MDRX8

After working with my local dealer for repairs on my A/C they have refused to work on the problem anymore. I went on a test ride with the shop foreman and we compared temp readings coming from the vent. His cooking style gauge read 42 D while I had a calibrated NBS thermometer from a laboratory that read 50deg. It fails miserably on the service manual test on idle at 1500 rpm and recirculation on fan on 4. It should have read between 42 to 46 degrees. They contacted the area rep and he gave his blessing for the dealership to refuse service without examining my car at all. So RX8 owners beware warranty service can be refused.

Razz1

They have to rely on the mechanics gage.

You never mentioned what they did to help you, so your post is unfair.

Did the replace the AMP? Did they flash your ECU to P ?

Im_DANomite

iTrader: (1)

you can only ask for so much out of a dealership. if it gets to a point where your demands are a little over the top, then you can just forget about it. honestly, how cold do you want your A/C? 50 degrees is pretty friggin' chilly if you ask me.

these guys have plenty of other customers to take care of. they really can't spend all their time trying to fix 8 degree difference. give them a little break.

Sigma

So falling 4 degrees outside of spec is "failing miserably"?

Mugatu

iTrader: (1)

i WISH my a/c blew out 50 degree air!

RotaryIT

50 degrees is not that great when you consider the amount of heat the A/C is fighting against.

Just the other day, it was 96f and humid....felt like over 100. My temp guage displayed 102. I cranked my AC with fresh air first(it was hotter in the car), then switched over to recirc. I drove for 35 minutes in town and on the freeway...I was sweating like a pig. The only relief I could get was to point the vent straight at my face....and of course that did nothing for my legs. My A/C still cycles from acceptably cold, to a moist cool. I will probably try the heatwrap on the A/C lines in the engine bay that someone recommended.

Does anyone notice that when you switch from upper vents only to mixed that there is almost no flow? If I have the fan on 4, the upper vents flow drops as if the fam was on 1, and I dont really feel a great deal of air coming from the lower vents either....sound familiar or do I have a problem?

MTCD01

That's normal operation for the 8's vents. Floor gets nearly all of the flow when mix is selected (It's probably coming out above your feet/legs, you could block the passenger side to increase flow everywhere else). The setting is rather useless for AC but ain't so bad for heat IMO.

My AC blows pretty cold. Never had any warranty work done to it. For short trip around here (also 95+ 60%+ humidity) I keep the passenger vent closed, system set to recirc, vents only, center two vents pointed at my chest and head, left vent aimed at my lap, and blower set to 3 or 4. It the same vent configuration I've used in every car that I've had AC in. When stopped I typically bring the RPMs up to 1500 to 2000 to maintain the cold air flow (no different then the 4 bangers I used to drive).

JonsToy

You piqued my interest when you mentioned the temperature range that the A/C is supposed to achieve.
I've always thought the A/C in my 8 is marginal, at best, in terms of cooling. I did have the amp replaced, and I have insulated the line running over the top of the engine. I felt the cooling improved with each of these steps, but overall I don't think it gets the job done.
Yesterday I put a refrigerator thermometer in front of the center vents, ran the test as stated above, and recorded a low temerature of 52 deg. No wonder the A/C feels inadequate.
I pretty much use the same procedure as MTCD01 above to cool the car, and I find it tolerable. I'm sure the black leather interior in the hot, Florida sun doesn't help matters, either.
I just wonder how many other A/Cs aren't putting out 42-46 degrees?

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

i find it the AC runs colder when the car is moving (and the rpm is up in 2000-3000rpm range) than say when it's idling. when it's idling it's noticeably not as cold...

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

i think i may get tint to reduce greenhouse heating effect... and make a/c work more efficiently?

th1rd3y3

Tint will definitely keep the cabin cooler than untinted windows. Especially if you have to park in the sun, keeps the seats other items at least touchable in direct sunlight.

dmp

50 degree AC is very cold. House AC units rarely blow below 60 - according the tech who quoted my house for an install.

r0tor

iTrader: (1)

You need to take the temperature inside the vent - which means having a thermometer with a long proble on it.

r0tor

iTrader: (1)

that is true on house units

Sea Ray

My AC runs fine with no noticable variation in the output. I have a Aug 03 build date and have not had the amp replaced.

I had the AC units serviced and recharged on my boat, and the tech said that it should put out air that is 20 degrees colder than what it takes in, or at least down to about 50. Never measured the 8 but it will freeze my hands if the vent is on them.

dmp

...and house units can get VERY cold.

50 degrees inside a car, where it's 90 degrees outside seems fine by me. Of course, for US, 75 degrees is a 'warm' day.

MDRX8

I work at a laboratory and we took four different thermometers to check the temp. It was cycling between 46 and 50 degrees. you could see it drop to 46 then up to 50. We check it against 2 new Toyota trucks and it fead a little higher. BUT This is Adequate...... My fault for expecting to much. They did put in a larger evaporator .... My bad......!!!

MyRxBad

iTrader: (1)

Don't apologize to us..
Go tell the dealer.

Sigma

While I do agree that 50 degrees is sufficient, there's a pretty big difference between House A/C and Auto A/C. That's not really a fair comparison.

A House A/C cools VERY slowly. Anyone who's had the power go off or an A/C fail for a day in Texas knows that it can take a very long time for the house to get cool again. We expect our cars to get cool within moments. Tied to that is the fact that a House A/C is designed to be very very energy efficient, and the added energy to cool the air more and more and generate more airflow isn't worth the added energy costs to most of us (which is why it takes forever for a house to cool itself). For a Car it's just leeching already-generated power so the energy cost is minimal so we want our Car A/Cs to blow as chilly and as fast as possible because we want our 120 degree cars to be 75 degrees inside of 3 minutes.