Our 08 FEH has ~85k miles and the AC (or semi-functional nature thereof) is driving my wife crazy.It’s been in the high 90’s the past couple of weeks in ATL and not much is working for her to cool the car down.

This thread sounded like a similar observation.But it quickly devolved into an argument over aftermarket tint.We aren’t doing any more/different tint than the factory side tint it came with, so I’m hoping for other input.

It seems to me that, if you run the AC with the Econ off and are on the highway or running relatively consistently (say 2000 to 3000 rpm, definitely better higher), it cools OK.Not the greatest but not miserable.But puttering about intown from stop sign/light to the next and it doesn’t do squat in less than 20 minutes. This is with the fan cranked up and the temperature set down to 70F or below.

Will try the recirc more but I really think something’s going on.The last thing we had fixed under the 75k extended warranty were the dash blend doors.It felt like I was prying that out of the dealer. I tried to get them to do something with the refrigerant but had no success. I have to take it for the steering sensor recall (only about a year late), and I’m trying to figure out what to have them look at for the AC.

The musty smell (presumably condensate evaporating back into the cabin also bugs her, and is more noticeable when you run with the Econ and AC stops and starts.Not sure there’s anything to be done about that, but I thought I’d mention it.

I’ve also noticed the mileage drop off over the past 18 months or so.It used to run consistently with a long-term average of ~30 mpg.It’s now dropped down to ~27.5mpg.It got up around 28 before the weather warmed up but it hasn’t been near where it used to run.The only thing that’s coincided is that I think it started degrading after I replaced the 12v battery around that time. Interested to see if there are thoughts on other things I should be looking into (besides tire pressure, which has remained pretty constant).

Thanks!

 

The '07 has an underhood cabin air filter, not sure about your '08. You might want to check that the filter isn't dirty and restricting airflow.

 

The best I can tell from looking into this a while back is that mine has a place where you could put a cabin air filter but it didn't actually have the filter.

I seem to recall that getting at the housing for the filter is a non-trivial exercise, so I never fooled with it.

 

I recently went through similar symptoms, but more pronounced: A/C wouldn't work at all, and on the hottest day of the year so far, the entire regen/hybrid battery system ceased working. So it would not go into ev mode, acceleration was very slow, and mileage went down a lot. The problem was that one of the aluminum lines that delivers refrigerant to the rear hvac unit had corroded a hole. So all the refrigerant escaped. Your first check should be refrigerant level, and if it's low, track down the cause.

 

The cabin air filter on my FEH 08 is actually not that hard to get to. From memory:
1) lift the hood
2) remove 4-6 screws or grommets from near the base of the windshield on the passenger side
3) lift the panel thing the screws were in to expose the housing for the air filter.
4) note the horribly filthy filter that was installed at the factory lo these many years ago.
5) replace that sucker with a new one.
6) enjoy less stinky air and more of it.

 

if it is cool but not cold refridgerant is probably low - you can add a can yourself for about $25 and it comes with the hose to connect the can to the car - save the hose - additional cans are only $15.

Starting at 5 years old I've been adding about 1 can per year and it works great and is easy to do!

Remember the 2005-2008 hybrids have two airconditioning circuits but only one freon compressor. When the battery needs cooling at the same time (almost always) it's like two people taking a bath in the house at the same time - the pressure drops for the whole system and everybody gets less....

ADD A CAN!

 

If you add A/C and don't know how much pressure is in the system, you could overfill and cause damage.
A/C systems are all sealed. If they need more refrigerant, there are leaks which could be causing other problems down the road.

 

The system is sealed just like your tires are sealed.

A few molecules at a time can leak out of the tinyest places. You can spend thouands trying to trouble-shoot or spend $25. Your choice.

The correct procedure with a cool, but not very cold system is to add one can of refrigerant and observe. One can added does not have enough volume or pressure to hurt anything.

If the vent blow the same temperature as ambient air, then yes, there is probably a large leak that needs repair.

 

I also have a 2008 FEH and the same A/C problem as the original poster. I am leaning towards adding a can of refrigerant as my first fix (going to the dealer is probably my last resort). Anyway, most of the kits these days come with a gauge that shows the proper pressure while you add in the refrigerant. So I'm thinking it should be fairly easy and safe to do. I've been driving around for a while now with the mediocre AC. Would this damage my battery pack? I haven't seen any mileage drop off or other unusual things with the hybrid system. But I'm not sure if I'm robbing the battery pack of proper cooling. Do you guys know how that works? Thanks!

 

Like I said earlier.... If you have A/C that is a little cool but not cold... Add a can and observe. 99% chance it will be all you need.

As the volume of freon goes down gradually the frequency of the A/C compressor (think of it as a pump) running increases to the point it is running all the time. The freon also has lubricant in it, so wear and tear occurs to the compresser as the freon goes down, damaging your A/C compressor which is costly.

Running with low or zero freon will damage your A/C, but not your battery. In extreeme heat cases the computer will stop using the hybrid battery so you will get no EV mode and no boost when trying to pass, etc. This "no load" on the battery protects itself when too hot. But you will notice about 25% less pep and acceleration in your car which is really noticeable.

Add a can. 1 can even without a gauge is not enough to do harm. A gauge is handy for piece of mind and when adding 2 or more cans. It is really almost impossible to damage anything by adding too much, but then the pendulum swings the other way. Adding too much and again you get less cooling. More does not = colder. The perfect amount, with the gauge right in the middle equals coldest air.

Yes it is safe and easy to do.
As precaution wear safety glasses or face shield as you would working with any pressurized substance.

HTH,
John