Air Conditioning

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The AC is on in my Subaru, but I’m still hot, now what?

July 2, 2020by admin in Blog tagged

In virtually all modern vehicles, the air conditioning system works off a belt running from your engine to power a compressor. We often hear from our customers’ that even after recharging their A/C, the car is still warm. Here are two common problems we see that can cause customers to still feel like their Subaru is too warm.

1. The fan controls aren’t set to recirculate.
In any car, including your Subaru, there exists a fan control that can either open the air vents to allow fresh air into the car, or close the vents to cause air to re-circulate. When your Subaru’s air conditioning system is running, but the vent is still open, the air conditioning system is constantly having to cool the fresh air coming in.

If you set the fan to allow the air to re-circulate, the air conditioning will cool the air that has already been cooled, allowing the air to continue to get colder as you drive. Setting your vent control to recirculate will get a chill going in no time!

Subaru's air re-circulation button showing a car with a curved arrow
Subaru’s re-circulation button

2. The car has been turned off, with the key in the forward position so the radio and fan stay on.
Your fan might run off of your battery, but your air conditioning doesn’t! Unlike in your house, Subaru’s air conditioning doesn’t use the battery to power the A/C compressor. Instead, the air conditioning runs off of a belt connected to the engine, so your air compressor works as the engine operates.

If you turn off your car but leave your key in the forward position, your fan will still blow cold air for a moment. However, without the compressor working, the fan will quickly start blowing warm air and heat up the car. Your best bet would be to either leave the car idling, or to shut off your car completely leaving the windows open.

We hope these tips help keep you cool. As always, for any of your air conditioning, or other Subaru needs, Soobie Surgeons is here to help!

Common Subaru Air Conditioning Problems

June 11, 2020by admin in Blog, Uncategorized tagged , ,

A wave of heat hits you as you open the door of your Subaru. “No problem” you think, and turn on the air conditioning. Alas! Nothing happens. “What went wrong?” you think. We’ll tell you what!

Subaru air vents

Your Subaru’s air conditioning has a few main components. The main ones to know are the A/C compressor, A/C condenser, and the hoses. Typically on a Subaru we don’t have to service any of the other parts of the system.

There isn’t any cold air coming from the vents, what’s going on?
Possibility one: low/no refrigerant.
When a customer tells us they are having issues with their air conditioning, we first check to see that there is refrigerant in the system. Subarus’ lose between 3 to 5 percent of the R134a type refrigerant in the system every year. If you haven’t recharged your air conditioning in a few years, you may not have enough refrigerant to cool your Subaru.

Possibility two: the A/C is leaking
Air conditioning refrigerant on a Subaru typically leaks from a couple of different places. The A/C is either leaking from a bad O-Ring that sits where the hoses connect to other parts of the A/C system, or the condenser itself has been damaged. Bad O-Rings can be trickier to find, but usually a condenser can be eliminated quickly because the refrigerant will leak very visibly from the condenser if it has damage damage. If we’re dealing with bad O-Rings, we look for it using a special type of refrigerant with dye in it, and trace it from there.

Subaru A/C compressor in action!

Possibility three: the A/C compressor has failed
Subaru air compressors usually fail in one of two ways. Either the electronic clutch that engages the compressor has failed, or the bearings inside the compressor have failed. causing the pulley to make loud noises when turning, or to lock up. We replace the entire A/C compressor when either of the two symptoms occur.

Air conditioning is an essential feature to maintain on your beloved Subaru. In the winter, the defrost function makes it safer to drive, and in the summer your air conditioning keeps you cool and comfortable. Servicing the air conditioning system isn’t a major repair, but it should be done by a mechanic as the refrigerant can be dangerous. Using the right belt for your Subaru’s air conditioning is important too, as the older Subarus use an individual belt that runs off the engine, and the newer Subarus use a serpentine belt that runs all of your engine accessories. Whatever year your Subaru is, it should be running like ice!

Here we bring you the latest in news, education, and fun facts that all Subaru owners need to know