Poll: Does your AC work well?

[Nick]

Run my car without the top and the A/C on - my Miata does that better.

Run the A/C with the soft top on. Tried it with the insulation for the touring package and it is pretty good. Ran it without the insulation (the insulation fell off) and it was not very good at all. (Insulation is back on now.)

I read an article out of England calling the A/C a girly option. Wanted to send back a message saying out here in San Jose, CA we consider a heater and windshield wipers girly options and A/C a life necessity.

have fun

Nick

[dfeckel]

Originally Posted by Keeper

It seems like more people have hot air blowing out of the vents with the heat off than those that say the AC is weak. If your Elise is blowing hot air out of the vents with the heat off then how can the AC be working as good as it's supposed to? Wouldn't it would have to compete with the heater core?

I was driving around today using the AC to combat the heater and it did the job, but I can't say I'm really that happy with it.

This is just what I was thinking. I've never had a car before which would blow hot air through the vents with the temperature selector on full cold. It seems as though the A/C would have to fight very hard to overcome the heat bleeding over from the heater core.

Otherwise, mine works about the same as everyone elses: barely adequate. It's useful with the top on, but useless without, and it never quite gets cold enough. It works better at speed. Also, the blower fan really needs to be stronger. I really can't feel a difference between the settings.

In all, however, I'm glad it's there. It made my 300-mile INterstate weekend bearable (direct sunlight, top on, windows up, fan on 2, recirculation on, tiny sweat circle between my man-boobs).

[jim-clayton]

Otherwise, mine works about the same as everyone elses: barely adequate. It's useful with the top on, but useless without, and it never quite gets cold enough. It works better at speed. Also, the blower fan really needs to be stronger. I really can't feel a difference between the settings.

In all, however, I'm glad it's there. It made my 300-mile INterstate weekend bearable (direct sunlight, top on, windows up, fan on 2, recirculation on, tiny sweat circle between my man-boobs).[/quote]


Same for me, except the man-boob part.

[dfeckel]

Same for me, except the man-boob part.[/quote]

Yeah, OKAY...

[Nick]

The A/C and heater can be run at the same time to demist (defog for us on this side of the pond) the windscreen (windshield for us). Works well when there is high humidity (when it rains here and every day in tropical North Atlantic islands).

I am assuming that answers your comment.

have fun

Nick

[dana]

I've only used the AC a couple of times, in city traffic, and it worked fine. You guys are making me paranoid that it's going to fail at any moment...

[TECK]

Originally Posted by Keeper

It seems like more people have hot air blowing out of the vents with the heat off than those that say the AC is weak. If your Elise is blowing hot air out of the vents with the heat off then how can the AC be working as good as it's supposed to? Wouldn't it would have to compete with the heater core?

I am most definately in this camp. Most of my driving is with the top off so the A.C. issue is secondary. I have never had it on for more than a few minutes but the heat that pours out of the all the vents is horrible.

Adjusting the temperature knob does nothing. Same amount of hot air comes out fully turned to the right (full red) or fully turned counterclockwise to full blue.

Another post talked about a valve that can get stuck fully open or closed - perhaps this has occurred? Anyway will have to have my dealer look at next time in because heat air streaming out when it's 90+ is really uncomfortable.

[fitfan]

I rolled the top on to do a test last week - the AC works fine, the cabin is not very well insulated, so you get a lot of heat transfer. so... the AC works great, but there is not taking out all the heat coming in from the radiator hoses, the floor, the roof, etc... even so - its not un-comfortable with the top and AC on.

...i never really wanted AC as an option anyways

[ACLSGuy]

Originally Posted by dfeckel

... tiny sweat circle between my man-boobs).

Whoa... too much information!

On the off chance that Lotus hadn't recognized the AC problem, I dropped a short note to the link for lotustechsupport nested away in the lotuscars site. I got a prompt and courteous reply saying that the manufacturer was unaware of any problem with the AC.

Now, don't flood or whine, be clear and concise, as we'd like their help on this issue, but it might serve us well to let them know that there is a problem, and that really isn't an answer if they wish to sell these cars into this climate.

ACLS

[ACLSGuy]

Originally Posted by dana

I've only used the AC a couple of times, in city traffic, and it worked fine. You guys are making me paranoid that it's going to fail at any moment...

It isn't that the AC fails. It is that it is simply not good enough to begin with. Unless you spend a lot of time running over to San Ramon or futher inland, you (dana in 'Frisco) aren't going to have much to worry about. You simply don't have the climate that will cause the AC stress. Some of us, on the other hand, live in a swamp.

Most everybody's AC works fine to just okay until the temperature gets over 90F, or if you are stuck in traffic. Some parts of the country start the day off in the mid to upper 80's. What we are complaining about is the inability of the AC to overcome the heat in even the 10% of the air it sucks in from outside on recirc, or the fact that the air temp is barely below ambient external when you are stopped at a light or in heavy traffic. When the freeway is pumping out 110-120F, ambient is no fun.

ACLS

[Arno]

Umm.. What was it again?

