AC in Phoenix heat

[analbumcover]

Maybe this is normal but I've noticed if I'm not in covered parking and the car bakes in the sun for a while in the Phoenix heat the AC doesn't blow cold air unless I'm moving. Once moving the air cools but when stopped at a light, its hot again. Anyone else experience this that is also in a hot climate?

 

[skipgen]

The A/C is inherently more efficient when the car is moving because there is a greater amount of air flowing through the condenser. I've noticed it going a bit less cold at long stop lights here in Houston when it's especially hot but it's always at least cool...

That being said, here's some simple things to try...
1) Make sure that your cooling fans are working properly
2) Clean bugs & other debris out of the A/C condenser
3) Have the refrigerant level checked.

 

[EdP]

Maybe this is normal but I've noticed if I'm not in covered parking and the car bakes in the sun for a while in the Phoenix heat the AC doesn't blow cold air unless I'm moving. Once moving the air cools but when stopped at a light, its hot again. Anyone else experience this that is also in a hot climate?

Something wrong. The Genesis has very good climate control when working properly. Get it checked out. Could be low on refrigerant and not putting out properly at low rpm.

 

[G-47894]

Also check: are your electric radiator fan(s) running?
They are so quiet most people don't realize they are there.
Don't stick your fingers in the blades to check, either?

 

[OMG70]

Maybe your fan is messed up? I had a Corolla when I lived in Tempe and it seemed warmer when stopped because I had nothing else to focus on. The other thing to remember is to check if the car is recirculating the air in your car instead of taking in outside air. Lets the AC blow colder

 

[Bourbonncigars]

Both my wife's and my '15 does the same thing. Refrigerant has been checked and is fine in both. Fan comes on when stopped. The a/c will freeze you to death when it's working, but if you stop it'll stop blowing as cold. They replaced something in my wife's car but I don't recall what it was. Didn't help. We're in Mississippi. Not Houston but we're no stranger to heat and humidity that's for certain.

I've noticed when the a/c stops blowing as cold there seems to be a change in the smell from the vents.

 

[skipgen]

Both my wife's and my '15 does the same thing. Refrigerant has been checked and is fine in both. Fan comes on when stopped. The a/c will freeze you to death when it's working, but if you stop it'll stop blowing as cold. They replaced something in my wife's car but I don't recall what it was. Didn't help. We're in Mississippi. Not Houston but we're no stranger to heat and humidity that's for certain.

I've noticed when the a/c stops blowing as cold there seems to be a change in the smell from the vents.

I've noticed that too... Like it decides to bring in fresh air or something? Because it gets humid also.

 

[StarPower]

I've noticed that when I first start the car, it'll idle about 750 RPM and the A/C will blow cold. After I've been driving for a couple of minutes (but not long enough for the car to cool off) then stop at a red light, the idle will go down to about 500 RPM. The A/C will blow slightly cool air, but not cold air, at this idle speed. If I manually raise the engine speed to about 750 (left foot pressing the brake pedal, right foot gently pressing the gas pedal), the A/C will blow a lot colder.

I suspect the low idle is to increase gas mileage, but it just isn't enough to power the compressor at full blast. The A/C works fine to maintain temperature once the car has cooled off. It's been like this since I bought the car new.

 

[Whitey]

the idle will go down to about 500 RPM.

My 2016 Ultimate and the 2015 Base I traded both are/were always pegged exactly at 1000RPM at idle or when stopped, and I haven't yet experienced any of these issues down here in the Florida heat. Just putting that out there. I'm no expert but that idle sounds low.

 

[Ragnar]

Remember years ago when they switched Freon from R22 to whatever it is their using today we were told this would happen, also most automotive ac units would Not run as cold....under most driving conditions my Ultimate will freeze us out if we don’t turn it up a bit. Unfortunately with Phx summer temps it’s gonna get extremely hot in these cars folks.
We hit 111 degrees yesterday and your gonna have to live with it!! Lol

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[glennk]

Remember years ago when they switched Freon from R22 to whatever it is their using today we were told this would happen, also most automotive ac units would Not run as cold....under most driving conditions my Ultimate will freeze us out if we don’t turn it up a bit. Unfortunately with Phx summer temps it’s gonna get extremely hot in these cars folks.
We hit 111 degrees yesterday and your gonna have to live with it!! Lol

R-12 (CFC) ==> R-134A (HFC) ==> R-1234yf (HFO)

 

[Ragnar]

Yeh that’s right R12 .......been a few years since I bought a can of that

 

[glennk]

Last you could buy R-12 was back in the 90's. Since then, you either convert your system to R-134a or salvage R-12 from an older vehicle.

One of the biggest problems is folks attempting to self-diagnose their A/C systems by adding more refrigerant. This can have disastrous effects. Things to check first is the pump, the evaporator and any ancillaries. Many times a poorly operating system can be traced back to the simplest problems, eg. the evaporator drain plug getting clogged.