Should I have any hesitation in getting a recharge of the A/C from a reputable, non-dealer mechanic for my 2010 2.5L OB? Meaning, is there something unique that Subaru does with the A/C system that might cause problems for a non-dealer mechanic? Thanks.
==
Live your kindest, most generous self.
1537 příspěvků · Připojeno 2014
The only difference is the the dealer will hit you harder in the back pocket. It is the same gas.
MY23 XT Touring, MY17 XV (hers), MY22 XV (daughters)
bobnotrob Discussion starter
44 příspěvků · Připojeno 2018
Thanks, that’s what I was thinking.
==
Live your kindest, most generous self.
bobnotrob Discussion starter
44 příspěvků · Připojeno 2018
So the non dealer replaced the freon and it did improve from what it was but it’s not exactly cold air that is blowing. What else could be the problem? I tell my wife that it’s a 9 year old car but she’s still complaining it’s not cold enough. We live in Miami so it’s already getting hot and it’s going to be a long summer. Any thoughts welcome.
==
Live your kindest, most generous self.
2492 příspěvků · Připojeno 2013
Any good A/C shop can test the compressor, check for leaks, and recharge. People are so used to adding gas to a low A/C they tend to forget that those are sealed units — if you have to add refrigerant it means there’s a leak.
When’s the last time you changed out the cabin air filter? It might be clogged and slowing down air flow. If you go to «recirc», the ducts will bypass the cabin air filter. If you feel a large change in air volume at the vents when switching between normal and recirc, it might be that the cabin air filter is the problem.
Other than that, my ’13 is only «OK» at cooling, too. There is a lot of volume inside an OB and it heats up fast in the sun. Even when brand new, the OB A/C isn’t all that great.
254 příspěvků · Připojeno 2012
How’s the condenser? Clean the bugs out and straighten the fins. Are the fans operating when the AC is on?
12342 příspěvků · Připojeno 2009
it’s easy to keep 1990’s Subaru’s blowing cold and they usually either work or don’t, they rarely «degrade» with age. of course some things can happen but it’s a closed system and there’s very few instances/things that lessen performance over time.
subaru cooling systems are generally simple and have few issues. It’s really just a compressor with a intricate hose system and a few electronics. Not much to it really.
1. how low was it when the shop tested it?
2. what feedback did they give you — tests they did, comments, etc?
3. pop the hood with the engine running and A/C on highest setting/lowest temp- is the A/C compressor staying on, cycling on and off — and if it is cycling, how much/often?
A shop good at A/C diagnosis would be best if you can’t find anything obvious.
H6 OBW VDC, H6 OB Sedan, Tribeca, Lifted XT6
bobnotrob Discussion starter
44 příspěvků · Připojeno 2018
Thanks for the feedback. I changed the cabin and engine air filters about a month ago. I might take it back to the shop that recharged the freon and ask them more pointed questions about pressures and test results. I watched this video to educate myself on the process they probably went through. https://youtu.be/ey7Vhm9ZI_U. Any thoughts on products like A/C Pro?
==
Live your kindest, most generous self.
2492 příspěvků · Připojeno 2013
A/C Pro and other products like it, claim to be able to seal pinhole leaks. If they do, it’s really only a temporary patch. That might be OK if you don’t mind re-charging once a year or so. My last car had a bad enough leak that I’d recharge once a year, then twice a year, then once a month, . then I had to get a $$$ repair.
A/C in a car is the same as in your house:
There is refrigerant that gets compressed by the compressor. There will be a high pressure on the outbound side of the compressor and a low pressure on the inbound side, that’s why A/C pros will have 2 gauges. They can look at the low-side pressure and the high-side pressure at the same time to see how well the compressor is working.
The compressed refrigerant travels to an evaporator where it expands and absorbs heat. Your fan blows air across that evaporator where it gets cooled and condensed water forms on the coils and drips off through a drain underneath the car. The refrigerant goes back into the compressor where it’s squeezed down again. The act of compression heats up that refrigerant so it goes through an air cooled set of coils. On your house, that’s the outside unit with the big fan, on your car it will look like a small radiator. The cooling coils need to be cleaned of debris, bugs, grass clippings, whatever, so it will work most efficiently. Any leaks in the system will require a recharge. If the system gets low on refrigerant, the evaporator coils can get so cold that the condensed water will freeze and clog it all up to the point where very little air will flow through. (I hope I got all that right, I just had to repair a leak in my home A/C evaporator coils.)
You can track down the hoses and find the cooling coils and clean them. Anything other than that, though, will really require a pro to check out.
