('11+) A/C acting weird

BretAZ · 03-12-2013, 11:29 PM

My A/C is blowing cold then blowing warm. Feels like the compressor is cycling on and off every 15 seconds. Anyone else experienced this? It didn't do this last summer. I hope Subaru doesn't try to pass this off as a characteristic of the boxer engine like everything else.

Dropping it at dealer in the morning. They better figure it out or this is a deal breaker.

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sgoldste01 · 03-13-2013, 09:36 AM

Hmmm, interesting. What's the outdoor temp when this happens? Are you accelerating hard when the A/C starts blowing warm?

aeoporta · 03-13-2013, 10:53 AM

he he i hope you read the manual about a/c shutting off when power is needed

79letour · 03-13-2013, 11:36 AM

Yeah man mine cycles constantly in the summer. And eats at least 4 mpg...
I turned my ac on the other day going down the highway and heard a really odd shrill sound. Will be asking about it at my next dealer visit.
The ac isnt exactly awesome. I NEED it in the summer and I have run the fan on high.

BretAZ · 03-13-2013, 01:03 PM

Does it going any speed or not moving at all. Blows cold for about 10 sec then blows warm for about 10 sec. I know something is wrong because it did not act this way last summer. Also, they gave me a 2013 Impreza that is exactly like mine to drive and it does not do this. I mentioned that I cannot drive this car like this in Phoenix, and that between this and the oil pressure light they fixed a month ago, and the oil level light, and the oil consumption issue, that I am losing faith in this car quickly and am concerned about driving this thing past the warranty.

It was brought up again about asking Subaru to kick in some cash to help me get a different car. I told them to wait until later today to find out what the problem is with my car. I thought I wanted a 14 Forrester, but when I looked at the Premium they had on the lot it did not have the paddle shifters on it, which is too bad because the only CVT I want is one with paddle shifters. The Impreza hatch they gave me today is a base model without the paddle shifters and it really sucks if you have gotten used to them.

The other option I am considering, if Subaru won't kick in some cash, is to aske them to extend my warranty. I know they will have me sign away my lemon law rights but it may be worth it if I am going to be in this car for a while. I know it will get irritating everytime something goes wrong with this thing, but atleast it won't be as irritating as it would be if I had to pay to get it fixed.

BretAZ · 03-13-2013, 03:18 PM

Just called the dealer. They said the tech is working on it now and had the guages hooked up. Should have an answer soon. I sure hope they find something and fix it. I am going to be pissed if they tell me this is normal.

BretAZ · 03-13-2013, 05:20 PM

the dealer is telling me the car had 22oz of refrigerant in it instead of the correct amount of 17. AC still not working right. POS Subaru.

auskip07 · 03-13-2013, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BretAZ

the dealer is telling me the car had 22oz of refrigerant in it instead of the correct amount of 17. AC still not working right. POS Subaru.

so you got it back and its still not working correctly?

fistv · 03-14-2013, 12:51 PM

On all my jeeps the FSM said that if the compressor cycles more than 2 times in a minute the freon was low. Fairly common on Jeeps as Chrysler uses the cheapest evaporators they could find and it's a grand to get the dash pulled, heater box pulled and a new evap installed once it's out of warranty. My dealer kept kept refilling the system and telling me it was fixed till it was out of warranty. Tried to pull the same thing on my wrangler and the wife's grand but I was a bit wiser by then. I don't know where the evap is on these subu's yet but if it's in the heater box behind the dash it's a bear to replace, 8 hours labor on a Cherokee. Don't let them get away with anything, make sure when they say they fixed it you get it in writing.

auskip07 · 03-14-2013, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fistv

On all my jeeps the FSM said that if the compressor cycles more than 2 times in a minute the freon was low. Fairly common on Jeeps as Chrysler uses the cheapest evaporators they could find and it's a grand to get the dash pulled, heater box pulled and a new evap installed once it's out of warranty. My dealer kept kept refilling the system and telling me it was fixed till it was out of warranty. Tried to pull the same thing on my wrangler and the wife's grand but I was a bit wiser by then. I don't know where the evap is on these subu's yet but if it's in the heater box behind the dash it's a bear to replace, 8 hours labor on a Cherokee. Don't let them get away with anything, make sure when they say they fixed it you get it in writing.

