Service Bulletin A/C Not Cold Enough

[cibomatto]

I went to a dealer to have it serviced recently and they said that my AC was working normally....I completely disagree... I checked out ACs in other cars and they were FREEZING cold.....

[joatmon]

Here's KSNeptune's pic for reference I just used my finger to push on the slotted tab on the clip, and that opened it up enough to pop the cable out. You don't remove the clip, just open it enough to move/remove the cable sleeve. On mine, I pushed on the tab and took the cable completely out of the clip. On another, I just pushed on the tab to make it let go of the cable sleeve, and held it open while turning the lever (white in the picture) counterclockwise. I guess you could use a small screwdriver to pry the clip open (never thought of that) but you would want to pry the slotted tab up, to move the slotted tab away from the cable. The clip stays attached to the plastic air housing, you don't need a lot of pressure to free the cable, be sure you don't pry on it so hard that you'd break the tab that the clip mounts on. My AC got colder after making the adjustment, but not as much as I hoped. If the ouside temp is under 90, then it's plenty cold, but above that, it seems to only be "OK" I'd take it to a dealer to get them to tell me if it is performing as designed, but I can't afford the time, and after some of what I read about the dealers here, I'm not sure they would know if I asked them. Mine's ok. Could be better. I also wish there was more air flow with less noise from it, but that must be as designed.

[jellman]

Ok I got it now. I will try this tonight and see what I get. Thanks again.

[shibaman]

The dealer adjusted the cable acording to the TSB and then I insulated the cold exposed tubing by the fire wall and it is 10* colder than before. At 98* it was 44* in the vent on normal, no recurculate.

[jellman]

Wow, that is good to know. Now you know my next question, how did you get to the tube near the firewall and what did you use for the wrap?

[ColonelPanic]

Thought I would check to see if anyone has had this A/C problem resurface... I had the cable adjusted per TSB last summer. However, now that the temps are climbing, I've noticed my A/C just isn't working as good as it should/once has. I figure I'll crawl under the dash tomorrow to check it out... Hopefully the cable just needs to be adjusted rather than having something else wrong with the system.

[ColonelPanic]

I pulled the cable off and adjusted this afternoon... Rotated the arm upward about 1/4", so I'm assuming that was the problem. Took it for a spin, and the A/C is much cooler again...Wonder why it worked itself out of adjustment again?

[dsegundo]

So what's the word w/ this. I've got a 2004 and even w/o the AC button and the knob in the cold section all it blows is warm air up until it hits the coldest setting.

[noginsk]

Mine is pretty warm too, an 04 bought in August of 03. I will try to get mine looked at tomorrow morning.

[JohnC]

See how long this lasts, seems some members have had to readjust their's.[/QUOTE]A/C Performance UpdateBoy am I stupid… I did the A/C damper door “fix” when I first got the Vibe so I never checked it again. Now that the temps are getting over 100 the A/C has been struggling to keep it cool. My a/c was putting out 46 degree air so I checked it again today and found that it was not fully closing again. Fixed it, then cycled the temp control several times and watched the cable retainer clip slip on the cable, causing the door not to fully close. Found that the cable does not flex enough and is constantly pushing down, causing the door to be slightly opened. I am just going to leave it disconnected during the summer. I plan on adding some gauges, so while I have the dash apart for that maybe I can reroute the cable somewhat. BTW air temp is down to 41 now.

[Raven]

I'm getting mine checked on Monday. When it's really hot out, I have to leave the fan on full speed to stay comfortable. With no music playing the noise is annoying. If I left the fan on full speed in my GMC truck, I'd get frostbite for sure. Like all GM trucks it has an excellent HVAC system.

[Raven]

Well they replaced the A/C schrader valve which included re and re of the freon. A much bigger deal than I was expecting. The A/C is much cooler now but still not bone chilling. I guess it will have to do. N/C for this and a bunch of other little stuff under warranty.

