The AC stopped working in my 2004 WRX. I checked the fuses and relays all of which were fine. Has anybody else had this problem? The car just hit 10K miles and everything was working fine until today. The green indicator light comes on but the compressor doesn't click on.

I am trying to get out of taking it to the dealer since I have aftermarket intake, exhaust, up pipe down pipe and FMIC. Any suggestions? Thanks.

The usual cause for this is a loss of refrigerant due to a leak. Take it to a dealer or shop and have them put gauges on it and check the charge in the system. If it's low or empty there is a leak someplace.

Back when I bought my 04 WRX wagon, the A/C didn't work at delivery. They claimed that it was a loose wire on one of the pressure switches. I don't know the location of the switches, but it is something to check.

'04 Wagon too and AC hasn't worked for months. Took it to the dealer and they checked the compressor, refrigerant, etc. but everything was OK. Said the ECU wasn't recognizing the call to turn on the AC. They tried to say it was probably due to my aftermarket stereo install. I haven't gotten around to taking in but it has nothing to do with the stereo install. Could be a problem with the 2004's.

Mine is actually a sedan so I guess it's not a problem exclusive to wagons. I guess I will put everything back to stock including the stereo so hopefully they have no excuses when it comes to fixing it. Thanks for the feedback guys.

hmm..touch wood I have never had the problem, but seriously, I have never turned on my a/c even once after 9 months of owning the car. It just slows you down and seems like your gas mileage is shared with another car, since it goes woooooooppp down..

I am trying to get out of taking it to the dealer since I have aftermarket intake, exhaust, up pipe down pipe and FMIC. Any suggestions? Thanks.

none of your mods should impact the performance of the AC system - just bring it in and have the dealership fix it - that's what the warranty is for! They would probably not warranty the transmission if you killed it, but for things like the AC, power mods should not be a problem.

I had problems with the AC not working well which ended up being a pressure problem - one dealership would either over or under-charge the system - went to another dealership and they got it right first try and it works great (for an R134 system... I miss my old R12 system in my corolla... instant ice-cold air)

as far as power goes, my AC definitely gives a performance hit (if you want the AC to be less noticeable on daily driving, a small 4-banger is not the engine to have...) - I don't really notice much impact of the ac on mileage - probably because we get winter gas for a while which kills mileage, then when we get summer gas, I use the AC, so it all evens out...

Here's an update: After a few months of winter and dealing with no A/C I finally decided I would take it to the dealer. I wanted to pull the FMIC off before because one of the rubber A/C lines was resting on the intercooler piping. In the process of removing it, I noticed some wierd marks on the pipe running down the driver's side. After looking what could make that mark I noticed that the hard stainless line was no longer round and the intercooler piping wore a small hole in it. I ordered the hard line from subaruparts and took it to have the system evacuated, oiled and filled with freon. A couple hundred bucks later and I have A/C again. It's my own fault for not double-checking the piping.

If the system has been empty for that long a period, the receiver/dryer unit should have been replaced before the recharge. The old one is probably contaminated.