They usually provide you a written report at the end of the service.

BretAZ · 03-14-2013, 01:54 PM

Its better than before but still seems to be cycling on and off alot. What I don't understand is how did more refrigerant that what was supposed to be in there get in there. I have been driving the car for a year. It worked better last year.

kantthinkofasn77 · 03-14-2013, 02:27 PM

Either your compressor clutch is slipping or your pressure regulator is cutting it off. I dont get how you would have more in there than needed unless you overfilled it or something or someone did. I have a good understanding of the a/c system but not alot of experience in diagnosing them

BretAZ · 03-14-2013, 02:53 PM

They told me it was overfilled from the factory, but the AC has worked for a year up until now. The problems just started.

kantthinkofasn77 · 03-14-2013, 02:59 PM

Sounds like they over pressurized your system which gave you the end result you have now. I would Argue they over pressurized it and now your experiencing the fault of that a year later. Could have jacked up the pressure regulator or it over burdened your compressor. There isnt much involved with the a/c system/ isnt a complicated process. Lemme read up and make sure im not missing any key components that could fail due to over pressurization

kantthinkofasn77 · 03-14-2013, 03:30 PM

So if I were you, I would tell them exactly this... "You guys admitted to me at my last visit that the factory overfilled my A/C system by 5 pounds and I ran the vehicle like this for a year. It is obvious that I am experiencing the long term effect of running an over-pressurized system. Either you have over-burdened my compressor and possibly the clutch is slipping, or my flow control device/thermal expansion valve is faulty due to handling high pressure, or even both components have been damaged." This thermal expansion valve on most vehicles will cycle the a/c compressor clutch to control temperature. If the expansion valve was cycling the compressor off and on too much then this would burn the clutch out. That's the best I can do for now. I have a good book thats like an encyclopedia for automotive technology from a class a took alil while back and I am sourcing my info from that. Dont let them push you around. And do not settle for less than what your expectations are. Just cause they are a big business doesnt make you any smaller. You're the boss haha

79letour · 03-15-2013, 02:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BretAZ

the dealer is telling me the car had 22oz of refrigerant in it instead of the correct amount of 17. AC still not working right. POS Subaru.

Mines fallin apart faster than I can pay for it, too.

79letour · 03-15-2013, 02:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kantthinkofasn77

So if I were you, I would tell them exactly this... "You guys admitted to me at my last visit that the factory overfilled my A/C system by 5 pounds and I ran the vehicle like this for a year. It is obvious that I am experiencing the long term effect of running an over-pressurized system. Either you have over-burdened my compressor and possibly the clutch is slipping, or my flow control device/thermal expansion valve is faulty due to handling high pressure, or even both components have been damaged." This thermal expansion valve on most vehicles will cycle the a/c compressor clutch to control temperature. If the expansion valve was cycling the compressor off and on too much then this would burn the clutch out. That's the best I can do for now. I have a good book thats like an encyclopedia for automotive technology from a class a took alil while back and I am sourcing my info from that. Dont let them push you around. And do not settle for less than what your expectations are. Just cause they are a big business doesnt make you any smaller. You're the boss haha

While I wholeheartedly agree with you, these people at Subaru cannot handle any amount of dissatisfaction. I've never lost my temper with them or demanded anything, but getting SOA to stand behind their product is like asking a Chinese buffet for free food.

sgoldste01 · 03-15-2013, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 79letour

Mines fallin apart faster than I can pay for it, too.

If I ever caught myself saying this about my own car, the amount of time it would take for me to sell it could be measured with an egg timer.

In fact, that's exactly what I did with my POS VW TDI. I decided to sell it on a Thursday, and the new owner drove it out of my driveway the following Saturday. He wanted to buy it on Friday, but couldn't coordinate the financing that quickly.

