3rd A/C failure

[Jusbechillin]

I officially have my car back. They replaced the frunk latch and the “vehicle controller (front)” whatever that is. Seems to be working fine so far. I plan to test it Monday in full sun exposure to see if I can create the problem again. Hopefully it doesn’t fail!

 

[IdaBish]

Part of me is like - Lock the service guy in the car in mid-day sun and he'll make sure it's fixed!

 

[S3XYCarMD]

So JustBeChillin how has your A/C repair worked out? I've been having very similar A/C issues with my Y to what you describe. I've taken it in twice, and both times they said the refrigerant was low (the second time I was pretty incredulous and asked whether they'd checked for a leak, they said they had and couldn't find anything). Over the weekend it started acting up again, blowing only moderately cold air, running full blast the whole time this time over a 125 mile trip (not great for gas mileage, the temperature only got down to the upper 70s in the car in over 2 hours of driving despite me setting the A/C to max). Anyway, how's yours looking? Mine would work well for a bit after each recharge, only to re-emerge. Also it's tough for me to convince the people at the service center that something is wrong because if you put your hand up to the vent the air feels "cool" (note, every try this with a fan? It feels cool too), but there is a clear difference when the A/C is working. I feel like I'm being made out to be crazy, but i've owned a bunch of cars, and all have had working A/C I'm pretty sure I know what it feels like. Super frustrating and I'm nearing the point of getting rid of the car or making a lemon law claim (technically in Maryland if they haven't fixed a problem in 3 tries it becomes subject to lemon law), but other than this and a few minor cosmetic issues I love the car, so i'm really torn. Also thinking about maybe just going for an S as they likely have more of the issues worked out over there given how old the car is (though I'm certainly aware from the message board that issues still exist).

Hard to stomach a $60K+ car without properly functioning A/C.

 

[NY_Rob]

You can get an A/C test thermometer at most auto parts stores or on Amazon for under $20.. it takes all the guesswork out of "this doesn't feel cold enough".

 

[KMMM]

So JustBeChillin how has your A/C repair worked out? I've been having very similar A/C issues with my Y to what you describe. I've taken it in twice, and both times they said the refrigerant was low (the second time I was pretty incredulous and asked whether they'd checked for a leak, they said they had and couldn't find anything). Over the weekend it started acting up again, blowing only moderately cold air, running full blast the whole time this time over a 125 mile trip (not great for gas mileage, the temperature only got down to the upper 70s in the car in over 2 hours of driving despite me setting the A/C to max). Anyway, how's yours looking? Mine would work well for a bit after each recharge, only to re-emerge. Also it's tough for me to convince the people at the service center that something is wrong because if you put your hand up to the vent the air feels "cool" (note, every try this with a fan? It feels cool too), but there is a clear difference when the A/C is working. I feel like I'm being made out to be crazy, but i've owned a bunch of cars, and all have had working A/C I'm pretty sure I know what it feels like. Super frustrating and I'm nearing the point of getting rid of the car or making a lemon law claim (technically in Maryland if they haven't fixed a problem in 3 tries it becomes subject to lemon law), but other than this and a few minor cosmetic issues I love the car, so i'm really torn. Also thinking about maybe just going for an S as they likely have more of the issues worked out over there given how old the car is (though I'm certainly aware from the message board that issues still exist).

Hard to stomach a $60K+ car without properly functioning A/C.

check out my posts....I have the exact same issue as you. My work around of cranking the heat then bringing back to low 60s and turning back on the A/C has been working consistently now. My 3rd service center visit is scheduled for next week. I feel your pain.

 

[yvg240]

So JustBeChillin how has your A/C repair worked out? I've been having very similar A/C issues with my Y to what you describe. I've taken it in twice, and both times they said the refrigerant was low (the second time I was pretty incredulous and asked whether they'd checked for a leak, they said they had and couldn't find anything). Over the weekend it started acting up again, blowing only moderately cold air, running full blast the whole time this time over a 125 mile trip (not great for gas mileage, the temperature only got down to the upper 70s in the car in over 2 hours of driving despite me setting the A/C to max). Anyway, how's yours looking? Mine would work well for a bit after each recharge, only to re-emerge. Also it's tough for me to convince the people at the service center that something is wrong because if you put your hand up to the vent the air feels "cool" (note, every try this with a fan? It feels cool too), but there is a clear difference when the A/C is working. I feel like I'm being made out to be crazy, but i've owned a bunch of cars, and all have had working A/C I'm pretty sure I know what it feels like. Super frustrating and I'm nearing the point of getting rid of the car or making a lemon law claim (technically in Maryland if they haven't fixed a problem in 3 tries it becomes subject to lemon law), but other than this and a few minor cosmetic issues I love the car, so i'm really torn. Also thinking about maybe just going for an S as they likely have more of the issues worked out over there given how old the car is (though I'm certainly aware from the message board that issues still exist).

Hard to stomach a $60K+ car without properly functioning A/C.

