A/C broken or need more refrigerant?
Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,779
From: edmonton, canada
Seems like most if not all of you don't see the forest for the trees. Or maybe you rarely turn the A/C or the defog setting on, but when you do, the fog on the windows evaporates very VERY quickly. Almost immediately. If there is no A/C, the windows clear very slowly, if at all. So when your A/C stops working you know it. You can spew all sorts of technical formulas and data around, but empirically, the A/C works when on the defog setting or the A/C button depressed, and right now, my A/C is intermittently working.
I 100% agree that the AC helps defrost faster, even in sub freezing temps. Now with yours only coming on intermittently, could you clarify what you mean by this? Do you mean that the whole system (AC fan, compressor clutch, and conditioned air) doesn't come on? Or are you just referring to the output?(conditioned air)
If it's the latter, it could be something to do with needing a recharge or maybe faulty temp sensors at the compressor and evaporator.
It it's the former, it could be that you just have a bad relay. I would personally check this out first since relays are cheap and easy to replace, and IMO it's the most likely cause if it's intermittent.
Hope that helps.
Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,095
From: Hebron, In
This morning it was 11 Degrees F here in VT. Compressor kicked in when I turned the knob to defrost. How much benefit it does other than re-direct the air to the windshield may be another story. I wonder if what most people assume is the Air Conditioner removing moisture from the windshield is actually just the dry outside air being blown across the windshield. There are a few people on this board who have disconnected the A/C engagement switch from the defroster [so when you turn on the defroster, it is only changing the direction of the air, not kicking the A/C on]. They might have an idea of if there is a difference in speed of defogging the Windshield when the A/C is on or off.
Maybe both N9 and the rest of us are both partially right. Hmmmmm.
~SB
Maybe both N9 and the rest of us are both partially right. Hmmmmm.
~SB
There was not enough compressor action to do any cooling or dehydration. I have to assume Hinda fired off the compressor and then saw that the low and high side pressures or temperature was not appropriate and shut it off again.
To follow it any better I would have to run a cable and an indicator light from the compressor clutch to see if it ever comes on again during that drive cycle.
I once had an OBD1 vehicle that showed compressor clutch cycling. I do not know if I can display the same thing with my scangauge on a Fit.
Thank you all for your help. By "intermittent", I mean there was noticeably no extra cold air or no immediate defogging of the windows. It lasts I think for just a short time during a drive, then it comes on. This only started happening recently, since this past summer, but only a couple of times...until last week, where it didn't work for 2-3 straight days. I tried it 2 days ago and it worked. The compressor seems to work. I hear the click noise when it comes on, along with the headlights dimming for a split second. But no cold air, no defogging capability.
Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,661
From: Georgia
I think n9cv's observation that the compressor runs briefly and then not at all at very cold temperatures is what you're experiencing. The evaporator temperature sensor signals to not run the compressor when the evaporator's temperature approaches freezing. Otherwise condensation would freeze up and block airflow.
Do you leave your outside-air setting on "recirculate"? This will cause the interior to fog up and, once the cabin is up to temperature, the warmth will allow the compressor to run and dehumidify the cabin air (even when outside temps are very cold), but it's not an efficient way of operating. Better to draw in dry outside air and heat it. Yeah it may take a few seconds longer to warm up, but better than having foggy windows and having to run the A/C in winter...
I don't have an explanation for why it seems to operate differently for you than before. Maybe weather is the factor.
My own experience is the compressor runs when ambient temps are at or below freezing with the outside-air setting on "fresh air." I don't have any experience running it below about 30F. It effectively dehumidifies the air on cold rainy GA days.
Do you leave your outside-air setting on "recirculate"? This will cause the interior to fog up and, once the cabin is up to temperature, the warmth will allow the compressor to run and dehumidify the cabin air (even when outside temps are very cold), but it's not an efficient way of operating. Better to draw in dry outside air and heat it. Yeah it may take a few seconds longer to warm up, but better than having foggy windows and having to run the A/C in winter...
I don't have an explanation for why it seems to operate differently for you than before. Maybe weather is the factor.
My own experience is the compressor runs when ambient temps are at or below freezing with the outside-air setting on "fresh air." I don't have any experience running it below about 30F. It effectively dehumidifies the air on cold rainy GA days.
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