79letour · 03-15-2013, 12:04 PM

For various reasons I'm not going to get into, I'm not able to just up and do that. Would be nice though!

BretAZ · 03-18-2013, 01:15 PM

Update. So I drove the car some this weekend. Temps ranging from 90-95. In my opinion, the A/C is not functioning properly or I just don't remember it being this poor from last year. I can tell you that it is working somewhat better now than it did before the dealership worked on it. I can't imagine what this thing is going to be like to drive once the heat sets in here in Phoenix. I already get upset every time I have to use the A/C. The constant cycling of the compressor on and off and the musty smell associated with it drive me crazy. I have never owned a new car that did this.

Can someone tell me what the interval between the compressor cycling on and off should be? Also, It seems like the A/C is less effective when I am moving. For example, if I am on the freeway driving at a constant 65mph, it seems to cycle on and off more than when I am sitting still and thus less effective. Just the opposite of any car I have owned.

79letour · 03-18-2013, 06:53 PM

^all thatabove is exactly how my car is. musty smell, cycling a lot, not too effective. It KILLS the mpg's too.

auskip07 · 03-18-2013, 07:27 PM

I would film my AC system on but temps are 70 here so i dont think that will compare. So its different compressor cycles when the car is sitting there compared to driving?

If anything i would think the overfilling would have blown out some seals in the system

nabokovfan87 · 03-30-2013, 11:36 AM

I had my 13 impreza do this after first oil change. They put some additive in the oil and at that time I had the mesh grille installed. Car hasn't been the same since.

Loss of MPG (2-4 at least avg MPG) and when I first had it happen it was like it was running on bad gas. Put in higher octane fuel and it went away for 100 miles or so and came back. It happens at lower speeds, when idling, and ehen the car is warming up for the first 30 minutes or so.

Took to a different dealer, the noticed the oil thing and it started only doing it when the ac was on or warming up on a hot day but never nearly as bad.

Tried to show the dealer, but they can't replicate it because I have to get my car serviced on Saturday early in the morning.
Next oil change is today, we will see what happens, but glad I found the thread and to know I'm not the only one.

Anyone else have additives put in their oil?

aeoporta · 03-30-2013, 12:23 PM

Keep us updated on this issue op traded in his car already so you are our crash test dummy now

03-12-2013, 11:29 PM	#1
BretAZ Scooby Newbie Member#: 320866 Join Date: May 2012	A/C acting weird My A/C is blowing cold then blowing warm. Feels like the compressor is cycling on and off every 15 seconds. Anyone else experienced this? It didn't do this last summer. I hope Subaru doesn't try to pass this off as a characteristic of the boxer engine like everything else. Dropping it at dealer in the morning. They better figure it out or this is a deal breaker. * Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

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03-13-2013, 09:36 AM	#2
sgoldste01 Scooby Specialist Member#: 322264 Join Date: Jun 2012 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: Webster, NY Vehicle: 2012 Impreza Sp 5sp Obs Blk Prl/Drk Gray Mtl	Hmmm, interesting. What's the outdoor temp when this happens? Are you accelerating hard when the A/C starts blowing warm?

03-13-2013, 10:53 AM	#3
aeoporta Scooby Specialist Member#: 334126 Join Date: Oct 2012 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: New Jersey Vehicle: 2013 5mt Sp Premium Venetian Red & Dark Gray	he he i hope you read the manual about a/c shutting off when power is needed

03-13-2013, 11:36 AM	#4
79letour Scooby Specialist Member#: 302570 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: dear old dixie Vehicle: 2012 Impreza Ice Silver Oil Burner	Yeah man mine cycles constantly in the summer. And eats at least 4 mpg... I turned my ac on the other day going down the highway and heard a really odd shrill sound. Will be asking about it at my next dealer visit. The ac isnt exactly awesome. I NEED it in the summer and I have run the fan on high.

