Subaru Forester Air Conditioning Problems

bpowis

My 04 Forester XT engine making squealing/rattling noises which sometimes diminished when I accelerated. My boyfriend said it sounded like a bearing. Mechanic diagnosed it as a bad air compressor and said I need the compressor, clutch assembly and freon all replaced, for a total cost of about $945. The car is only 4 years old with 62,000 miles. Does this sound right?

rochcom

Sorry, I accidentally posted this in the wrong forum previously.

I am having a problem with a '98 Forester A/C compressor. The compressor clutch runs fine in moderate weather for a period of time, then cuts out. To get it to come on again, the system needs to be turned off for a period of time and then re-started. After a total of about 20 minutes or so of running, or if it is particularly hot and sunny it can happen much sooner, the system will shut off again and NOT restart. The outlet temperature is normal (40) when running, but quickly climbs to 73+ when it shuts down.

The dealer tried to solve the problem by recharging and doing a leak check. The recharge did not help and there is no evidence of a leak. After next observing the compressor clutch cutting out, the dealer said that the problem is the clutch and it cannot be repaired. Their solution is to replace the entire compressor assembly. This is expensive. At this point, the dealership staff does not seem to know what they are doing.

Does anyone have any alternatives to check for? Could it be an electrical fault or pressure switch problem? If it is mechanical, can the clutch mechanism be repaired?

rsttoole

I have the same problem on my 97 Outback. ANy ideas?

xwesx

Is it possible that the compressor is overheating? Maybe too much friction in the bearings for the pulley? This is just a shot in the dark, really. How long does it take for the system to "reset?"

rochcom

Thanks for your reply.

It can vary greatly. It does seem to take longer in direct sunlight so that overheating is a possibility. But then, what is the solution?

I have found that it will cut in and out by itself and under some conditions, leaving the system in partial or full recirculate mode will allow the interior to stay cool. But in strong sunlight, this is not adequate.

xwesx

Well, again, hard to say, but if it is a friction problem then perhaps spraying the bearings with lithium grease will help. The compressor pulley is clutch activated, so try not to get any grease on the pressure surface or the plates may slip.

Again, just a shot in the dark. If the system is not low on refrigerant and the compressor works (when it works!), there must be something telling it to disengage so often. I am not sure what the triggers are, but often they have fail safe systems (shutting down if overheating would be considered a fail safe).

paisan

Check to make sure that there is water draining below the car during operation. If it isn't dumping a significant puddle at idle, then chances are the condensor is freezing over and that will cause it to spew warm air.

Tinted windows help a lot.

My 05 LGT Wagon has been excellent during the past week of high 80s low 90s here in NYC with very high humidity.

-mike

paisan

from the symotoms seems possible. 62k is a little low but it's possible.

-mike

Bowhunter51

I'm changing my ac compressor and it calls for a 200 oil, the auto parts shop have 100 or 150, what is the difference and is the 200 necessary?

dahs10

My 98 Forester overheats when I am travelling and have the air conditioning on. It doesn't overheat when I'm travelling around town only when I am travelling on the highway for at least 30 minutes. This past time I was 60 miles from home. I had travelled approximately 30 minutes. I slowed down in traffic and the heat gauge shot up but not in the red area. I quickly shut the a/c off and turned on the heat which cooled everything down so I could make it home.
This happened last year and I replaced the thermostat. Anyone have any idea what could cause this? Thank you,

rsholland

http://www.geocities.com/samiam_68/SubaruCCS/SSC_Fix.htm

Not sure if this addresses the problem at hand...

Bob

ateixeira

When my Miata started acting up, I changed the water pump first, then the T-stat. The latter is what fixed it, though.

Running the heat simply helps dissipate heat from the engine bay, but it's only a short-term fix to get you home.

quark613

Did you ever figure out what was wrong? I'm having this exact same issue now with my '04 Forester. Was it the thermostat by any chance?

