2010 Honda Fit. A/C not blowing very cold..,.

[Blue_Goose]

My wife said that the a/c on her 2010 Fit is not blowing very cold air. Said it is not hot air but semi cool. Car has almost 100K on it

Caveat is we have had a couple of near 100 degree days here and the Fit is sort of a mini greenhouse with that huge windshield lol


No much of an a/c expert but is it possible it needs a charge on a fairly new car?

I read the thread on the charge in the cans and how they aren't such a great idea

 

[Mr Nice]

I bought a can of Artic Freeze and charged my mom's 2002 Civic and it worked just fine. Make sure you don't go past the blue line on the pressure gauge.

 

[JHZR2]

Hope it doesn't, but that could be the case... Does she regularly use AC year-round? It is very important for keeping the seals in good shape to prevent leaks.

To really do it right, it's really smartest to use a set of real gauges, and check high and low side operating. I assume that you can verify that the compressor cycles on and off, and so the charge isn't horribly low. Can you comment on how the compressor cycles? For example, does it come on and then very quickly cycle off?

 

[BISCUT]

Just an opinion, but a proper charge of gas is just that. If X gas is needed and the can gives it to you, and you have no leaks there should be no difference in cold air "feel."

 

[RiceCake]

Check the cabin air filter if it has one, too. I've been told the same "its not very cold" before only to find out the blower was hardly blowing any air because the filter was a plugged mess. That and make sure the control knobs properly actuate and its not actually letting a little heat through if the cables stretched, etc.

Usually if you're actually low on freon you'll hear the AC compressor constantly jockeying back and forth for more pressure.

And if you're low on freon: its leaking somewhere. Your mileage may vary recharging it with stop leak stuff, thats about the only option short of a complete diagnostic.

Just recharging it will only make it last till it leaks out again.

 

[rshaw125]

Almost 100 degrees? We have barley touched 90 down south. Anyway put a set of gauges on the system. Then you'll know where you stand.

 

[Chris142]

That car has a very small system. all cars do leak a little bit. if it lost two ounces that's a large percentage. But there are other reasons why it may not be working right. But with 100,000 miles it's definitely do for a recharge and a shot of oil

 

[supton]

Get a meat thermometer, or similar, one of those small round ones with a long probe. Stick it into the center vent, and see what it blows for air. For a long time I thought I had an issue with the ac in my car, but, after 10 minutes it'll be at 40F or less. Nothing wrong with it, other than being undersized.

Interestingly enough, despite being over 9 years old, I do not use my ac year round (kinda hard when it's below freezing on a daily basis for at least 3 months). Zero issues (just watch it blow up on me now), other than I got the mold smell early on, as I wasn't bright enough to turn the ac off a few miles from home, so as to let it dry out.

 

[Thermo1223]

Even with only the small fan operating on the Jetta I was surprised the A/C was as cold as it was during the last summer. I can't imagine the stress the high side of the compressor was going through but it worked.

Now that I got the big fan replaced A/C is icy as usual.

 

[Slacker]

I'll agree with RiceCake, it's the cabin air filter. Unless the car's been in some kind of front end wreck and damage was done to the AC system, then it could be low on freon or have a bad component.

 

[DBMaster]

Originally Posted By: supton
... other than I got the mold smell early on, as I wasn't bright enough to turn the ac off a few miles from home, so as to let it dry out.


Also, make it a habit of making sure your air mix is set to "fresh" before you turn off the car. That keeps a vent door open and allows the evaporator housing to dry out overnight.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
But with 100,000 miles it's definitely do for a recharge and a shot of oil



You recommend this almost like a PM function, in rder to keep the system in optimal shape, even if the AC is working OK?

Would you also remove/replace the receiver dryer, even if the system has always worked and never been low?

 

[sciphi]

Our Fit had weak A/C too. The cabin filter has been regularly changed, so it's not that. I added a tiny bit of R134A last summer, and the A/C went from tepid to cold.

Both our cars came undercharged from the factory. Adding R134A to both of them helped matters nicely.

 

[DBMaster]

Same with mine. It's weak for the car, though, adding a shot of R134a last summer dropped vent temp from 45 to 43. So, it's not the temp that makes it weak, it's overall capacity.

 

[DBMaster]

Being in the HVAC business I know that BTU's matter. While a car's A/C may put out air at a nice, cold temperature the overall system may not have a high enough "tonnage" (BTU removal) rating for the heat load. In my case the windshield is huge and the dashboard is black - not unlike many new cars. The A/C is fine until the ambient temperature exceeds 95. Then it seems a bit on the weak side. I doubt there is anything I can do to improve that. I did get my windows tinted a bit darker last summer, but I didn't want them too dark (messes with my night vision). There is some very expensive tint film out there that I probably should have bought, but it costs about twice what the regular lifetime stuff costs. It blocks less visible light but more infrared.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Keep in mind that Honda Fits, like some other small cars that are low to the ground, often suffer from debris getting into the condenser in front of the radiator. The car may have a small leak of refrigerant. I wouldn't add any refrigerant until I knew the system was tight. I'd have an air conditioning shop do a leak test on the system to ensure it's tight before proceeding with anything else. If it's tight, have them charge it to the proper volume. If that's good, then it's probably just the nature of the system.

Acura advertises that the HVAC system on our 2005 MDX has 15,000 BTU's worth of capacity. That sounds like a lot, but the system rarely runs in recirculation mode (as long as it's on AUTO), and it cools like a champ. Our Honda, as long as it's on AUTO, will turn on recirculation mode much more often, as it simply doesn't have the capacity that our Acura has. And it cools well, even on 100*F humid days, but it's got to be recirculating to do it.

If it's particularly hot or humid, use the recirculating mode to improve system performance. It's much easier to condition air that's already been cooled and dried, compared with hot and humid air from outside the car.

 

[DBMaster]

15,000 BTU's is equivalent to a home unit having 1.25 tons (most likely would be 1 or 2 tons on a home unit). That would be enough capacity to cool about 800 square feet of house. (so, perhaps the upper story of a small two-story house).

Car A/C has to deal with a tremendous heat load after the car's been parked out in the sun as well as the continuous heat load from all the windows. Also, cars don't generally have the R-value of a house as far as insulation goes.

 

[Hokiefyd]

I'll confirm with the brochure we have for it at home. It's the first and only time I've seen a BTU figure quoted for an automotive HVAC system...but it was bragging on the capacity.

I wonder what the average automotive HVAC system has in terms of BTU capacity.

 

[spackard]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
I'll confirm with the brochure we have for it at home. It's the first and only time I've seen a BTU figure quoted for an automotive HVAC system...but it was bragging on the capacity.

I wonder what the average automotive HVAC system has in terms of BTU capacity.


The *service manual* for my '92 Acura Vigor says 18000 BTU.
There's a nice pressure/temp/RH chart in there too for helping troubleshoot the system.
I think most people just expect the car to be designed to cool sufficiently. They don't really need BTU in the brochure.

 

[DBMaster]

BTU rating isn't something I care to know. I just wish my system was a bit more powerful. Fair warning to those who are considering a Mazda 3 in Texas. Of course, I like it frigid. I haven't really been happy with an A/C system since I had the 72 Pontiac. I doubt my current engine could have turned that compressor while moving the car. LOL