[BLACNWYTE]

AC cooling issue.

I don't know whether to term this as an actual "issue" as it happened only once and has not reoccurred since.

As I said in the earlier post, I had a series of TVM - Kochi - TVM drives planned covering a total of about 1000 kms. During one such Kochi - TVM run, right after we had a break, the ACC automatically changed to fresh air mode from recirculation mode. The automatic function was still on and the temperature was set to 24 deg. I observed this only after I felt a drop in cooling and immediately I switched back to recirculation mode. Initially I thought it was due to the afternoon sun hitting the car but even as I decreased the temp to Lo the fan speed was still at 3 bars and the air was only mildly cool. This was same even when I manually increase the fan speed to maximum.

Now, I was starting to worry as to something has failed and checked the engine temprature on MID and was relieved to see it was normal. Since I had my aged parents with me, I was worried about their comfort and didn't want to stop and check the issue. I kept varying the temp and fan speed to get the ACC to work as intended but to no avail. We continued for about half an hour like this and when it became apparent that it's better to drive with windows down than with the abysmally functioning AC.

We continued like that till the our next rest stop. Upon stopping for refreshments, I popped the hood and checked if anything was observably wrong in the engine bay. There was no leaks or splatter to be observed. Engine bay was clean and idle was smooth as ever. I switched off the AC and as I switched it back on, the cooling fan kicked in and now I was really stumped as to what is causing the drop in cooling.

I didn't think it was a leak in the condersor coil as the drop in cooling was instant and not gradual nor I think the compressor failed as it was producing cooling albeit being low. The assurance by the SA during service was playing in my head that Panda's AC is in great condition. Maybe that jinxed it.

Now I had two more runs remaing in a short period and I really didn't want Panda to end up at the ASS for diagnosis and repair. Anyway, I thought of getting to our destination and figuring out this issue then. We resumed our journey and since it was getting dusty, I decided to use whatever little cooling the ACC was offering rather than let my parents breathe the dust and fumes on road. So, I rolled up all windows and put the ACC to Lo in recirculation mode and switched it on. Initially the results were same, low cooling and high fan speed. Gradually, I started feeling a bit more cooler and my parents confirmed that it was definetely better than earlier.Over the next hour the AC was cooling better and I was able to increase temperature setting to 23 deg with auto fan speed at 3 bars.

By the time we reached our destination, the AC was functioning adequately. I was not sure if it was as good as before the incident but was quite sure that the issue is not there.

I decided to test the ACC next day and see if it still threw any tantrums. No, no problem whatsoever. ACC worked fine, Lo setting was back to bone chilling, fan speed varied depending of temperature set and no sign or smell of any oils in the engine bay. The issue had resolved itself. During the whole time there was no single waring lit up in the dashboard. I was still skeptical of the issue and decided to see if it crops up again during the next drives.

Did two more back to back 200+ km drives, during day time, in the sun and ACC didn't skip a beat whether it was only me on board or full passengers. It was cooling flawlessly at 24 deg and fan speed 2.

Right now I don't know what happened. I'm not sure of there is an issue at all. However, to be on the safe side, do I need to get anything checked. I have driven about 600 kms, mostly under blazing sun and the issue has not since resurfaced. BHPians' inputs and suggestions are welcome.

Otherwise everything is butter smooth and peachy. Rolled over this little milestone.

[sumeethaldankar]

My old Civic had intermittent cooling problem. This was diagnosed to a bad fuse for the a/c. The fuse depending on environmental temperatire would heat up causing the cooling to go down. On changing the fuse the issue was resolved.

[MathanK]

I have very similar issue with my 6+ years old Elite i20 CRDi. I have encountered this problem couple of times specifically during long drives. The ACC will work fine for 1st 150-200KM, then it will go to fan mode without throughing any cool air, same behaviour at any temprature settings. But it will become fully operational after a break of 20-30mins. I never faced this problem during my city runs though. Looks like it's known problem with i20's and Creta's, some of my friends and colleagues also reported the same problem. I'm planning to get this checked during my next scheduled service.

[BLACNWYTE]

On visual inspection the fuse seems ok. Looks pristine. Will keep an eye out if the cooling issue come back. It has been over 1000kms since the incident and it has not reoccurred.

[car_crazy1400]

Its a known issue with Creta. Get your ac compressor checked. It may be on its last legs.

[Cresterk]

I have had a same (similar?) issue on my 2016 i20 for a long time now. Drive for a while and it feels like ice blocks up the ac. You can turn the fanspeed all the way up to max and noise increases but it barely blows any air. Just turning the AC compressor off and setting the fan to high speed results in whatever is blocking the airflow getting cleared in about 30 seconds and the fan goes back to blowing air at my face. Turn the compressor back on and it goes back to blowing cold air normally. It feels almost like ice building up somewhere and then melting when the compressor is switched off and fan speed is increased. But apparently that makes no sense according to the local hyundai service manager. I tried getting the AC gas refilled and filters changed but while that reduced the frequency and increased cooling, the issue still persists. It happens about every 45 mins when driving on hot sunny days but since it can be cleared myself easily, I haven't bothered leaving the car at a workshop for days for them to replicate the problem and diagnose.


