Anyone have problems with the air condition?

[Saergae]

I have a 5 door automatic and I live in AZ, my AC works awesome and no power drain when I turn it on, just about a minute or 2 before I get ice cold air after the car is sitting in the sun and 100 degree temps. I do get a nast smell from vents right away when I turn it on but that dissapears after a few minutes.

[Haps]

I find my A/C doesn't cause too much of a noticeable power decrease, but it does cause the RPM's to drop MUCH more quickly... Which does make it difficult to catch the revs on the way down for a nice smooth 1 - 2 shift. It also increases my fuel burn by 0.4-0.6 L/Hour at idle.

In other news, it's cold enough. Even on days with a Humidex of 40 like today. I do notice it's colder on the highway though... Not sure if this is due to extra airflow or just RPM's being up over 3000... I normally cruise around town in 4th, so this could be.

[C152]

Hi,

Weird thing. I have noticed that there isn't much condensor drip when I use the A/C. My wife's 2007 Civic would piss water, but not my Astra. Also, I noticed that after quite a bit of use this past Saturday, there was some dripping and for a long time. The little puddle was there a until Sunday. Is there some kind of overflow bottle that slowly releases the condensation? Just to be sure, I did check and it was water. Any thoughts?

[Poley Coley]

The clutch on my AC compressor went at 130 000 km on my 08' Astra and had to be replaced. You guys are right on the power drain too.

[red86]

My AC doesn't seem to be working at all. I've had the freon checked and the compressor's been gone over and it all seems to be in good order, but when I have the AC on the coldest setting and the fan on 4 all I seem to get is room temperature air blowing at me

[chadbt]

Originally Posted by red86

My AC doesn't seem to be working at all. I've had the freon checked and the compressor's been gone over and it all seems to be in good order, but when I have the AC on the coldest setting and the fan on 4 all I seem to get is room temperature air blowing at me

Seriously - I'm not trying to be sarcastic, but are you turning the AC on?

The little snowflake button turns the AC on and off. If the AC was checked, as you say, that check should have measured the air temp coming from a vent.

"Checked...in good order" is hard to interpret as anything other than "it works."

[red86]

Yes the AC is on (and yes I know which snow flake is the correct one) Like I said though, the compressor and the freon have both been checked and working, just no cold air.

[vanilla sky]

My guess is a blend door issue. Have you checked the center vent temp at all? I use a cheap digital cooking thermometer, the kind you use for checking your meat for doneness. See if there is any difference between when it the AC is "on" and when it's off. Also check to see if you're getting heat. I'm assuming that the compressor clutch cycling has been checked, but check that out, too.

If the compressor cycles, then that part of the system is working. If it doesn't cycle, I'd look at the AC pressure switches. If you can jump the sensor and the clutch engages, then you know that switch is bad.

[red86]

The blend door is behind the dash right? If so then this should be all sorts of fun. lol

[vanilla sky]

Yes, behind your dash. I'd want to be pretty sure that's really the issue, because removing dashboards is a pain.

[Tom S2]

Originally Posted by red86

Yes the AC is on (and yes I know which snow flake is the correct one) Like I said though, the compressor and the freon have both been checked and working, just no cold air.

please dont take this wrong. make sure the temp wheel is all the way to the left/cold. I thought mine was wacked, and it turns out a passenger turned the knob a bit thinking it was the volume knob. it was summer and i scratched my head for a few days wondering why it wasnt as cold.... a wonderful Homer DOH!!! moment for me.

[red86]

Originally Posted by Tom S2

please dont take this wrong. make sure the temp wheel is all the way to the left/cold. I thought mine was wacked, and it turns out a passenger turned the knob a bit thinking it was the volume knob. it was summer and i scratched my head for a few days wondering why it wasnt as cold.... a wonderful Homer DOH!!! moment for me.

Yea the knob is all the way to the left. I'm the only one that drives in the car so I know exactly what it's set to. The dash will be a pain to remove but I'd rather replace a $38 part than pay for an entire new AC unit.