Same problem here. First service appointment tomorrow. I’m leveraging an integration with home assistant to show the issue. The 12:40 mark is one of the times the issue occurred. Temp creeping up away from set temp. I improved the data but the MY didn’t exhibit the problem yesterday.

 

[vickh]

check out my posts....I have the exact same issue as you. My work around of cranking the heat then bringing back to low 60s and turning back on the A/C has been working consistently now. My 3rd service center visit is scheduled for next week. I feel your pain.

wonder why cranking the heat is necessary?

My 3 AC is blowing hot air from the rear only.


Performed thermal system test and vehicle passed. Performed ac actuator test and passed. When customer temp sets
cabin temperature to 79 degs, depending on ambient temperature it will active PTC heater. PTC heater sits inside the
cabin lower section in conjunction with lower ac duct that goes to rear. This will cause rear air duct to heat up, making
rear air warmer than front. Fix at this time is to shut off rear airflow from touchscreen. Future firmware will be released to
aid with this condition.

 

[Wennfred]

A few of us figured out this glitch, stuck in Las Vegas a few weeks ago at 115F degrees was no joke. Follow this for a quick fix.

1. First do a 2 button Steering wheel reset and then set it to 62 degrees. The Cold air won’t shut off at 62 degrees.

2. Do not set the Temp to LO, set it to 61 or 62 degrees, what we found was that in the Lo setting it will take the Temp down to 77 or 88 degree and stop blowing cold air, once it hits 77 the cabin will start heating up again. Something in the Lo temp setting it doesn’t like.

3. Turn on the Re-circulation, this will prevent hot air from coming inside the cabin from the outside.

4. This weekend we were in Redlands just south of San Bernardino got the newest firmware update: 2020.24.6.9 and again I had to do another reset after the update to get the cold air going again.

So give that a try, Reset and then set the Temp to 62 and leave it there.... set the recirculation to on and this will work, back to freezing cold air.

Fred

 

[eirunning85]

@Wennfred are you setting to 61/62 on auto? Or manual and controlling fan speed as desired?

I feel like I’ve tried both options and still no success. Agree that it seems to work fine for the first 10 minutes or so on the first drive of the day, but after that it’s just miserable. Get all sweaty just from driving around. Wife’s Y fortunately, so I’m really only in it on the weekends. My 3 on the same software version (2020.24.6.9) is not having this issue at all. Nice and cool!

 

[Wennfred]

@Wennfred are you setting to 61/62 on auto? Or manual and controlling fan speed as desired?

I feel like I’ve tried both options and still no success. Agree that it seems to work fine for the first 10 minutes or so on the first drive of the day, but after that it’s just miserable. Get all sweaty just from driving around. Wife’s Y fortunately, so I’m really only in it on the weekends. My 3 on the same software version (2020.24.6.9) is not having this issue at all. Nice and cool!

Manual for sure and setting the fan at first to 10 and then down to 6 once it gets really cold.

Have you done the reset? Set to Re-circulation and 62 degrees, that will do it, if it stops blowing air that means you may of had it on Lo.

Fred

 

[chdavis]

check out my posts....I have the exact same issue as you. My work around of cranking the heat then bringing back to low 60s and turning back on the A/C has been working consistently now. My 3rd service center visit is scheduled for next week. I feel your pain.

Wow very interesting. I think people saying this is a “software fix” that Tesla will update OTA are chasing the wrong rabbit.

Guys, this stuff is basic and the thermal dynamics of air conditioning systems haven’t changed in a long time. If you lose cooling and you’re blowing warm air, the evaporator isn’t able to do its job. I’m assuming Tesla designed proper and sufficient airflow over the evap because that’s basic. So, if airflow is OK, it’s usually a refrigerant pressure problem. If there is low refrigerant or air in the system, the pressure fluctuations in the evap will cause it to frost and then eventually freeze.

Sandy Munro mentioned that one of his two Model Y vehicles had a noisy compressor and that he suspected air in the system.

If these Model Ys are rolling off the line with either under-filled systems or with air somehow being introduced into the HVAC refrigerant lines, it is going to cause the NVH issues from the heat pump, and easily cause the evaporators to “freeze up” under hard use.

The fact that you turn the heat on and then switch back to cooling, and the workaround is successful, seems to support an evap freeze event.

It’s really disappointing that Tesla causes themselves so, so much headache with stupid simple manufacturing deficiencies that other automakers prevent with basic/common quality control.

This could be as simple as the Fremont line not filling enough refrigerant into the system. Of course, if you run it with low refrigerant it’s going to damage the other components in the system. Especially the compressor.

oy vey.

 

[Electric700]

A few of us figured out this glitch, stuck in Las Vegas a few weeks ago at 115F degrees was no joke. Follow this for a quick fix.

1. First do a 2 button Steering wheel reset and then set it to 62 degrees. The Cold air won’t shut off at 62 degrees.

2. Do not set the Temp to LO, set it to 61 or 62 degrees, what we found was that in the Lo setting it will take the Temp down to 77 or 88 degree and stop blowing cold air, once it hits 77 the cabin will start heating up again. Something in the Lo temp setting it doesn’t like.