Try pressing the AC switch to turn the compressor off for a min and then turn it back on when this happens the next time.

[MathanK]

Originally Posted by Cresterk

Try pressing the AC switch to turn the compressor off for a min and then turn it back on when this happens the next time.

Thanks Cresterk, I will try this during my upcoming along drive

Mod Note: Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers.

[BLACNWYTE]

Originally Posted by Cresterk

I tried getting the AC gas refilled and filters changed but while that reduced the frequency and increased cooling, the issue still persists. It happens about every 45 mins when driving on hot sunny days but since it can be cleared myself easily, I haven't bothered leaving the car at a workshop for days for them to replicate the problem and diagnose.

Does your i20 also have ACC. If it is so, could this be a software issue. Bad sensor in all cars seem pretty far fetched so the only plausible explanation may be in the ACC software, if any. As I mentioned in my post, I had switched off the AC and then switched it on after some time but it was not cooling then. Only after switching off the AC for more than half an hour and then turning it back on resolved the issue and that too gradually.

I'm not hoping for the problem to reoccur but in case it reoccurs, I will try your suggestion. Also it seems like affected cars are from 2016-2017 vintage.

Originally Posted by car_crazy1400

Its a known issue with Creta. Get your ac compressor checked. It may be on its last legs.

The compressor in our Panda was replaced post an accident in 2019. So the compressor is relatively new compared to the car itself.

Also, I found oil and grime mix covering the part in the attached picture. I don't know if this part is connected with the cooling system but I believe it is. I have cleaned the oil and muck with a piece of cloth about two weeks ago. Is my compressor oil leaking? The picture is taken today and since cleaning the vehicle has run about 200 kms all with ACC on all the time.

[destinykid]

Originally Posted by BLACNWYTE

Does your i20 also have ACC. If it is so, could this be a software issue. Bad sensor in all cars seem pretty far fetched so the only plausible explanation may be in the ACC software, if any. As I mentioned in my post, I had switched off the AC and then switched it on after some time but it was not cooling then. Only after switching off the AC for more than half an hour and then turning it back on resolved the issue and that too gradually.

[/ATTACH]

Mine is a 2017 Hyundai Creta Diesel AT. I've had the exact same problem once on a hot summer day. I'd to drive for 100 km without AC. I've tried turning off and on ACC with no luck. Next day morning while driving it to ASS, I was surprised that ACC was working normal. Nevertheless, I still took it for a service. They ran all diagnostics, and everything seemed normal. This didn't happen again.

But it seems if such an incident happens the solution is to rest the engine/compressor for more than 30 mins and use it again? So, this is not an isolated or a strange incident with these cars then. But what may be the reason for this type of behavior? Faulty sensor or clogged sensor or overheated sensor?

[IceManMK1]

This used to happen to my erstwhile Elite i20 a lot, especially on long drives. The air was cold enough but the fan would just not provide enough punch. Switching it off, driving with the windows down for a while and switching it back on (let's say after 10-15 minutes) would resolve the issue for a brief period of time.

After a thorough check at Hyundai Service Center, it was found that the compressor was fine. The culprit was found to be the thermistor - it was not measuring the right temperature after a period of prolonged usage. Replaced it and everything was fine. I sold the car before making another thorough test, but a 100km test drive didn't throw any issues. Do get it checked once? Compressor failing this early is unlikely unless there was an external impact.

[BLACNWYTE]

Air Conditioner Issue Continues.

So, the AC issue had resurfaced in January 2023 a couple of times and since February end its frequency have increased. The issue doesn't happen on short trips (less than 50 kms) but on longer trips its regular now. I have been studying the issue and the following are my observations;

At the start of trip (with ACC on):

• AC blows cold air at 23-24 deg Celsius at all fan speeds. Volume of air blown is directly proportional to fan speed and sound.
• All modes of AC works fine and volume of air flow is normal according to mode selected and fan speed selected.
• Some airflow detected through windshield defogger vents even if it is not selected from mode menu.

After driving for a while (with ACC on):

• The volume of air blown decreases to a bare minimum irrespective of the fan speed. Fan noise is maximum at the maximum speed but very minimal air flow.
• Whatever little air blown, seems to be just barely cool irrespective of the temp set (Lo to 25deg Celsius).
• The windshield gets fogged up on the outside around the thermistor/ sensor and also there will be air blowing out of the windshield defogger even if it is not selected from the mode.
• Switching off the AC for 15-30 mins and turning back on resolves the issue for the nest 50kms- 1 hr period and the same repeats again.

At start of the trip (without ACC/ AC on manual mode):

Same as that with ACC ON.