[fdryer]

Originally Posted by one028

I have an 08 saturn astra and sometimes the air will blow warmer, then turn cold, warm, then cold.....it happens periodically....its been in the shop and they cant find anything wrong...

Maybe you need to try another shop. Most shops see a/c repairs as good for business and would happily spend your money to get your system to work right. Is this shop GM or a local garage? Were you around to observe any tests done?

Does the cooling fan run when the a/c is turned on? Does cooling only work at speed and then warm when stopped at lights or local traffic?

[red86]

It's a local garage. The tests were preformed right in front of me, and other than checking the freon pressure I double checked everything when I got home to make sure. The mechanic hasn't done me wrong yet but I always like to make sure I'm not getting screwed. To be honest I haven't been outside of the car to see if the fan's running or not, but the car's not overheating so I assume it's working. I'll have to take a look at that later today to make sure.

[fdryer]

red86, I was directing my questions to the OP about the fan running; its usually turned on, not for overheating but to ensure the condenser coil is cooled off. The fan is needed in most a/c systems to cool off the condenser coil and since this coil is in front of the radiator, guess where the heat blows into? Even if the fan isn't running, the condenser coil will become hotter and cause an intermittent cooling effect; in stop and go traffic the lack of air flow without a fan will make the a/c seem like it something went wrong but with steady speed, air flow will help cool off the condenser coil. All this heat flows into the radiator and it stays warmer than normal and that can lead to overheating. The fan turning on during a/c use ensures a constant air flow through both coils but especially to keep the a/c condenser coil cooled off to allow normal a/c use.

Some vehicles will have more than one fan speed; low for initial a/c use, medium in warmer weather, and high for very hot summer stop and go traffic.

[JMOD]

Originally Posted by bob15468

i don't have that problem at all. i usually have to turn it off because it gets too cold inside. lol

So far thats how mine is too

[C152]

Hi all,

Last month we had a heat wave in Montreal so I got the chance to use my A/C (or as I like to call it, the supplemental braking system) then the temperatures returned to normal and went back to the heater. All was well, yesterday, I used the A/C again, only this time I got this horrid, musty smell coming after I turned it off. I had this happen last year and IIRC, they replaced the evaporator or condensor under warranty. This time, if this is the culprit, it will cost me $$$.

Has this been a problem with anyone?

[chadbt]

C152,

Our Astras seem especially susceptible to the stinky a/c problem. Mine certainly had it.

As suggested by many others, I started turning it (the supplemental braking system -) off a couple of minutes before I shut off the car. This allows condensation in the ducts to dry a bit, which prevents the mold/fungus/mildew or what-have-you from growing.

It took a while, but eventually the smell went away. I also think changing the cabin air filter helped.

[DigitalSaturns]

Originally Posted by C152

Hi all,

Last month we had a heat wave in Montreal so I got the chance to use my A/C (or as I like to call it, the supplemental braking system) then the temperatures returned to normal and went back to the heater. All was well, yesterday, I used the A/C again, only this time I got this horrid, musty smell coming after I turned it off. I had this happen last year and IIRC, they replaced the evaporator or condensor under warranty. This time, if this is the culprit, it will cost me $$$.

Has this been a problem with anyone?

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[ShaunaLea]

Thank you for posting on this concern. I, too, have a 2008 Astra. I love(d) my car, but at 25k miles (yes, 25k!) we had to have the transmission replaced. Thankfully, I had it in just prior to report the problem and they didn't realize initially what it was - so it did fall under warranty. Now, at 72k miles, warranty coverage is gone, but this A/C issue is recent and dramatic. We noticed first the inconsistent cooling, and then last week, when we engaged the A/C, the engine choked and died. I'm looking at options now, and between your thread, a couple of other online sources (including a youtube vid that sounds just like my car problem), we have a better sense of things - not a cheaper approach, mind you, but at least a better idea of what's going on and how to approach it. Thank you again.