"Told you so! Told you so!"

A/C in any elise ranges from 'acceptable' to 'pathetic', but never 'cold'. S2's are already leagues better than the S1 where it barely cooled at all.

For those in hot climates you can consider the same things that the guys in Hong-Kong do to keep cool:

- disconnect the heater circuit to the front and install new bypass (heater is used as bypass) in engine bay to shut off hot water feed to front
- insulate heater box
- rip out heater box and install new one with only a larger A/C evaporator and no heater matrix
- install higher capacity condenser, bigger fans, etc..

All in all this seems to give a 'reasonable' A/C system. Of course you lose the heater completely in this case..

A switchable bypass with a valve would be a first option though, so you can shut off the hot water supply to the heater matrix and re-route it to a local bypass hose in the engine bay (don't just shut it off.. it would cut off the engine's bypass too..)

Bye, Arno.

[delliott00]

Mine has the A/C freezup issue that has plagued so many. Autostrada said there is an easy fix and will be adjusting it at my 7500 mile service. But, until then, I have discovered some tips that help it work quite well. Its already been well over 100 degrees in TX and I've been fine using these tips:

1. Do NOT use recirc, it just freezes up faster. Not using outside air must reduce the flow over the evaporator or something. It'll freeze up fast, and then you'll be stuck with hot humid air.

2. Leave the fan on high. You need airflow to keep it from freezing.

3. Keep checking the air out of the vents. Eventually it'll freeze up again. When the air starts to slow down, even though the fan is still on high, that means you're seeing freezup. At this point, kick the A/C off. The Air temp will actually cool off for a minute while it thaws the ice. After about a minute the air will start to warm up, and thats your cue to kick the A/C back on. Should be able to do this every 20-30 mins and keep cool all the time.

Using this cycle, I've been able to keep the car quite comfortable even in 100 degrees and sitting in traffic. I'm sure once the fix is installed it'll be fine without needing to do all of this....

Oh well. My daily driver (evo) is black with black leather and it'll freeze your ass to the seat in 2 minutes flat on a 100 degree day. So I can switch off if I know it'll be a scorcher.

-Dave
'05 Elise (BRP, Touring, Hardtop, Quicksilver)
'05 Evo
'03 Evo

[darkSol]

Originally Posted by ChrisH

Mine works fine. Where is the poll?

It froze up

[peck555]

my a/c isn't working right now but I did notice that the interior of the car gets quite warm after driving for a while.the aluminum dash was very warm yesterday.the a/c will have alot to do.

[ivan1]

From what I can tell the AC has 3 issues :

1. A perfectly functioning elise AC is probably just barely adequate, but that is the way it is.

2. The AC freeze-up issue for which there seems to be a solution as above.

3. Completely nonfunctioning AC (like mine) which was "fixed" at the 1000 mile service by recharging, but now blows only hot air - probably a leak - it sounds like there are several people with this problem - I wonder if they all have the same leak - has anyone had a leak fixed and possibly have some info on where the leak was???

[etypeiii]

Originally Posted by ivan1

From what I can tell the AC has 3 issues :

3. Completely nonfunctioning AC (like mine) which was "fixed" at the 1000 mile service by recharging, but now blows only hot air - probably a leak - it sounds like there are several people with this problem - I wonder if they all have the same leak - has anyone had a leak fixed and possibly have some info on where the leak was???

For me, it was a bad O-ring (not sure which fitting(s) were affected, my service order may or may not say.) The service department was able to determine it was leaking after re-charging. It appears to have held for at least 2 months now.

Though the switch location appears to be the main problem with the "freezing" condition, note that low refrigerant can also cause icing and freezing. Without adequate refrigerant pressure, the stuff can "expand" prematurely in the system, causing the heat-absorption effect to happen where it shouldn't, and thus causing icing.



DLY

[rbullett]

Mine worked well today in 90 degree heat. It was chilly inside

[Santorium]

Originally Posted by ACLSGuy

Whoa... too much information!

On the off chance that Lotus hadn't recognized the AC problem, I dropped a short note to the link for lotustechsupport nested away in the lotuscars site. I got a prompt and courteous reply saying that the manufacturer was unaware of any problem with the AC.

Now, don't flood or whine, be clear and concise, as we'd like their help on this issue, but it might serve us well to let them know that there is a problem, and that really isn't an answer if they wish to sell these cars into this climate.

ACLS

That is complete and total crap. Lotus are well aware of the issue with both non A/C cars, and the A/C unit where installed. In fact they've been aware of it for over a year.

Send me a private message and I'll send you whatever documents you need to prove that their official position is .

[jim-clayton]

Any details on how to fix freeze up? Relocation of a sensor? I don't won't to burn a day at the dealer if I can help it.

[TECK]

Originally Posted by dwkoski

My car was delivered last July and the AC would shut down about every 20 minutes in very hot and humid weather. ... There is a service bulletin on repositioning it. Had it done to mine and no problems since. ...Dave

Anybody have an idea around what serial number lotus began repositioned the temperature sensor (to fix the icing problem)?