[ColonelPanic]

My A/C is acting up again... Checked under the dash, and the cable wasn't out of adjustment, everything was still the way I had left it last time. So, I called the dealer today and have added this to my list of things to get fixed tomorrow.Probably needs a shot of R134-A or something. If it needs something else, it better get it now while still under warranty.

[joatmon]

Lately, without the AC on, but with the temp control set to coolest, the air coming out of the vents was noticeably warmer than the outside air. I checked my cable today and it needed to be adjusted again.

[ColonelPanic]

Today they checked my car out... Said everything was "within specs." *shrug*

[ColonelPanic]

I measured the air temps coming from the vents today, and here are the lowest temps I recorded: Recirculate on, fan on high: 48 degrees. Recirculate off, fan on high: 56 degrees. Checked again to ensure the damper is fully adjusted, which it was. I just can't seem to keep the Vibe cool this summer. Guess I'll have to go complain to the dealer (again) very soon. I can't see how the A/C can barely be functioning, yet everything is "within specs." Seems to be getting worse by the day.

[omarq]

Here's a new one..I took my 04 Trix in for a not too cold A/C and they said it had 3/4 of a pound too much freon it! So they took it out and it seems to work better now... but only a hot day will really tell.I've never heard of too much freon causing an AC not to cool effectiveley.Anyone else had this "fix"?Haven't check my flapper and control cable yet.-Omar

[ColonelPanic]

I guess too much sometimes is really too much eh? That's interesting! Glad they were able to find something wrong with yours.The A/C on my car still kinda stinks, but it has been bearable after getting some window tint.

[ColonelPanic]

Blast from the past! Forgot about this thread.Months later... My A/C still sucks. Tint helps, but it still sucks nonetheless...

[dsegundo]

You think they'll do this at the vibe meet?

[the_nite_owl]

My 05 Vibe AWD seems to put out some pretty cold air but it does take a while to cool down.One thing I have noticed though and maybe someone else here will confirm. When I turn on the AC my engine does NOT change idle speed. Other vehicles I have owned automatically increase the idle speed to compensate for the additional drag of the AC compressor but the Vibe does not seem to be doing this.When the Vibe is idling with the AC on the air is much warmer than when you are driving around. So the compressor is not efficient at low RPM or perhaps it does not engage or it cycles out at low rpm to reduce drag on the engine instead of increasing engine RPM???As for dispelling interior heat, even if you have tinted windows and sun shades you should open up the windows and hatch to let that heat blow out. Mostly I just roll down the windows and open the sunroof. Turn on the AC, start driving so the wind blows through the car to come at least close to equalizing the interior temp with outside air then I close up the windows and let the AC run on recirc.If the day is supposed to be dry and you have the moon roof then put it on tilt and keep the visor pulled most of the way closed to keep the sun out.Otherwise crack windows on opposite sides of hte car so you get a bit of cross ventilation.

[Vangrest]

My 2005 Vibe also seems to be a bit deficient in the AC department.. I will be taking some temp readings and checking out the cable positions this weekend.. It's high 90's and 70% RH so i need it to be as cool as possible. hehe

[GMJAP]

Quote, originally posted by Vangrest »My 2005 Vibe also seems to be a bit deficient in the AC department.. I will be taking some temp readings and checking out the cable positions this weekend.. It's high 90's and 70% RH so i need it to be as cool as possible. heheIt also helps to insulate the AC line in the engine compartment -http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id ... ad?id=6848

[meem]

Just saw your post from quite a while ago regarding the "damper door". Is this the one behind the glove box? I just had the actuator for that door replaced as it was "tapping" trying to close. The actuator had been stripped. Two replacement actuators would only activate, i.e., not shut off when the recirc button was released, therefore would end up stripped again. The problems seems to be in the switch rather than the actuator, even though th TSB says to replace the actuator. Now I'm wondering if the AC temp adjust has something to do with wanting to keep the door shut.

[bagwell]

has anyone tried any of the new freon additives out??? ICE32 or the like?? they even come with gauges so you don't overcharge.

