A/C fail?
#21
07-05-2012, 11:01 PM
I had this sorta problem.. In Los Angeles, CA my AC works perfect.. when i went to vegas, with only 2,300 miles on my new fit, the AC didn't feel as cold.. haha even my brothers friends and stuff were complaining in the back seat.. they said thats how hondas are.. "You gotta speed up to get it running cold.. so i hopped onto the freeway and yup, it got cold.. but like yea, its weird.. i want ice cold AC 24/7
#22
07-05-2012, 11:40 PM
Having tint will definitely help out. I have double limo on the back and 30% on the fronts, and Llumar Air Blue on the windshield. Unless the car is parked out in the sun all day, I never have to go past fan speed 2. There is just so much glass on this little car.
#23
07-06-2012, 09:56 AM
Er...there is a difference between not enough refrigerant, and none whatsoever.
#24
07-06-2012, 11:44 AM
In this heat wave (106F) I had to drive 5 hrs in the Fit today (2012 MT Base). The A/C could not keep up. The air coming out - such as it was (not very strong for recirc on 4) felt mildly cool but not cold. Not only that, it started to drip inside the car on my passenger's left foot. Not a lot, but enough to notice - and it got wet under the mats, too.
When I got home in the cooler garage (at last!) - I went by the car after about an hour or so. There was an unusually large puddle of water coming out from behind the front wheel on the passenger side. I know running the A/C will leave a bit of a puddle, but this was so much it reminded me of times in the past when my house's A/C unit would freeze up and then, when it gave out, subsequently melt, leaving a large puddle.
So ... Is it too much to expect it to put out cold air when it's that hot outside? Before you say yes, they sell them in Texas, don't they? And consider the symptoms above. I feel like this may be in need of a warranty repair of some kind.
Thanks for your thoughts
cspan
When I got home in the cooler garage (at last!) - I went by the car after about an hour or so. There was an unusually large puddle of water coming out from behind the front wheel on the passenger side. I know running the A/C will leave a bit of a puddle, but this was so much it reminded me of times in the past when my house's A/C unit would freeze up and then, when it gave out, subsequently melt, leaving a large puddle.
So ... Is it too much to expect it to put out cold air when it's that hot outside? Before you say yes, they sell them in Texas, don't they? And consider the symptoms above. I feel like this may be in need of a warranty repair of some kind.
Thanks for your thoughts
cspan
Did you put the system on redcirculation? that matters when you don't force the a/c to cool lots of outside air
#25
07-06-2012, 03:20 PM
One test is when this starts to happen, turn off the AC (the button with the light). Do you see mist coming out of the vent several seconds later? Does airflow increase? Then the evaporator was icing up. There is a thermistor in the evaporator that helps and is frequently thought the cause, but it is almost always a slightly low refrigerant charge. I chased my tail with this many years ago.
I now own my own gage set and a 30lb bottle of R134. I top it off at the first sign of trouble and roll with it.
to the OP: Your charge is almost certainly just starting to get low. Don't do anything else until you check the charge.
#26
07-06-2012, 03:24 PM
I believe leaving it on recirc is what causes the excessive condensation. You're cooling already cool air, making it easier to pull the moisture out of that air. In general, you want to leave it on recirculate only long enough to get the temperature in the car down. Once there, then switch to fresh.
The one other thing to check is for the drain hose being plugged. With low miles, I doubt you've done something that would clog the drain, but its plausible.
The one other thing to check is for the drain hose being plugged. With low miles, I doubt you've done something that would clog the drain, but its plausible.
#27
07-06-2012, 03:28 PM
To everyone else out there: Those "fill ports" on your AC unit are frequently the culprit when a leak is suspected, home AND auto. A good AC tech will replace those plastic caps with brass ones.
If you take the cap off, and a little pressure is released, then those valves leak!
If you take the cap off, and a little pressure is released, then those valves leak!
#28
07-09-2012, 08:42 AM
I agree; I noted in posts #1 and #3 that I had it on recirculate. Thank you for your reply.
#29
07-09-2012, 10:52 AM
You're welcome. I just passed on the observation of my a/c guys.. One of the best things about these forums is the huge expansion of what used to the the garage bench racers. Its amazing just how much stuff is shared on these forums. We've started keeping logs of stuff to add to our knowledge banks!
#30
07-09-2012, 04:27 PM
FWIW, during my oil change last week, the dealer did an evac and refill of my freon for $69.
I'd been having the compressor cycle on and off quickly during the heat of the day in Dallas.
Haven't had that problem since.
