sauceyI986

I was wondering what to do cuz I'm livin her in az and it is hottt as hell with 117 degree weather and it seems like sometimes my a/c will blow cold for a moment then it blow like warm cold air. almost like a swamp cooler.. how could I fix this..

dillsrotary

take it to the dealer, most likely a common tsb problem alot of us had. I personally had the opposite, in the dead of winter in the northeast it would only blow cold air.

Razz1

It ain't gonna work at 117

It's not a very good A/C

Do the mod in DIY section.

Must use the proper heat shielding.

We did a test and mine was running 2 degrees cooler.

Jax_RX8

Mazsport Cooling mod makes a huge difference in the AC temps as well. Fans run more assisting AC temps as well as keeping engine temps down.

staticlag

are you at idle when it is blowing cooler air?

Jax_RX8

If you are referring to me, Yes. The Mazsport mod increases cooling capacity under all conditions, but it especially makes a difference at idle where mine really sucked before the mod because the fans did not run until the car was very hot - thus less airflow through the AC as well, which is not enough to provide proper cooling.

MazdaManiac

iTrader: (3)

All of the mods in the world won't help at 117°F (or 122°F like I had in Vegas on Thursday).
Once the ambient gets above 105°F to 109°F, the cooling system can't keep up.
Once the coolant temps hit 230°F, the PCM starts to turn the A/C completely off and the only way to get those temps back down is to turn the A/C off yourself and keep it off at speed.
Straight water, Water Wetter, fan mod, bigger rad, ducts, shrouds, extra fans, blah blah blah. Doesn't matter on the Renesis. Got 'em all.
If you run your A/C in 117°F in the desert, you will overheat.
Now, places with some humidity may be able to push it a bit harder...

Razz1

Ageed ^^ Even good systems in cars fail.

jeffe19007

Yep. Even the Mazsport mod blows hot air if you sit in traffic here. Helps otherwise.

Lately in the afternoons the traffic is dieing down cause it is too feakin' hot. Getting into a 200 degree car is just punishment no one does voluntarily!

Jax_RX8

True - the heat-wave you are having is surpassing what just about all cars, not just the 8, are designed to endure from a cooling/AC standpoint.

MazdaManiac

iTrader: (3)

I've stopped driving during the day all together.

staticlag

MM, do you think an additional oil cooler would help?

MazdaManiac

iTrader: (3)

You mean a third oil cooler?
I don't know. MadDog has one, but he lives in a place that doesn't get quite as hot as here.
The oil cooler fan setup I'm developing might be a better route.

chickenwafer

iTrader: (9)

more efficient oil coolers would be a good start, but it's not cheap. The fans MM is speaking off should help significantly when sitting in traffic.

My A/C does some weird stuff too. Sometimes it will blow ice cold, then go to cool air (like a swamp cooler), then back to ice, seemingly reguardless of the ambient air temp or engine temp.

fullsmoke

Yea, sometimes mine does what chickenwafer's does. I've thought about going in for the tsb about the updated A/C Amplifier, but as I understand it, the amp only controls the HVAC blend doors, not the actual cycle/duty of the compressor. Looks like we are just stuck with our current cooling system.

FS

He||hammer

iTrader: (8)

Try this...

This is the procedure:

This mod only works if the build date is after 9/03, but it may work if the a/c compressor was replaced under the tsb. So check your build date and see if thats the reason it isnt working for you. If your car is older than that you might want to consider getting the tsb done.

1. Make sure the car is off AND the HVAC fan is off AND the A/C on/off button is off.
2. Press and hold the front defroster (on the left) AND air source (recirc/fresh air) buttons
3. Continue pressing the buttons in step 2 and turn the key to ACC for 3 seconds
4. Continue pressing the buttons in step 2 and further turn the key to ON (NOT START) for 3 more seconds.
5. Verify the programming update by observing the REAR defroster LED blink 3 times.
6. Release the two buttons from step 2 and start the car.

When you turn on the A/C with the MODE button set to FACE and turn the thermostat to full COLD (max counter-clockwise setting) the RECIRC should automatically engage. In addition, the amplifier should put out colder air (~ 5-10 degrees F colder and not just from the RECIRC setting) and the compressor will not cycle nearly as often (which some of us found annoying).

Note: This programming change is not persistent. If the battery is fully discharged or disconnected the procedure needs to be repeated to re-enable the settings.

cleoent

117 is too hot.

my a/c works fine till about 104 or so, after that it's completely useless. And if the car has been baking all day in the sun and you try to cool it down with the a/c it aint gunna happen.

MazdaManiac

iTrader: (3)

^^ That's pretty much the problem in a nutshell.

delhi

117F? Trade in your rx-8 for a camel.

Kane

iTrader: (1)

Lol!!!

nmarz77

If it blows cold for a little and then all of the sudden starts to blow with a mix of hot and cold I would def take it to the dealer and have them check it out. When it does this do certain vents blow colder or hotter? IE: the side vents blow slightly warmer than the middle.

Nubo

That procedure below definitely made a world of difference in my Jan-2004 build RX-8.

Once the AC is running optimally, the next avenue for improvement would be reducing the heat-load so it can keep up.

A tremendous amount of heat comes through the windows on a sunny day. I've long considered getting some V-Kool window tinting (blocks 95% of infrared, but allows most visible light through), but it doesn't often get THAT hot here. If you're facing 117 on a regular basis it might be worth a look.

Also a good deal of heat coming up from the Transmission, exhaust and of course the engine compartment. Dynamat or other heat-insulation could further reduce incoming heat.

Once you're underway, keeping a BTU of heat out of the cabin is just as effective as removing it with the AC.

RotarySince79

Has this A/C issue been improved or fixed in the current 2007 models?

I'm about to buy one this weekend and bad air would be a deal killer for me here in Miami, especially since I expect to move (back) to Phoenix within 6 months.
My current 86 RX7 A/C handled the task out there just fine, so this problem with the 8 is a bummer, and a surprise.

Thanks in advance.
Gary