Thanks -

forestergirl04

I have an 04 forester with over 100k miles. All was fine until about 3 weeks ago. The air conditioner comes on and runs cold for awhile then the air stops running cold but the blower is still on. If I leave it as is and keep driving, it eventually turns cold again for a little while. If I shut off the car and wait 1 minute the air comes back on cold and eventually stops. I am not very knowledgable about cars. When the car is running but not moving, I can here the "click" of the air conditioner coming on. If I stop moving but keep the car running with the air conditioner still on, I don't hear it "clicking" and it doesn't get cold again. If anyone can suggest something I would appreciate it.

quark613

That is EXACTLY what is happening with mine, same age, same mileage. It works a little better when it's somewhat less hot, and at highway speeds, but still not reliable. In town, it doesn't last long at all - runs briefly and then stops cooling. My mechanic checked for a plugged drain (wasn't one), drained and recharged the a/c - made no difference. He's taking it back in next week and will check out the thermostat and see if he can figure it out otherwise. Sounds like a number of people have had this issue and it would sure be nice if someone had solved the puzzle...

forestergirl04

Please keep me posted if you could when you take it back to your mechanic. Thanks.

vors

Has anyone found a solution to this yet? My 2004 Forester is doing the same thing and my mechanic has not been able to figure it out.

dahs10

I finally took my car to the Subaru dealership. It was the head cylinder gasket. I also had leakage from the right inner axel boot and right power steering rack. So all these items are being fixed to the tune of $3200.00. The mechanic said that the head gasket is a common problem for Subarus over 100,000 miles. I have 188,000 miles on my subaru. He also stated that once all this work is done that I should get another 60,000 miles out of the vehicle. I sure hope so.

ateixeira

188k is a lot of miles, hopefully it'll last longer once fixed.

aatherton

"... Running the heat simply helps dissipate heat from the engine bay..."

The heater helps dissipate heat from the engine. The same coolant that flows through the radiator core also flows through the heater core. The radiator rejects engine heat into the engine bay, and the heater rejects engine heat into the cabin.

When the radiator alone is not enough to cool the engine for whatever reason, admitting coolant to the heater adds more core area to help dissipate the heat.

mancpa22

I have a 2003 Impreza with the same AC issues- has any one determined what it is?

dahs10

The problem with my Subaru Forester AC was the head gasket. I had that replaced for $2500.00 and now it works great. No more overheating.

quark613

See my post # 16 above. Had to cancel my appointment late last summer to have my a/c checked out by my mechanic because my daughter had a baby early and I went to help her; by the time I got back we figured we might as well wait till the next cooling season to deal with it. Finally brought it in. Took some sleuthing to find this: "a/c clutch develops an open circuit and disengages." Replaced a/c clutch and I've got nice cold air blowing as long as I need it to. Yay! Total cost was $410 plus tax.

ateixeira

Glad to hear both of you found a fix. :shades:

samsuby

Hi - have a 2009 Suby Forester with 47000 miles (mostly highway) and the air conditioner which isn't used all that much has stopped blowing cold air. I took it to my local dealer who informs me that the compressor doesn't work, the clutch doesn't function properly, etc. $1400++ to repair!! I live in No. California so AC doesn't get used constantly, but it gets at least weekly use in summer/early fall (85+ and the dogs start panting...)
Naturally the car is just out of warranty, but no way should this be happening after only 47000 miles?!! Any advice on what if any recourse I might have with Subaru? Thanks for any suggestions.

ateixeira

That is very, very unusual.

I have heard that you should use the A/C once in a while to keep the seals lubricated. There's an additive in there that cycles around the system.

$1400? Yikes!

Call 800-SUBARU3 and tell them how new your car is. Be super-nice - you get more flies with honey. I used to work in a Help Desk so trust me on that one.

Hopefully they will cover at least a portion of that cost.

quark613

I don't believe it for a minute. There's no way the compressor AND the compressor clutch are shot, and that figure is absurd. Take it to a reliable, independent mechanic.

baires60

Hi, I bought a 2010 subaru forester in January 2010 and I went to start my AC on those hot muggy days last week and nothing. I had used it a couple of weeks ago or maybe a month now and it seemed to work fine but may have been that I was going over 60 and the air was coming in colder. But is anyone else experiencing this on the 2010 AT Premium X? I bearly have 9K on the car. Thought it could be the freon but isn't it too early to be replenishing that? I don't drive anywhere that I would have punctured something - I do city and highway driving - though some potholes can be like craters in NY.

