AC Issues in Rain

[EdP]

If you've been following this thread you may see where I posted back in June my car was good after and evac and recharge. Well, it was for 9 months.

One day the AC did not seem normal but it was cool and a short trip. Next day was warm and no AC. Had to wait for a couple of weeks to get into the dealer. Finally went Monday and the evaporator coil is leaking. This is an expensive job and very time consuming. This may or may not be related to the freezing but low refrigerant can cause it.

Took car in Thursday, got a loaner, picked it up about noon today. Car dealers have a reputation for being sleazy but Gettle did me good. Sure, the quoted price of $2100 is high but when I went to pick up today, it came in $150 cheaper so they charged me less. Quite a surprise.

The loaner was through Enterprise and was a 2021 Mustang convetible. After a couple of days with it, I really appreciate to G80 comfort, quiet. The dealer is Gettle of Lakewood. So far, service has been decent, aside from the long wait.

 

[Radiator]

Hey Ed...I have the Evap freezing up issue. This weekend I plan to replace the thermistor that is under the dash to see if that helps. We will also put some gauges on it to see how that is looking. For your quoted repair, are they just changing the evaporator? Or are they going to change other components as well? I can handle the $2100, but I am afraid that I will simply get another evap that is prone to premature failure. Do you know if Genesis has done anything to address the actual part that is failing? Is it possible to use an after market supplier?

 

[EdP]

Hey Ed...I have the Evap freezing up issue. This weekend I plan to replace the thermistor that is under the dash to see if that helps. We will also put some gauges on it to see how that is looking. For your quoted repair, are they just changing the evaporator? Or are they going to change other components as well? I can handle the $2100, but I am afraid that I will simply get another evap that is prone to premature failure. Do you know if Genesis has done anything to address the actual part that is failing? Is it possible to use an after market supplier?

It was just the evap coil and, of course, the refrigerant. Doubt there is an aftermarket coil. Rare they go bad,but did have one go on a 3 month old Buick Regal in 1991.

Mine was the first one I heard of going bad. Freezing is not indicitive of a bad coil, usually low on refrigerant, though the thermister was a problem for some. In my case, evacuation and recharge ($180) worked for 9 months

 

[joegr]

... Do you know if Genesis has done anything to address the actual part that is failing? Is it possible to use an after market supplier?

To be fair here, so far we've only heard of one evaporator failure, his. It's possible that this is a one-off. Unless you know of some more failures, it seems premature to be expecting an engineering change.

I experienced the freeze up on mine. I tested the temp sensor and it was good. I replaced it anyway (also tested the replacement), and it made no change. I took it to the dealer for a refrigerant level check. (I have the gauges, but you can't really verify correct level via just the pressures. It has to be weighed.) Their machine claimed that the refrigerant R-1234yf was contaminated with R-134a. Said contamination would result in my symptoms. I never added any refrigerant, correct or otherwise. I never even connected any gauges. The previous life of the car was as a corporate lease, and it seemed to have all the service records with it. None were for AC service. It remains a mystery to me. (The recharge with R-1234yf did resolve the problem so far.)

 

[Radiator]

It was just the evap coil and, of course, the refrigerant. Doubt there is an aftermarket coil. Rare they go bad,but did have one go on a 3 month old Buick Regal in 1991.

To be fair here, so far we've only heard of one evaporator failure, his. It's possible that this is a one-off. Unless you know of some more failures, it seems premature to be expecting an engineering change.

Yeah, I suppose that I may be jumping to the wrong conclusion. I don't see many evaporators being called out for this issue, but I do feel that the A/C issue seems to be fairly common. I do indeed recognize that low refrigerant is the cause, but of course, a sealed A/C system should not lose any at all. It may be leaking somewhere else...at a seal/gasket location perhaps.

I took it to the dealer for a refrigerant level check. (I have the gauges, but you can't really verify correct level via just the pressures. It has to be weighed.)

Yeah, I understand that as well. The gauges will show a gross out of tolerance issue though. My friend has created a recovery system using an old refrigerator motor. I can remove the refrigerant and weigh it, but I am hoping that the thermistor solves the problem. If not, we will evacuate and recharge. The R1234yf is rather expensive, so we want to ensure its necessary before doing that.