03-13-2013, 01:03 PM	#5
BretAZ Scooby Newbie Member#: 320866 Join Date: May 2012	Does it going any speed or not moving at all. Blows cold for about 10 sec then blows warm for about 10 sec. I know something is wrong because it did not act this way last summer. Also, they gave me a 2013 Impreza that is exactly like mine to drive and it does not do this. I mentioned that I cannot drive this car like this in Phoenix, and that between this and the oil pressure light they fixed a month ago, and the oil level light, and the oil consumption issue, that I am losing faith in this car quickly and am concerned about driving this thing past the warranty. It was brought up again about asking Subaru to kick in some cash to help me get a different car. I told them to wait until later today to find out what the problem is with my car. I thought I wanted a 14 Forrester, but when I looked at the Premium they had on the lot it did not have the paddle shifters on it, which is too bad because the only CVT I want is one with paddle shifters. The Impreza hatch they gave me today is a base model without the paddle shifters and it really sucks if you have gotten used to them. The other option I am considering, if Subaru won't kick in some cash, is to aske them to extend my warranty. I know they will have me sign away my lemon law rights but it may be worth it if I am going to be in this car for a while. I know it will get irritating everytime something goes wrong with this thing, but atleast it won't be as irritating as it would be if I had to pay to get it fixed.

03-13-2013, 03:18 PM	#6
BretAZ Scooby Newbie Member#: 320866 Join Date: May 2012	Just called the dealer. They said the tech is working on it now and had the guages hooked up. Should have an answer soon. I sure hope they find something and fix it. I am going to be pissed if they tell me this is normal.

03-13-2013, 05:20 PM	#7
BretAZ Scooby Newbie Member#: 320866 Join Date: May 2012	the dealer is telling me the car had 22oz of refrigerant in it instead of the correct amount of 17. AC still not working right. POS Subaru.

03-14-2013, 12:51 PM	#9
fistv Scooby Newbie Member#: 350063 Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Effort Pa Vehicle: 2013 Impreza sport White	On all my jeeps the FSM said that if the compressor cycles more than 2 times in a minute the freon was low. Fairly common on Jeeps as Chrysler uses the cheapest evaporators they could find and it's a grand to get the dash pulled, heater box pulled and a new evap installed once it's out of warranty. My dealer kept kept refilling the system and telling me it was fixed till it was out of warranty. Tried to pull the same thing on my wrangler and the wife's grand but I was a bit wiser by then. I don't know where the evap is on these subu's yet but if it's in the heater box behind the dash it's a bear to replace, 8 hours labor on a Cherokee. Don't let them get away with anything, make sure when they say they fixed it you get it in writing.

03-14-2013, 01:54 PM	#11
BretAZ Scooby Newbie Member#: 320866 Join Date: May 2012	Its better than before but still seems to be cycling on and off alot. What I don't understand is how did more refrigerant that what was supposed to be in there get in there. I have been driving the car for a year. It worked better last year.

03-14-2013, 02:27 PM	#12
kantthinkofasn77 Scooby Newbie Member#: 220808 Join Date: Aug 2009 Chapter/Region: SCIC Location: SoCal Vehicle: 2005 WRX Wagon Silver	Either your compressor clutch is slipping or your pressure regulator is cutting it off. I dont get how you would have more in there than needed unless you overfilled it or something or someone did. I have a good understanding of the a/c system but not alot of experience in diagnosing them

03-14-2013, 02:53 PM	#13
BretAZ Scooby Newbie Member#: 320866 Join Date: May 2012	They told me it was overfilled from the factory, but the AC has worked for a year up until now. The problems just started.

03-14-2013, 02:59 PM	#14
kantthinkofasn77 Scooby Newbie Member#: 220808 Join Date: Aug 2009 Chapter/Region: SCIC Location: SoCal Vehicle: 2005 WRX Wagon Silver	Sounds like they over pressurized your system which gave you the end result you have now. I would Argue they over pressurized it and now your experiencing the fault of that a year later. Could have jacked up the pressure regulator or it over burdened your compressor. There isnt much involved with the a/c system/ isnt a complicated process. Lemme read up and make sure im not missing any key components that could fail due to over pressurization