TIA, Silvia

mgoltra

my 09 forester's a/c broke around 28K. Sprayed Freon all over my face and my wife's. Dealer said it was the condenser. It was replaced eventually but A/C is not the same, it doesn't get that cold.

nbg2

My air conditioner works well for a while, blowing very cold air. The, suddenly the compressor seems to shut off and only warm air is emitted. This seems to happen especially on hot days, and especially if I am headed downhill (i.e. when my engine is revving down). If I accelerate, raising RPMs, the compressor seems to kick back in. I can do this 5 or 6 times. Eventually, even that fails. Then I have to turn off the system and let it rest. About 10 minutes later I can restart the air conditioner, and it cools perfectly. I have 100,000 plus miles. I recently started using a phone charger in my cigarette lighter and recently had the head gasket changed. Could either of these two changes be responsible? A post I saw on this site mentioned something about an air conditioner clutch and another post mentioned a coolant temperature sensor. Does anyone have an opinion about my problem?

dahs10

When my air conditioner started acting like that, I had to have the computer module for the a/c replaced. Not cheap but after that the a/c worked fine.

I'm still having problems with the car overheating when I run the a/c. I can turn it on but if I travel on the interstate when I get off, it starts to overheat. I've replaced the head gasket so I didn't expect this to happen again. Any ideas?

mjb59

The AC on my 2009 Forester (58,000 miles) quit working. The compressor makes a lot of noise (rattles) when the AC is turned on. I took it to the dealer and was told I had a clog in the system. They said the rattle was due to the compressor pulling vacuum on the low side and that pressure on the high side was over 200 lbs. I was told there was no way to find the clog and the only sure way to fix it was to replace all components in the system. Total cost around $3,000.

I would like to know if there are any other options.

dahs10

I had another problem with my a/c this summer. When I would drive on the interstate with the a/c on and then get off, the car would overheat. I just had the head gasket replaced 18 months ago so I didn't think it was that again. I took it to an awesome mechanic and discovered the connection to the second fan was not working properly. He fixed that at minimal cost and now it works perfectly.

aatherton

"The AC on my 2009 Forester (58,000 miles) quit working. The compressor makes a lot of noise (rattles) when the AC is turned on. I took it to the dealer and was told I had a clog in the system. They said the rattle was due to the compressor pulling vacuum on the low side and that pressure on the high side was over 200 lbs. I was told there was no way to find the clog and the only sure way to fix it was to replace all components in the system. Total cost around $3,000."
This does not sound right. In 5 decades of car ownership I have not heard of a "clog" in the AC system. Also, being unable to find the problem, and needing to replace the whole system, and the cost of $3,000, all sound wrong. It is well worth seeking a second opinion from another dealer or a good independent shop.

ateixeira

I can imagine debris causing a clog, but the price sure does sound high.

Funny thing is they usually leak...

aatherton

Over the years on various cars we have had such problems as a plugged evaporator drain, intermittent cooling, minor refrigerant leaks, an untended leak where loss of refrigerant and its lubricating properties ruined the compressor, and a couple of failed compressor clutches. But no clogs.

ateixeira

I had a leaky compressor on a '91 Ford Escort GT.

I was mad because the A/C was a $460 option, but fixing it cost $700 at the time. And I had just serviced the A/C the year before.

The shop gave me a break and didn't charge me for the freon the 2nd time.

cydennis

Hello, my Forester is doing the exact same thing and dealer recommends head gasket replacement. Can you tell me exactly what second fan connection was not working properly on your car? What is the "second fan" and where is it located? Thanks very much - you might save me a ton of money!