I will note that a recent Consumer Reports listed the Climate Control system as something that has a high failure rate in the model years 2017-2019. They did not specify what the issues were though.

 

[Radiator]

This is because your new thermistor has failed, or was bad before they ever installed it. When the thermistor is working correctly, it is impossible for anything to freeze up, because it causes the compressor to stop pumping if the temperature at the evaporator gets to 35 degrees.

Let me start by saying thanks joegr. Your contributions to this thread are appreciated; however, I don't know if the above quote is accurate. It would seem that many people are experiencing this issue, and are trying to correct it by replacing the thermistor. Many folks on this thread are reporting that the thermistor replacement has not helped. I quickly checked the number of people experiencing this freezing up issue....in this thread there are at least 28 unique people reporting the issue. To me, this seems significant. I believe that, more often than not, the issue is low refrigerant. The question is, is it just failing seal(s)? The following userids have reported the "blockage" issue in this thread (not including Ed and myself):

Wayne Bradby
Hammy
PLavee
peter ahearn
Speeder
Kfiler
KWaitkunas
BWH
jdiamond54
John A2
G-972285
Loved my 2013
drkjdr
Herb
Shiner
VA Tom
G-32453
MyG80Ride
rrangi
Jillyscott
Geny80
G80Ultimate Don
salvageking
XappspecR
G-715297
rbweddle
drkjdr
18g80dude

 

[joegr]

Let me start by saying thanks joegr. Your contributions to this thread are appreciated; however, I don't know if the above quote is accurate. It would seem that many people are experiencing this issue, and are trying to correct it by replacing the thermistor. Many folks on this thread are reporting that the thermistor replacement has not helped. I quickly checked the number of people experiencing this freezing up issue....in this thread there are at least 28 unique people reporting the issue. To me, this seems significant. I believe that, more often than not, the issue is low refrigerant. The question is, is it just failing seal(s)? The following userids have reported the "blockage" issue in this thread (not including Ed and myself):

Wayne Bradby
Hammy
PLavee
peter ahearn
Speeder
Kfiler
KWaitkunas
BWH
jdiamond54
John A2
G-972285
Loved my 2013
drkjdr
Herb
Shiner
VA Tom
G-32453
MyG80Ride
rrangi
Jillyscott
Geny80
G80Ultimate Don
salvageking
XappspecR
G-715297
rbweddle
drkjdr
18g80dude

You are correct, I was wrong about it being impossible. It happened to me too. I based that earlier comment on my experience with other brands. In the case of these cars, the sensor is in the air flow, and not touching the evaporator itself. Under the right conditions (low refrigerant, bad refrigerant, whatever) it can still freeze without the sensor getting cold enough to know it is frozen. I do apologize for not being as correct as I thought I was.
That said, there are also a number of people that did have bad sensors and did have their problem corrected by replacing it with a good one. On the plus side, the sensor is not difficult to change, and is not expensive.

 

[Radiator]

You are correct, I was wrong about it being impossible. It happened to me too. I based that earlier comment on my experience with other brands. In the case of these cars, the sensor is in the air flow, and not touching the evaporator itself. Under the right conditions (low refrigerant, bad refrigerant, whatever) it can still freeze without the sensor getting cold enough to know it is frozen. I do apologize for not being as correct as I thought I was.
That said, there are also a number of people that did have bad sensors and did have their problem corrected by replacing it with a good one. On the plus side, the sensor is not difficult to change, and is not expensive.

Not to be selfish, but I hope that I am fortunate enough to just need the sensor replaced, which I will do Friday morning. LOL...

We shall see. I can actually smell the moisture prior to the freeze\blockage.

 

[joegr]

... It may be leaking somewhere else...at a seal/gasket location perhaps.
...

My general experience with car AC systems (not this one in particular), is that the most common leak points are the low and high side service ports. I wish it was possible to still get metal caps (with seals), like you can for home AC systems.

 

[Radiator]

Thermistor has been replaced. Drove the car for an hour on a very warm day. My result? Frozen evaporator, same as before the thermistor replacement. I did verify the thermistor resistance for a couple of the temperature ranges.

Looks like a trip to the Genesis dealer is required. $$$$$

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[EdP]

Thermistor has been replaced. Drove the car for an hour on a very warm day. My result? Frozen evaporator, same as before the thermistor replacement. I did verify the thermistor resistance for a couple of the temperature ranges.