I'd been having the compressor cycle on and off quickly during the heat of the day in Dallas.
Haven't had that problem since.
#31
07-09-2012, 04:56 PM
You most certainly had a under or over charged system, which the dealer fixed when refilling the system.
The AC system has pressure switches to protect it: an over pressure switch to prevent the system from exploding typically used when the system is overcharged or the condenser fan does not work, or the suction under pressure switch, which protects the compressor from a lack of freon. Each of these switches "cycles the compressor on and off more quickly".
I once connected my gage set up to a guy's truck whose AC didn't work well while idling. I saw pressure spikes up to 500 psi until the high pressure switch kicked in and shut down the compressor. Problem was that the condenser fan (under the hood, electric) was inoperable. When he drove, there was airflow across the condenser, cooling the refrigerant and allowing the AC to work properly.
Last edited by Roger's Fit; 07-09-2012 at 05:00 PM.
#32
07-25-2012, 03:05 PM
Love my 2009 Fit, absolutely hate the AC.
At 90 the temp coming out of the duct is at best 65 degrees even on recycle. At 70 degrees I finally get cold air, but who needs it. Had the system checked and everything is normal. Hona Fit AC just sucks, period....
At 90 the temp coming out of the duct is at best 65 degrees even on recycle. At 70 degrees I finally get cold air, but who needs it. Had the system checked and everything is normal. Hona Fit AC just sucks, period....
#33
06-24-2013, 10:25 PM
Hey cspan - old thread, but today after driving my Fit 2 hours I noticed the EXACT same symptoms you described, right down to the air getting less cold, dribbling on the passenger floor carpet, and the unusual amount of water dumping out after running the fan for five minutes without the A/C on. Did the charging fix your symptoms in this heat? The Fit isn't our primary long-distance car, which is why I never noticed this issue before.
#34
06-24-2013, 10:49 PM
Hey cspan - old thread, but today after driving my Fit 2 hours I noticed the EXACT same symptoms you described, right down to the air getting less cold, dribbling on the passenger floor carpet, and the unusual amount of water dumping out after running the fan for five minutes without the A/C on. Did the charging fix your symptoms in this heat? The Fit isn't our primary long-distance car, which is why I never noticed this issue before.
Whenever there is mwater dropping onto carpet the first thing to check is the drain hose to ensure there is not a restriction. That also causes freeze ups and poor cooling. Watch out when you unplug the hose; you may get a 'ton' of water on your carpet so have a catch pan.
#35
06-25-2013, 10:36 AM
Hey cspan - old thread, but today after driving my Fit 2 hours I noticed the EXACT same symptoms you described, right down to the air getting less cold, dribbling on the passenger floor carpet, and the unusual amount of water dumping out after running the fan for five minutes without the A/C on. Did the charging fix your symptoms in this heat? The Fit isn't our primary long-distance car, which is why I never noticed this issue before.
#36
06-27-2013, 08:52 AM
Mahout, no drain issues, it was a dribble of water along with a huge gush out the drain.. Steve244, thanks for the info. Car goes in Saturday although I already had to argue with the service advisor that he wasn't going to duplicate the issue unless he drove the car for two hours.
#37
06-27-2013, 10:12 AM
The guys at Largo Honda actually ran it for hours (in place) to diagnose the issue.
I'm not sure if the refrigerant level was wrong before; they didn't say. The bad switch/relay might've been one or the other and not both, but my hunch is they're seeing failures from both that cause freezing up, and it's not worth replacing just one part.
Either way it's working better than new, I think; it's pretty subjective and variable depending on ambient conditions. I had the advantage of a 10 hour test drive back north after they fixed it...
The evaporator temperature sensor and expansion valve are also areas of concern when the evaporator is freezing up.
I'm not sure if the refrigerant level was wrong before; they didn't say. The bad switch/relay might've been one or the other and not both, but my hunch is they're seeing failures from both that cause freezing up, and it's not worth replacing just one part.
Either way it's working better than new, I think; it's pretty subjective and variable depending on ambient conditions. I had the advantage of a 10 hour test drive back north after they fixed it...
The evaporator temperature sensor and expansion valve are also areas of concern when the evaporator is freezing up.
Last edited by Steve244; 06-27-2013 at 10:14 AM.
#39
07-02-2013, 11:35 AM
Just took my fit on a 15 hour road trip, and had this happen as soon as I got into the humidity. It seems like the evaporator froze up because not only was the air not as cold, but the air flow seemed to be restricted. I turned it to heat for a minute, and it was back to working again.
Very strange.
Very strange.