[Flyboyray1]

A/C has been weak since I purchased car last December. Salesman said he would take care of low freon when the warm weather came. Last Friday, it got to mid 80's and humid and the A/C did not do much. I took it in today for a recall (9132 pwr steer line) and had them check freon level. It was NOT low and the mechanic told me system checked out good. Anybody have an idea why I'm not getting much cool air? It's a 2006 LTZ.

 

[wde3477]

Wondering how the mechanic checked, and how he came to the conclusion things checked good?

Mine wasn't doing diddly - took it in. They found the compressor shelled out - it was engaging, but there was only about a 2-3 psi difference between the high and low side pressures.

Even in humid conditions, ought to be able to get a 35 degreesF or better temperature drop below ambient. Do the radiator fans kick in?

 

[463]

take a look at your cabin air filter and if it's dirty change it. owners manual explains how to do

 

[Hersbird]

I'm not impressed with my A/C cooling either. At first it seemed like it wasn't cooling at all but it wasn't very hot out. Now that it's a little warmer, like 75, it seems better, but I only hope it has more kick when it gets up to 100. My 07 Kia minivan will freeze you out both front and rear, my 95 Jeep Grand Cherokee seems worse then the Impala but it's got 175k on it. My 05 Duramax with 175k also seems cooler then the Impala but also struggles to cool the back seat.
Don't think there is a problem with my car, I just don't think it's one of the better A/Cs out there.

 

[Flyboyray1]

I think I may have found my problem. When I turn the air on, if I turn the fresh air button off, the blower gets much stronger and the air gets very cold. I thought this was supposed to happen automatically when you turn the air on. What a differance. I will check the owners manual tomorrow. I tried a friend's car tonight. His car has a "max a/c" position. When I select max, the fresh air goes to recirculate automatically. I also thought when you select windshield defrost, the compressor kicks on, to help dry the windshield and lube the compressor in the winter. Mine does not kick on. I changed the cabin air filter when I first got the car. It was very dirty.

 

[Hersbird]

Yeh, mine goes to recirc mode when you turn on the AC, there is no max ac on mine, and you have to force it into fresh mode with AC (which I normally prefer unless it's really hot) . I will check my cabin filter. Do they all come with a cabin filter or only the higher trim levels?

 

[Flyboyray1]

I believe they all come with cabin air filters. Raise your wipers straight up using the key to shut them off in that position. Remove the black plastic trim under the right wiper and it's easy to change.

 

[ChevroletCustomerService]

Were you able to resolve this concern? I would be happy to look into this as well with your VIN and current mileage. Please feel free to keep us posted.

Tricia, GM Customer Service.

 

[Flyboyray1]

Hi Tricia. Just wondering. On a car with a max a/c position, the only difference is that the fresh air is shut off. Shouldn't this car default to fresh air off when the air is first turned on? Shouldn't the compressor come on in the defrost position? I have a new Toyota van and a newer Corvette, both with auto air and they both work like I just said.

 

[Flyboyray1]

88 degrees and 65% humidity. Air works ok. Guess I,m ok.

 

[ChevroletCustomerService]

Hi Tricia. Just wondering. On a car with a max a/c position, the only difference is that the fresh air is shut off. Shouldn't this car default to fresh air off when the air is first turned on? Shouldn't the compressor come on in the defrost position? I have a new Toyota van and a newer Corvette, both with auto air and they both work like I just said.

I would be happy to look into this for you. In order to do further research, it may also be helpful to have the VIN for the vehicle. Thank you in advance.

Tricia, GM Customer Service.

 

[avionik99]

Hi Tricia. Just wondering. On a car with a max a/c position, the only difference is that the fresh air is shut off. Shouldn't this car default to fresh air off when the air is first turned on? Shouldn't the compressor come on in the defrost position? I have a new Toyota van and a newer Corvette, both with auto air and they both work like I just said.

Many vehicles also shut off the hot water to the heater core when in Max mode.

 

[Achiyan]

i never use fresh air with A/C. its a waste IMHO. i live in GA and lately its been mid to high 90s. so using fresh air A/C completely takes away from the cold air. recirculation (A/C Max) is the way for me.

FLYBOYRAY - my a/c doesnt automatically go to fresh air mode when car is off. GM may have done this on purpose thinkin about it this way: "if the customer had it on recirculate, wouldnt they want to leave it there instead of havin to turn it on each time?" somethin along those borders i guess. and as for the defrost position, the compressor shouldnt have anything to do with the defroster. i dont know about you guys but i dont melt ice with cold water

 

[Flyboyray1]

My car defaults to the fresh air mode each time the car is shut off. I'm not sure it's supposed to do that. I can live with pushing re-circulation each time I start it up in super hot weather. Many cars have the compressor come on in the defrost mode to help dry the moisture and lube the compressor in the winter. With your a/c on, move the temp selector to hot and see how hot the air gets. You are not defrosting with cold air, believe me. It will be very hot, but dry, air.

 

[ChevroletCustomerService]

I am sorry for the delay in the response. It appears that this vehicle does not have a Max AC position. Max AC on other vehicles means that you are closing the recirc door. This vehicle has a recirc button which closes the recirc door. The vehicle also has an AC button to turn ac on. If you turn the AC on and put it in recirc then turn the key off, then turn the key back on and start the engine, the AC will come on but the recirc will be off (recirc indicator off). This is how we intended the vehicle to work.

The reason the system works this way is that the vehicle will cool down faster if it is drawing air from outside at startup. If a vehicle sits outside in the sun it may reach temperatures of 140 degrees or higher in the interior. That 140 degree air would take longer to cool than the air coming from outside the vehicle that may be 100 degrees.

When using defrost the AC compressor will run automatically unless the outside temperature is below 40*F. The AC indicator may not illuminate to let you know the compressor is on. I hope this helps.

Tricia, GM Customer Service.

 

[Flyboyray1]

Thanks Tricia. That is exactly how my car works, so I guess it's normal. This is a different kind of system then I'm used to. I have a newer Corvette and newer Toyota van, both with an automatic system. Then, all my old cars had a rotory control with a max position that just closed the recirc door. The Impala system is nothing like either system. I'm fine now that I know what's going on. Why does the blower run much faster with the fresh air shut off?