Looks like a trip to the Genesis dealer is required. $$$$$

Evacuation and recharge worked for me. $180) Then about 9 months later the evap coil leaked and was replaced. ($1950)

 

[Radiator]

Evacuation and recharge worked for me. $180) Then about 9 months later the evap coil leaked and was replaced. ($1950)

Thanks Ed. I've followed your trials and tribulations in this thread. I guess the evacuation and recharge is necessary to determine the leak location (I guess they put some dye in there to determine the culprit). I'll update this thread as I attempt to correct the issue.

 

[EdP]

Thanks Ed. I've followed your trials and tribulations in this thread. I guess the evacuation and recharge is necessary to determine the leak location (I guess they put some dye in there to determine the culprit). I'll update this thread as I attempt to correct the issue.

Yes, they did put in a die.
What is unknown, was it a very tiny leak all along? Then if finally let go and had to be replaced.

 

[joegr]

Yes, they did put in a die.
What is unknown, was it a very tiny leak all along? Then if finally let go and had to be replaced.

It's possible that the stresses of the evac & recharge popped a thin spot in the evaporator. If so, it's still not their fault, and it's something that was going to happen anyway.

My Lincolns had dye from the factory.

 

[18g80dude]

Success! Bought the gauge below with two 8oz cans of R1234 refrigerant. I bought the real deal (Honeywell) instead of the ones found on Amazon which seem to be R1234 compatible. Stumbling my way through figuring out the gauge attachment, I wasted about 1.3oz of refrigerant from the can and at least 1oz from the car itself ( ). At $30 a can, i was not too happy but it is what it is. Funny thing is that the refrigerant in the car measured higher (S) when I started that when I finished (F). I don't get it. The refrigerant was definetely going into the car as there was no leaking/hissing noise. I weighed the cans before i started and i ended up putting in about 8.8oz in the car. Its been a few weeks now and all is well. AC is very cold and no more freeze up and booming blower noise. Driven in 90 degree plus weather for hours and absolutely no issues. For less than $80, I suggest anyone with this problem bite the bullet instead of wasting time with repeated visits to a dealer that probably will not result in a fix anytime soon!

 

[Radiator]

So I took my car into the dealer to have them look at the A/C system. The result was not what I expected. First, I paid for the A/C service. Leak test with dye, but no leaks detected:


So, of course, they charged me for the 3 grams of refrigerant:


Crazy, right? First, I asked him about the R-134A noted in the description. My service advisor said that was not right, and that they definitely used R-1234yf. He was certain because the ports are different and not interchangeable with R-134A. I buy that. However, $42.25 per gram? It would cost over $26,000 to fill an evacuated system at that cost (see the ALLDATA below). The system holds 630 grams. Even if they meant ounces, it would cost almost $1000 to fill the system at that price (Its $50 for eight ounces of genuine Honeywell R-1234yf refrigerant at auto zone). I can't help but feel that this is an outrageous charge. I have sent an email back to the service advisor today questioning this. So, as the invoice states, I am to "continue to monitor and advise". In other words, let them know if 3 grams of refrigerant corrected the issue.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to actually drive the car long enough to test for awhile as I am leaving town for a couple weeks starting this Friday.


Interestingly, on my way out I met a fellow waiting for his car at the service department . I heard him speaking with a person there, and gathered he was experiencing the SAME issue. He didn't know what his problem was, just that the fan would be blowing on high, but no air coming out of the vents. I told him I was there for the same issue. He looked at my car and asked what year is it....2018 I told him. The same year as his car.

Here in Florida, where we have high heat and high humidity, this issue will most certainly show itself more often than many other locales. I am beginning to believe this A/C issue is more prevalent than many people think. Consumer Reports (April 2023 edition) lists the climate system as a potential problem in the Genesis G80 years 2017 through 2019.

