Outback AC under load

[Sjnasca]

When my 2002 Outback is under load from passengers or cargo the AC
stops working. It doesn't come back on until the car is driven at very
slow speeds of stopped. I suspect that there is bad sensor. Does
anyone know what controls this behavior?

 

[Todd H.]

When my 2002 Outback is under load from passengers or cargo the AC
stops working. It doesn't come back on until the car is driven at very
slow speeds of stopped. I suspect that there is bad sensor. Does
anyone know what controls this behavior?

Have you had the AC serviced ever? If not, toss $100 at that (because
of refrigerant handling and licensure it's just not worth dealing with
this crapyourself), and if you still have a problem, then continue
hunting.

 

[Sjnasca]

Have you had the AC serviced ever? If not, toss $100 at that (because
of refrigerant handling and licensure it's just not worth dealing with
this crapyourself), and if you still have a problem, then continue
hunting.

The AC is cold when it is working so I didn't think that it was a
refrigerant issue. I do agree that it's worth $100 to try. I suspect
that the alternatives are much more expensive.

 

[Marcus]

Hi,

The manual for my 03 Subie Forester states that the A/C will cut out under
heavy vehicle load conditions. e.g. fully loaded and hard acceleration or a
steep hill.


--
Best Regards

Mark

It's time to add some chlorine to the gene pool !

 

[AS]

Todd, what state are you in? In FL r134 is still freely available. For
$19 bucks online, you can take an open book exam to get the EPA license.
http://www.epatest.com/ to be able to get all other refrigerants.

The A/C is supposed to cut off when you press the gas pedal to to
bottom. Other than that, as far as i found in the service manual, the
only other switch is the pressure switch.

If the system has not been serviced before, you may need just to ad
refrigerant to it.

Good luck!