Strange AC problem

my only wag is the vent not working properly on the drivers side, but i don't know if they are separate or one unit.

 

What mode is the air control system in? Assuming the vents she's talking about are the ones near the doors, how about the other vents in the system? Do all the modes (floor, dash, combined, defrost) work properly? Does the fan work properly on all speeds? See if plenty of cold air comes out of the center dash or floor vents when those modes are selected.

I'm pretty sure the side vents near the doors are not controlled from the MFD. They are always "on" and have to be controlled at the vent by the seat occupant.

Turn the fan on high and see if there's a difference in the amount or velocity of air flow between the two side vents. Maybe a duct is broken?

The passenger side vent is closer to the evap coil so if there's a problem or the system is marginal, any cool air might be felt there and it might not "make it" to the other side. That's just a wag, too.

 

Does anyone know if this model has the capability to cool based on outside conditions? Climate control may be in play here?

 

it probably has auto climate control, but i doubt it has separate controls for driver and passenger. but i've been wrong before.

 

Most modern cars have heat all the time in the heater core but just divert the air around it when heat is not needed.
Her symptoms sounds like one (or more) of the air director vanes is stuck in the wrong position.

Putting it on cool, vent, heat and defrost and back a few times might help.
If it is auto climate, then jack it all the way up for a minute and then all the way back down for a while.

If none of that helps, it will probably require professional attention 'cause those deflectors and their "motors" are usually buried up behind the dash.

 

That is a strange one. I was reading the Manual on the 2005 AC system last week. It's pretty cool the way it's engineered for efficiency. My wife was complaining she had no cold air and it turned out she didn't realize she had turned the vent off on her side? Well maybe I did it cleaning the car!


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that's it! how do you turn the vent off on the driver side only? shut down the grille in the middle, and the one on the left corner?

 

Left is off, right is open


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thanks. and the one left of the steering wheel, same thing?

 

All four of them.


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wow, that must have been some cleaning job.unfortunately, the o/p says his daughters vent is blowing hot air.

 

The AC problem might just mean you have to recharge it. The cool air probably starts off in the passenger side and works itself to driver's side. If the system is weak, the driver's side would not cool properly. I would suspect the passenger side is not all that cool.

 

good point, the fan starting behind the glove box.

 

yep. must have a small leak. have it recharged and make sure they put a little uv dye in it. the uv dye is so bright green if there is a leak you don't usually need the uv light to find it unless the leak is extremely small.

 

You guys are overlooking one critical point:
If the unit just was not cooling good enough, the air coming out of the drivers side vent should not feel HOT.......except right after starting up, that is. It should at least feel neutral.

 

Hope OP reports back w/ the cause. Man that's a lot of disassembly to get to the ventilation diverted thing Easy is talking about.

 

thinking about this has made mine go out? Blower blows, condenser condenses but temp of air is ambient??? Looks like I'm going deep into the dash!!!


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More likely, the refrigerant level is low which would not require doing anything with the dash.

 

I thought that too Patrick though the condensate on the ground after a drive says other wise don't you think? I will check my fluid pressure before. Seems I was hearing the damper auto adjusting before and now I don't,
Patrick have you ever had a damper get stuck perhaps due to a pencil getting dropped in a vent??


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