anatic Posted July 16, 2008 Author Share Posted July 16, 2008 twig bend the fan blades and, now it's not balanced? The twig was actually a hay straw. I got a picture but too lazy to look it up. There may well be another one somewhere which is hitting the blades but I put my hand in there and could not feel anything. A new fan is 150 dollars and special ordered, according to Mid City Subaru in Chicago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongHiway Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Ugly, I'm guessing there's a lot of labor in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJMC Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 The twig was actually a hay straw. I got a picture but too lazy to look it up. There may well be another one somewhere which is hitting the blades but I put my hand in there and could not feel anything. A new fan is 150 dollars and special ordered, according to Mid City Subaru in Chicago. Take a small point and shoot camera and set it to Macro... and snap a picture to take a look inside! Or... take out the fan motor first before you order yourself a new one. Or... order you a new one take out the fan to see if it's the one making the noise and if it's not just return the part you just purchased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1anatic Posted July 16, 2008 Author Share Posted July 16, 2008 Actually I did check the fan and it did not seem particularly noisy when operated outside of its compartment. Yeah I need a small camera, mine is bulky and cannot fit it in there due to the long lenses assembly. As I said, I did put my hand in there but I could not feel anything but perhaps I did not do a good job. Anyways, it is easy enough to take it out, but I tell you the ergonomics aspect of it will give you a back ache. Long Highway, there are 3 pop-it plastic retainers and 3 hex screws. No need to remove out half the dashboard as suggested in the vacation pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongHiway Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 And, no guarantee the fan is causing your AC to miss-behave. Maybe just a coincidence? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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