dahs10

The second fan is located on the passenger side of the car at the very front right behind the headlight. Good luck

vasubaru12

My AC in my 2009 Forester started blowing hot air about a year after I bought it (bought it in July 2008). I took it to the dealer and they couldn't find a leak but did replace what they called a Shrader valve on it and they put more freon in it and it worked pretty good for 2 years. Now I have about 72,000 miles on the car and it stopped working at the beginning of the summer. Didn't take it to the dealer because it wasn't under warranty. Took it to another garage and they said that my compressor made a lot of noise and the pressure was off on it and they quoted me about $700 to replace the compressor. I actually found a used one and had another garage put it on and paid about $400 total. It worked for about a week and half and now all the freon is leaked out again. The garage that put the compressor in thinks it is something else. I believe this all stemmed from the first time I took it to the dealer. I think they give you outrageous prices I know that when I talked with them about the compressor they said it would be between $1200 and $2000 to fix it. I am emailing Subaru because I keep being told by mechanics that this should not be happening on this new of a car.

baires60

WOW that is a new car practically, my car 2010 subaru forester had a problem and blew hot air at the beginning of the summer - I took it to the dealer and they said they found a leak and replaced the evaporator? Whatever it was, they needed to wait for a part to fix it. It works great now but after hearing your story I am waiting to see what happens in a couple of years, I got the extended warranty so I guess if it does happen again I am covered either way - well as long as it's not over 70K or 7 years old. I don't like it when things that major already go out within the first 15 months of a car's life.

arcana1

I had the same problem but had it fixed at the dealer yesterday. The mechanic told me it was rust on the clutch plate.. He showed me what he did. You move the fluid bottle out off the way, then remove the cover plate that protects the belt.
Here is the best part, you spray WD-40 or similar onto the clutch plate and in between the compressor and clutch plate.
Put the cover plate and bottle back in place.
Worked like a charm
Another dealer quoted $1500. for the fix. this dealer charged their minimum 1 hour labour but anyone with a socket set could do it themselves.

rogerh1

Hi,

My 2009 Subaru Forrester is having related problems - whenever I turn on the front window defrost, fuse #22 blows. I took it to the dealer and they told me I need to replace the compressor, cost = $1000.
Seems like too young of a car to have this kind of issue.
buummer

techmarcom

I have a 2004 Forester with 146k miles. The AC words at the start, but after running for about 15-45 minutes, the air stops being cold. If I turn it off for about 5-10 minutes, I can turn it on and have cold air again.

Just got it recharged the other day, but noticed the problem again this afternoon.

Anyone else experience this? Any ideas? I'm not about to sink $300 into an AC repair with this many miles.

aatherton

Perhaps the refrigerant is leaking out of a bad seal. Low refrigerant can cause intermittent cooling as the compressor loses and regains suction. And maybe turning off the AC for awhile can allow what refrigerant is left to drain back to the compressor.

quark613

See my previous posts #14, 16 and 25 - this sounds an awful lot like what was happening to me. Turned out to be the a/c clutch - replaced in 2010 and haven't had a lick of trouble since.

nanasara

I have a 2006 Forrester with well over 100,000 miles. Car still runs great, but the A/C only blows on auto setting. Air is cool, but not as cold as we would like and takes a long time to cool passengers in the back seat. Last summer was so hot here in Texas and it was almost unbearable. Any idea what the problem could be? What could make it only work on auto setting?

chawkfan71

I own a 2011 Forester with 10,000 miles. Since day one of running my AC the compressor makes a chirping noise when it releases. The faster the speed the louder it gets. I have taken it in to be serviced two times and I keep getting told that this is a normal noise for this model. Just wondering if anyone else has this problem??? I have been in other Foresters and didn't hear this noise.

xwesx

I've never heard a chirp in mine. I have a 2010 Forester.

ateixeira

Our 2009 2.5i Limited's HVAC is also quiet.

cain4705

I own 2011 forester since oct 2011. After a few weeks of using my AC and it sounding normal, it started making a LOUD click and a LOUD buzzing noise by the compressor (buzzing lasts from 3 to 10 seconds) when I would first push the AC button to turn on the compressor. It sounds the worst first start up of the day or afterthe car sits for a while. After it males that noise and while it's running it sounds and works normal.
I brought it to Subaru service and they said it sounded normal as they compared it to another 2011 Forester.
I know it is not Normal. If it was it would have sounded like that from day one. It is also starting to get worse.
Does anyone else have this problem?
Can anyone tell me what they think can be slowly going wrong?
However it does not make a constant chirp noise like yours. I'm suspecting yours is a belt or pulley problem.