3. Turn on the Re-circulation, this will prevent hot air from coming inside the cabin from the outside.

4. This weekend we were in Redlands just south of San Bernardino got the newest firmware update: 2020.24.6.9 and again I had to do another reset after the update to get the cold air going again.

So give that a try, Reset and then set the Temp to 62 and leave it there.... set the recirculation to on and this will work, back to freezing cold air.

Fred

This should be reported to Tesla. You can do so through the app, or contact your service center. It looks like they can fix most or all of the AC issues with a software update.

 

[eirunning85]

@Wennfred thanks for the info. Do you do the reset each time you drive? Or is one reset sufficient to keep it blowing cold?

@chdavis interesting, and I agree with your logic, but I don't recall having this issue for the first few weeks we had our Y (picked up on 6/13) when it was on 2020.20.12 or 2020.20.17, and also have been able to get it cold again on occasion with a reboot, which is why I'm leaning towards it being a software issue.

 

[chdavis]

@Wennfred thanks for the info. Do you do the reset each time you drive? Or is one reset sufficient to keep it blowing cold?

@chdavis interesting, and I agree with your logic, but I don't recall having this issue for the first few weeks we had our Y (picked up on 6/13) when it was on 2020.20.12 or 2020.20.17, and also have been able to get it cold again on occasion with a reboot, which is why I'm leaning towards it being a software issue.

The system might be throwing a low pressure fault or similar, and resetting my **might** temporary erase the fault until it comes back. I don’t have a dog in this fight, but I would be surprised if it was truly a software issue. I hope they don’t push out software that “fixes” the issue but widening the pressure thresholds. The system regulating the temperature is basically an on/off switch. If it is having trouble cooling, it will also divert cooling to the battery.

I went through a similar thing with my Model X back in 2017. They ended up replacing the compressor and most pressure lines. They never told me the exact cause, but I think it was a refrigerant problem which ended up cooking all the components.

honestly, for everyone’s sake, I hope it is a software problem

 

[chdavis]

Btw guys - the worst thing you can do is a low temp, low fan setting. I would keep it in auto all the time.

 

[EVNation]

Btw guys - the worst thing you can do is a low temp, low fan setting. I would keep it in auto all the time.

Can you explain? I’m guilty of preferring low-ish temp & low fan. I hate too much air blowing in my face.

 

[vickh]

Can you explain? I’m guilty of preferring low-ish temp & low fan. I hate too much air blowing in my face.

funny I'm the opposite I like high fan+ high temp. 81 (right before it turns to hot!)

Supposedly that's what's triggering my rear heat to kick in. I wish Tesla would just do hot/cold blue-red like the rest of the world..

 

[S3XYCarMD]

Well, I'm at the service center right now, been here for 2.5 hours and counting. The A/C was working this morning (of course), which I told them when I brought it in (I actually think it gave me credibility to acknowledge it was cooling). I did use an insta-read thermometer to confirm with outdoor temps around 80 when I drove in this morning the air out of the vents was low 40s, so this car has a perfectly capable A/C when it works. It just needs to work all the time. Obviously I won't know right away whether there is any fix here, but will report back, we gotta help Tesla (the $250Bn company) figure this one out .

 

[Wennfred]

Well, I'm at the service center right now, been here for 2.5 hours and counting. The A/C was working this morning (of course), which I told them when I brought it in (I actually think it gave me credibility to acknowledge it was cooling). I did use an insta-read thermometer to confirm with outdoor temps around 80 when I drove in this morning the air out of the vents was low 40s, so this car has a perfectly capable A/C when it works. It just needs to work all the time. Obviously I won't know right away whether there is any fix here, but will report back, we gotta help Tesla (the $250Bn company) figure this one out .

Make sure to let them know it’s shuts down in the Lo setting after a few minutes and reaches like 77 degrees

Fred

 

[KMMM]

Well, I'm at the service center right now, been here for 2.5 hours and counting. The A/C was working this morning (of course), which I told them when I brought it in (I actually think it gave me credibility to acknowledge it was cooling). I did use an insta-read thermometer to confirm with outdoor temps around 80 when I drove in this morning the air out of the vents was low 40s, so this car has a perfectly capable A/C when it works. It just needs to work all the time. Obviously I won't know right away whether there is any fix here, but will report back, we gotta help Tesla (the $250Bn company) figure this one out .

Good luck!! Still have the same problem as you.
It’s not the Freon level(that’s been checked twice now)
It’s not the coils freezing over as the issue is when it works, it works great for as long as it’s on. I can let the car sit overnight and then at first start the A/C won’t cool. Cranking the heat at that moment and then bringing the temp back down seems to kick the A/C back on most of the time.
Fred, Ive been using your work around more successfully now as I missed the part about keeping it set to manual. Also, when I tried to cool from the app it would go to Auto and then seemed to be an issue in addition to the Lo setting. I have left it at 62, manual setting, avoided the app, and it’s been working for two days in a row.

Report back if they find an issue, my fingers are crossed.