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Advice needed: Intermittent AC cooling issue on my Hyundai Creta

14th September 2022, 17:20 by Ananth Iyer

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.

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 temperature 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 condenser 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 remaining 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 warning 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.