03-14-2013, 03:30 PM	#15
kantthinkofasn77 Scooby Newbie Member#: 220808 Join Date: Aug 2009 Chapter/Region: SCIC Location: SoCal Vehicle: 2005 WRX Wagon Silver	So if I were you, I would tell them exactly this... "You guys admitted to me at my last visit that the factory overfilled my A/C system by 5 pounds and I ran the vehicle like this for a year. It is obvious that I am experiencing the long term effect of running an over-pressurized system. Either you have over-burdened my compressor and possibly the clutch is slipping, or my flow control device/thermal expansion valve is faulty due to handling high pressure, or even both components have been damaged." This thermal expansion valve on most vehicles will cycle the a/c compressor clutch to control temperature. If the expansion valve was cycling the compressor off and on too much then this would burn the clutch out. That's the best I can do for now. I have a good book thats like an encyclopedia for automotive technology from a class a took alil while back and I am sourcing my info from that. Dont let them push you around. And do not settle for less than what your expectations are. Just cause they are a big business doesnt make you any smaller. You're the boss haha

03-15-2013, 12:04 PM	#19
79letour Scooby Specialist Member#: 302570 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: dear old dixie Vehicle: 2012 Impreza Ice Silver Oil Burner	For various reasons I'm not going to get into, I'm not able to just up and do that. Would be nice though!

03-18-2013, 01:15 PM	#20
BretAZ Scooby Newbie Member#: 320866 Join Date: May 2012	Update. So I drove the car some this weekend. Temps ranging from 90-95. In my opinion, the A/C is not functioning properly or I just don't remember it being this poor from last year. I can tell you that it is working somewhat better now than it did before the dealership worked on it. I can't imagine what this thing is going to be like to drive once the heat sets in here in Phoenix. I already get upset every time I have to use the A/C. The constant cycling of the compressor on and off and the musty smell associated with it drive me crazy. I have never owned a new car that did this. Can someone tell me what the interval between the compressor cycling on and off should be? Also, It seems like the A/C is less effective when I am moving. For example, if I am on the freeway driving at a constant 65mph, it seems to cycle on and off more than when I am sitting still and thus less effective. Just the opposite of any car I have owned.

03-18-2013, 06:53 PM	#21
79letour Scooby Specialist Member#: 302570 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: dear old dixie Vehicle: 2012 Impreza Ice Silver Oil Burner	^all thatabove is exactly how my car is. musty smell, cycling a lot, not too effective. It KILLS the mpg's too.

03-18-2013, 07:27 PM	#22
auskip07 Scooby Specialist Member#: 315643 Join Date: Apr 2012 Chapter/Region: South East Location: Atlanta Ga Vehicle: 2012 Impreza Sedan DGM 5mt	I would film my AC system on but temps are 70 here so i dont think that will compare. So its different compressor cycles when the car is sitting there compared to driving? If anything i would think the overfilling would have blown out some seals in the system

03-30-2013, 11:36 AM	#23
nabokovfan87 Scooby Newbie Member#: 340943 Join Date: Dec 2012	I had my 13 impreza do this after first oil change. They put some additive in the oil and at that time I had the mesh grille installed. Car hasn't been the same since. Loss of MPG (2-4 at least avg MPG) and when I first had it happen it was like it was running on bad gas. Put in higher octane fuel and it went away for 100 miles or so and came back. It happens at lower speeds, when idling, and ehen the car is warming up for the first 30 minutes or so. Took to a different dealer, the noticed the oil thing and it started only doing it when the ac was on or warming up on a hot day but never nearly as bad. Tried to show the dealer, but they can't replicate it because I have to get my car serviced on Saturday early in the morning. Next oil change is today, we will see what happens, but glad I found the thread and to know I'm not the only one. Anyone else have additives put in their oil?

03-30-2013, 12:23 PM	#24
aeoporta Scooby Specialist Member#: 334126 Join Date: Oct 2012 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: New Jersey Vehicle: 2013 5mt Sp Premium Venetian Red & Dark Gray	Keep us updated on this issue op traded in his car already so you are our crash test dummy now