[whitevibe04]

Just adjusted my cable, what a difference it makes, less than 5 minutes. I took it to the dealer a couple of times when it was under the warranty, and they said nothing is wrong with the A/C unit. They had the nerve to tell me and wrote on the repair receipt that I did not have the A/C button engaged. Oh well, that is what happens when you try to get Pontiac dealer to service a Toyota car. (A Toyota in a Pontiac skin) Here are some numbers after the fix; it was off 1/4 inch the door was not closing all the way. First number is what the dash was reading for outside air temp, the second number is the measurement right in side one of the car air vents, measured with a temp probe, with the recirculation on, driven for a mile or so, and the readings in Fahrenheit.79/42, 80/43, 81/42, 91/43, now that chilly.

[viberationz]

Probably the only complaint I have with my Vibe. A/C Has never been overly cold nor powerfull. Had it replaced and recharged... GM did a thorough check with it and it has never been all that great... The heater on the other hand seems to be really good... But I never drive my car in the winter so I can't speak too strongly on that one.

[Trucster]

Where do I find this TS Bulletin? My AC is always hot and full flow. Must be the cable off??

[joatmon]

I'm not sure where the actual TSB can be found, I think I have seen it at some point, and I don't remember it offering any additional info other than what Hawke provided in the 4th post in this thread, at viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1004&p=36436#p6739" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

the text of the TSB was posted by stkos79 on the first page at viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1004&p=36436#p36436" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

but I can't find a PDF of the TSB



and welcome to genvibe

[mk03vibegt]

This really is a great site.
I've been doing a lot of work on the car I got in Aug2011 - 03gt. Did the clutch and brakes and many other things that needed to be done....this site has been a great resource.
Just checked out my Control cable for the "cold" air and used the instructions that were put up 10 years ago- Thank you for keeping this community active!

[joatmon]

This really is a great site.

Welcome to genvibe. The value of this site is split between a great community of users and the info that those users post. Now that you've broken the barrier with a first post, don't be a stranger, post up.

Did your cable need to be adjusted, and if so, how far off was it?

[cq358]

It has been verified that 09-10 vibe uses Denso compressor and not AC delco.

[BustedVibe]

I wasn't sure if I needed to do this or not, but I figured I'd give it a try. (of course its cooled off now so can't test it today).
There is still a little "play" in the white piece of you are manipulating the piece itself (looks like lateral play more than anything), but I did notice when I took the cable off and pulled the lever as far as it would go, on the final bit of distance there is a "snap" to it or w/e so I'm hoping maybe it was that tiny bit that needed to be shut.

Don't know if I got the cable sleeve put "back" far enough vs where it previously was. Time will tell. It was a simple affair and I can mess with it later again if needed. Though it looked like pushing back on the cable sleeve didn't really change much except the sleeve position anyway.

[jayoldschool]

Thanks for bumping this, it's great to have info like this for us 2nd owners.

I'm going to check my 04 tomorrow, the AC is not super cold when it's really hot out.

[BustedVibe]

Hope it helps. Mine has never been super cold either, I threw some insulation on the cold return line under the hood as well, so I guess we'll see what happens when it gets to 80+ degrees out here again.

[cq358]

it is not cold by default. Even I tried to add few ounce of charge. The charge carrying capacity in the Vibe AC system is very small. Adding a 2-3 ounce over will make your system trips on high pressure in high ambient/stop and go traffic.
In 90F ambient, your air vent temperature should be 42-44F or 35-39~F delta T.

[chris777]

I wonder If I need to do this, or check the freon level in my 05.

I had thought it wasn't cooling as well as it used to, but I noticed my Daughters Scion XA cools A LOT better, and faster, than my vibe and its the same year as my vibe.

[jayoldschool]

I did adjust the cable, but it didn't really make much difference. The AC in this car is just not that cold.

[Fatalmasterpiece]

Jay did you check your AC coolant pressure? My 04 wasn't getting cold at all and was killing me in this 100 degree California weather. $40 at autozone on one of those AC recharge kits and 20 minutes under the hood solved the problem. Btw, make sure to check the pressure while the car is running.