After driving for a while (without ACC/ AC in Manual mode):

Same as that during ACC ON but with a notable difference that Windshield doesn't gets fogged up even if there is some air flow through the defogger vents.


I have tried different modes when the issue happens but the volume of air blown is minimum at all modes. The air blown is barely cool and spouts of warm air is also blown at times. The air recirculation mode was ON all the time. I tried taking fresh air for while with similar results.

I'm not sure whether this is Thermistor failure, ice build up, low refrigerant, compressor failing or leak in the system. I think I can cross off leak suspicion because if there was one I believe by this time all the refrigerant would have leaked out and the AC wouldn't even cool for 1 hr. I mean its bone chilling at Lo for the first hour.

Anybody have any idea as to what this might be and please suggest good ASS or FNG in and around Trivandrum where I can take my Panda for resolving this issue. Thanks in advance.

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by BLACNWYTE

I'm not sure whether this is Thermistor failure, ice build up, low refrigerant, compressor failing or leak in the system. I think I can cross off leak suspicion because if there was one I believe by this time all the refrigerant would have leaked out and the AC wouldn't even cool for 1 hr. I mean its bone chilling at Lo for the first hour.

Anybody have any idea as to what this might be and please suggest good ASS or FNG in and around Trivandrum where I can take my Panda for resolving this issue. Thanks in advance.

I have the same issue - Air flows through the windshield vent even when the mode is set to front vents, ice build up, decreased air flow/cooling but fan sound is at max.

I think it's the thermostat issue but havent faced the ice build up issue for few months now. I have the annual service coming up so will get it checked this week or the next. Atleast I can get to know the exact issue and the approximate cost from HASS.

[BLACNWYTE]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

Atleast I can get to know the exact issue and the approximate cost from HASS.

Please do update the same in your ownership thread.

I had to leave the car idling in the hot sun for about an hour a couple of days ago but the AC was working fine all the time. Just when I think that I have got a fix on how this happens Panda throws a curve ball. Defogger vents are misting up the windshield on the outside with ACC OFF too now.

[Chhanda Das]

Originally Posted by BLACNWYTE

Air Conditioner Issue Continues.
The windshield gets fogged up on the outside around the thermistor/ sensor and also there will be air blowing out of the windshield defogger even if it is not selected from the mode.

Anybody have any idea as to what this might be and please suggest good ASS or FNG in and around Trivandrum where I can take my Panda for resolving this issue. Thanks in advance.

A small correction : The sensor-looking thing in the middle of the top portion of the dashboard near the front windshield is a sunload sensor solely for determining the solar heat compensation for the air conditioning system. The actual thermistor is located behind the centre console in front of the driver's left knee.

From what you have mentioned above, it is very evident that there is nothing wrong with your Creta's AC system for the first hour or so. Hence we can rule out any refrigerant gas leakages, blower motor failure and compressor failure. It seems that whatever issue you are facing is probably due to the restriction of airflow within the heat-exchanging system somewhere causing a buildup of ice which restricts the airflow even further. And it is not until the ice melts that the AC system regains its functionality.

Thermistor failure cannot be ruled out but chances of the thermistor failing are somewhat low unless it got corroded/coated with some spray perfume, disinfectant spray, sprayable grease, etc and this usually occurs after a service. But let us ignore this probability for now.

The compressor's refrigerant gas flow control solenoid valve can get choked (usually due to debris from within the system often due to disintegrated seals) but that has not happened in your case or else the windshield wouldn't keep fogging up even after reduced or no airflow from the AC vents in the cabin.

Now the question arises as to why is the airflow getting restricted in the first place. The first and foremost area worth checking is the AC air filter. Please remove and clean it thoroughly with a vacuum cleaner. You can easily do this yourself at home. Here is a video on how to access it :-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq4DI4hw-n4

If this does not solve your problem then you would need to dismantle the AC vents and their molded conduit channels to physically inspect them for dirt/debris especially around the bends. If that too does not solve the problem then you would need to start looking at the electrical data and an OBD2 device will definitely help with the diagnosis.

I wish you all the best in the hopes that "The Big Fat Panda" can "skadoosh" this problem into oblivion

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

I think it's the thermostat issue but havent faced the ice build up issue for few months now.

I hope that you never have to face this issue again as long as you continue to clean the AC air filter regularly

[BLACNWYTE]

Originally Posted by Chhanda Das

I wish you all the best in the hopes that "The Big Fat Panda" can "skadoosh" this problem into oblivion

First of all, Thank you for the detailed post.

I checked the cabin AC filter, and it had only normal debris and dust however I cleaned it and reinstalled it. Had a drive of around 250 kms the next day and sadly the issue still persist.

After an hour or so, the air flow becomes less, cooling reduces and occassionally warm air also blows. Stopping for half an hour or so resolves the issue for the next hour. The windshield fogging up is increasing now.

I'm forced to think it's icing problem. So what might I be looking at.

P.S.- I'm also hoping for a skadoosh solution so that this never ever happens again