 

[EdP]

So I took my car into the dealer to have them look at the A/C system. The result was not what I expected. First, I paid for the A/C service. Leak test with dye, but no leaks detected:
View attachment 52756

So, of course, they charged me for the 3 grams of refrigerant:
View attachment 52758

Crazy, right? First, I asked him about the R-134A noted in the description. My service advisor said that was not right, and that they definitely used R-1234yf. He was certain because the ports are different and not interchangeable with R-134A. I buy that. However, $42.25 per gram? It would cost over $26,000 to fill an evacuated system at that cost (see the ALLDATA below). The system holds 630 grams. Even if they meant ounces, it would cost almost $1000 to fill the system at that price (Its $50 for eight ounces of genuine Honeywell R-1234yf refrigerant at auto zone). I can't help but feel that this is an outrageous charge. I have sent an email back to the service advisor today questioning this. So, as the invoice states, I am to "continue to monitor and advise". In other words, let them know if 3 grams of refrigerant corrected the issue.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to actually drive the car long enough to test for awhile as I am leaving town for a couple weeks starting this Friday.

No, the "gram" is incorrect, but the price is about right. I paid $250 for the refrigerant to have my system filled. An independent shop with material and labor would be $300.

I also had my sytem evacuated and filled with the original refrigerant, plus any needed for $200.

My final fix was a new evap coil and that came to $2000. Works great now. Hope it lasts.

 

[AByron65]

I'll start by stating that I love my 2018 Genesis G80 Sport! One of best cars I've ever owned with one exception.

This is probably the strangest (and most annoying car issue I've ever experienced). It's happened 3 times in the past year, so I've pretty much figured out when it will happen, but with 3 trips to the dealership, they have yet to come up with a solution.
I posted about this last year when it first happened and have video evidence of the issue. Despite calls to the corporate engineers, (they are currently looking at the issue, but so far no solution and I can't believe I'm the only one having this issue.

My car is normally garaged and the AC works fine. However, on two long road trips, after the car sat outside in the rain for a weekend while travelling, the AC will work normally until about an hour into the drive, and then something (a flap, a baffle, main AC vent, or something) freezes up and almost NO air gets into the cabin. As stated previously, you can hear the fan roaring somewhere deep in the bowels of the car, BUT NO AIR IN CABIN. The last time (3rd time) it happened, I had driven from my home and all was fine. It began to lightly ran and, in the course of an hour, the AC simply stopped delivering air into the cabin!

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this issue. Love the car, but don't want a car that I can't drive in rain or summer. I'm no AC expert, but surely someone out there can at least figure out this cause. The morning after each event, there is a ton of water on the garage floor (much more than normal) which would again indicated something in the system massively froze up. Of course, by the time it gets to a dealer, it's working just fine and they can't recreate. Thankfully video shows the issue. Genesis corporate engineers are working on it...just wondering if anyone else has had this issue.

I've had the same problem. Service Manager told me the evaporator froze up. I live in Florida where it's hot, humid, rainy most of the year. It sucks! This and my AC being out again right now (compressor from new replaced at under 16k miles, and now not working at 22,778, I may be parting with Genesis. Florida may not be a good state to own one in.

 

[EdP]

I've had the same problem. Service Manager told me the evaporator froze up. I live in Florida where it's hot, humid, rainy most of the year. It sucks! This and my AC being out again right now (compressor from new replaced at under 16k miles, and now not working at 22,778, I may be parting with Genesis. Florida may not be a good state to own one in.

Have them do an evacuation and recharge. That was the solution recommened by the Genesis engineer and it worked. The AC is one of the nice features of the car since it works well.

AC is one of the big problems with every brand of car.

 

[TinsleyC]

This thread is two years old, but I'm now experiencing this issue. North Texas had a lot of rain today, it was mid 80's in the sun and low 70's in the rain cooled areas. Near 100% humidity.

After driving about 30-40 minutes into a 1 hour drive on the highway I noticed the interior was not as cool, and airflow was restricted. I recognized the problem right away, having read this thread back in 2023.

It happened on the return trip, too. If I turned the system off and waited about 5 minutes and turned it back on, it would blow cold air right off, and worked well for another five minutes, then freeze up again.

Guess I need to go in and get my refrigerant removed and reloaded. I just ordered a new cabin filter as well.

Coincidentally, I've noticed a moldy smell when the AC first comes on, at start. A couple weeks ago I removed that thermistor and sprayed a can of auto coil cleaner (Nextzett Klima Cleaner Pro) in there. It drained out the drain hose quickly, as expected. I re-inserted the thermistor and locked out back down. I suppose I could have damaged the thermistor, but I don't think I did.

This really is a common issue in these cars.