Air Con.

[Patryn999]

Right, I've searched and gathered a little information that might help. First of what happens is I can turn a/c on (frost button right?) and there is no change in air temp from vents at lowest setting.

Info gathering:
When a/c is engaged you can here the compressor clutch make a clunking noise, so that would suggest electrics and gas are OK. Engine revs increase and front radiator fan winds up as well. Checked fuses - they're OK.

However I read somewhere about the electrics on the dash activating motors to select the appropriate setting, so it may be possible that one of these is tired.

Anyway just seeing if anyone else has ideas while I go out and remove glovebox to get to these things (apparently where they are!)

Thanks all,
Carl.

[Subaru ETA]

in all honesty i hardly ever used the a/c in it so i dont know how cold it should be.

if you look in the boot on the left hand side i think i may have acutally left the actuator that i replaced in the cubbie hole.

in all honestey i could poss need a regas. it probabably has never been done in its whole life! but as i say i hardly used it...thats what the sunroof and windows are for!

[Patryn999]

Bwahahaha. Yeah have to say the same thing. I'm in a tinkering sort of mood ;)

I'm not trying to rat on your (ex) car! promise :) I love it. I'm an engineer so I have an almost insatiable curiosity. And thanks to me aquiring the car off you I seem to have a fount of knowledge too. Sucker :P

[Subaru ETA]

lol i owned it for 4 years and did 99% of the work on it myself...i know the thing inside out! :p

[elnevio]

I'd rule out the regas first. The aircon place will be able to tell you how much refrigerant is in the aircon system (should be around 750g, IIRC) as well as how much oil is in it too (a healthy amount is about 7g, I think). The oil is essential to keep the pump lubricated and to stop all the rubbers in the aircon system from perishing. This is also one of the reasons why you should run the aircon regularly (like a minimum of 15 mins a month). Even if the aircon is working, it's still worth, IMO, getting the contents checked. What's the price for that in NZ - about $80-100?

[Johny]

have you tried pressing in the auto button? lol

[Patryn999]

Lol, so far the only way I've figured out how to turn the damn thing back on after you hit the off button is to go for auto :P

I'll get it looked at within a week or 2 me thinks. I have to wait to get paid first, I seem to have sunk it all into a car :P

[Johny]

if its on 17 and auto and its not cold...

[wipash]

Go to somewhere like CoolCar. I had to have mine regassed, and they were awesome. They checked the gas levels and gave the system a visual inspection for free, then I paid $250 ( if i recall correctly) for a regass with an additive so they could see any leaks, and a full service of the system (which included a new filter). If there were leaks, then I could get another regass for free within 6 months.

Before this, I went to some other place (cant recall where), and they charged me $50 just to look at it, and told me that the compressor was leaking oil, so the whole system would be screwed. CoolCar subsequently told me that the oil on the compressor was just a bit of spilled engine oil.

So yeah, CoolCar is the way to go, in my opinion.

[Subaru ETA]

i agree cool car are good...dont know if they are in christchurch aswell tho....

[ryanjames.powell]

if its on 17 and auto and its not cold...

Pretty sure if you turn it down to 17.0 it goes into manual mode automatically. That is, you cannot have it on auto if it is set to 17. Just turn it all the way down to 17, which should turn auto off and turn on recirculation. If cold air doesn't come out then maybe it needs regassing. And turning the fan speed up will get it going after you press the off button.

EDIT: I can never get the auto mode to work properly in mine anyway... It always does stupid things. And WHY would you want the aircon on when you were trying to heat??? /rant

[elnevio]

And WHY would you want the aircon on when you were trying to heat??? /rant
The air conditioning system does just that - conditions the air. By removing moisture and thus reducing misting up inside the car. Especially good when it's been raining, and you have a few people in the car who have got a bit damp!

[Johny]

Pretty sure if you turn it down to 17.0 it goes into manual mode automatically. That is, you cannot have it on auto if it is set to 17. Just turn it all the way down to 17, which should turn auto off and turn on recirculation. If cold air doesn't come out then maybe it needs regassing. And turning the fan speed up will get it going after you press the off button.

EDIT: I can never get the auto mode to work properly in mine anyway... It always does stupid things. And WHY would you want the aircon on when you were trying to heat??? /rant

17 and auto puts it on recirc, aircon, max fan at least thats what its done in my car vr4s and evos ive driven

[Atik]

The air conditioning system does just that - conditions the air. By removing moisture and thus reducing misting up inside the car. Especially good when it's been raining, and you have a few people in the car who have got a bit damp!
/Banana

Finally someone that realises the same thing. I hate being in a steamed up car. I need to see out the windows properly!

The air con provides conditioned air, so if you set it to 26 and turn AC on, then you will get conditioned 26 degree air (maybe a little colder to be honest), but that will clear up the condensation built up inside the car. People just tend to put the heater on max which actually doesnt help until the ambient interior temp goes up significantly.