# A/C fixed - froze me out of my car with outside temp at 97-103 F



## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

Interesting... with so many owners not thrilled with the AC performance I wonder if this issue is fairly common? Was the water in the sensor itself, or just in the wiring or connector?


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

I didn't talk to the technician, but from what my service advisor said it sounds like it was in the sensor and the wiring. The seal to the sensor was leaking.


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## Mick (Dec 31, 2011)

Was this taken care of under warranty or can it be done after?
Last summer my ac would give me headaches it was so cold. Now it's just ok and non existing under heavy acceleration.

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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

> There was over 20 PSI difference between the two.


Hmmmmm...I wonder if that's how they're ALL charged?

If so, I WANT!

Do you know anything about that else about that PI?


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

It was warranty - I'm still under the B2B warranty. As for the PI, I can't even find it via Google. I know the number because it's on my service ticket twice.


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

Ill keep this in mind. My A/C freezes me out. I may not be able to tell in the crazy heat because I have ceramic tint on everything, plus the windshield.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

Mick said:


> Now it's just ok and non existing under heavy acceleration.


Keep in mind that under heavy acceleration the AC compressor actually disengages to free up engine power.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

My A/C still disengages under heavy acceleration as would be expected, but it seemed to reengage a whole lot quicker yesterday after I picked my car up.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

109 F and humid in Kansas today. A/C kept the car so cold I didn't need to run the fan on 4. 2 & 3 kept the car comfortable, even when stopped in a shade-less rest area. I didn't use recirc at all today. I did use it yesterday to help dry the air in Connecticut where it was pouring rain.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

obermd said:


> 109 F and humid in Kansas today. A/C kept the car so cold I didn't need to run the fan on 4. 2 & 3 kept the car comfortable, even when stopped in a shade-less rest area. I didn't use recirc at all today. I did use it yesterday to help dry the air in Connecticut where it was pouring rain.


Re: not using recirculate - you had it one "click" up on the temp dial? The recirculate switch does nothing on the coldest temp setting - the car just ignores you and keeps it in recirculate mode anyway.

Otherwise, keeping it cool on the highway at fan speed 2-3 and hot outside sounds normal. Mine was cold last summer @ 105 outside; the AC just sucks at cooling the car down when you're not on the highway.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

jblackburn said:


> the AC just sucks at cooling the car down when you're not on the highway.


I find this is only true if your car has been parked in the sun, then it takes 15minutes to cool all the hot parts inside. Once cooled off the AC does a fine job in the city. That means if your typical drive is less than 15minutes all city and you park outside, the AC might seem worse than it is.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

spacedout said:


> I find this is only true if your car has been parked in the sun, then it takes 15minutes to cool all the hot parts inside. Once cooled off the AC does a fine job in the city. That means if your typical drive is less than 15minutes all city and you park outside, the AC might seem worse than it is.


I only drive 15 minutes at a time, I have a black car, and it's always outside.

It's definitely not as strong as other cars AC systems, but it does cool down and get real cold after a while.


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## Poje (Aug 2, 2012)

Blue Angel said:


> Interesting... with so many owners not thrilled with the AC performance I wonder if this issue is fairly common? Was the water in the sensor itself, or just in the wiring or connector?
> 
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App



I actualy love the AC in my car, i find it performant and it doesnt seem to take much power from the Engine.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

jblackburn said:


> Re: not using recirculate - you had it one "click" up on the temp dial? The recirculate switch does nothing on the coldest temp setting - the car just ignores you and keeps it in recirculate mode anyway.
> 
> Otherwise, keeping it cool on the highway at fan speed 2-3 and hot outside sounds normal. Mine was cold last summer @ 105 outside; the AC just sucks at cooling the car down when you're not on the highway.


Prior to this repair I was having to use fan speed 4 with the recirc button pressed, even on the coldest setting. Anything else and I wasn't getting cold air. What I find interesting is that last summer I took my car in for weak A/C and was told it was pumping out at 55F. After the repair it is pumping air out at 45F. This tells me that my car's A/C wasn't working 100% right last year either but that it was in the "normal" range for air temperature output.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

jblackburn said:


> I only drive 15 minutes at a time, I have a black car, and it's always outside.
> 
> It's definitely not as strong as other cars AC systems, but it does cool down and get real cold after a while.


Roll down the rear windows an inch or so. The cabin exhaust vents aren't very big. I leave my car in the sun all the time (black exterior/black interior) and rolling down the rear windows slightly really reduces the time it takes to cool the front seat area.


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## BladeOfAnduril (Apr 27, 2012)

I've been debating taking mine in for weak AC... I haven't checked the temp but I'd guess it's around 55°. Is there a technical spec for AC output temp on these cars?

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## WhiteAndBright (Mar 4, 2013)

My A/C has been blowing cool for the past few weeks (I am very hot natured) and here in Oklahoma the summers get crazy hot so I bought a can of the R-134a for my car and for my girlfriends I just wanted to give it a little boost so that I will stay comfy.. When I hooked it up the gauge on the can said that it was low so I followed the instructions stated on the bottle filled it up per the gauge and when I was all done I shut the car off and went back inside well about 30 min later I had to run across town and remote started my car put the kiddo in and jumped in we didn't get out of the neighborhood and the air coming out of the vent was hot not just warm air but it was hot air.. I checked under the hood and all of my ac lines are rock hard I don't know if it is because of a lot of pressure or if they were frozen I also checked the fuses to see if any of them were blown.. Either way my 12 LTZ with 40k is blowing HOT air and I am not happy... What could be causing this and what can I do to fix it???


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

You over-pressurized it. The Cruze uses a variable displacement ac compressor and you really need to know the high and low pressure readings to correctly fill it. 

So basically you've tripped the high pressure cutout switch and it's not running the compressor at all to avoid damaging it. 


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

WhiteAndBright said:


> What could be causing this and what can I do to fix it???


There's usually an over pressure switch on the high side of the compressor. If pressure is too high the system will shut the compressor off. Take it to a shop with proper high and low side gauges and get them to measure both pressures and adjust accordingly. Venting to atmosphere is illegal and bad for everything/everyone.

The only way adding refrigerant will improve the AC system is if it's low to begin with. More refrigerant doesn't mean better cooling if it's already working properly.


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## WhiteAndBright (Mar 4, 2013)

Thanks fella's I will pull it into service when I get to work in the morning... :rock:


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

WhiteAndBright, any updates?


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## WhiteAndBright (Mar 4, 2013)

I took it into service and the low side pressure has changed and was not even with the high side so they evaporated the extra pressure and the compressor now turns on and blows cold.. Remember I work at the dealership and they charged me $119.60 to release the extra pressure that they captured and will prob reuse.. So in a way they charged me to take freon out of my car and keep it..


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

WhiteAndBright said:


> I took it into service and the low side pressure has changed and was not even with the high side so they evaporated the extra pressure and the compressor now turns on and blows cold.. Remember I work at the dealership and they charged me $119.60 to release the extra pressure that they captured and will prob reuse.. So in a way they charged me to take freon out of my car and keep it..
> 
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


Any better, or still along the lines of "meh"?


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## WhiteAndBright (Mar 4, 2013)

jblackburn said:


> Any better, or still along the lines of "meh"?


It still blows like it did before I took it into service but its still not as cold as it was when I first bought it..


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