Problems with Air Conditioning
 

My '12 3.6r currently has 12,000mi. For the last 8,000-10,000mi, the A/C compressor has been making two continuous and loud noises, one of which was repaired yesterday by the dealership:

Noise 1): Repaired yesterday when the A/C compressor was replaced. When the a/c is on, there is an intermittent knocking/tapping noise, like tapping an empty coffee can with your knuckles. The dealership figured this was the a/c clutch going out, and replaced the compressor under warranty. This noise is now gone, but.....

Noise 2): When the a/c is on, there is a loud fluid rushing noise, like something you would hear if someone was upstairs running a shower or faucet and you heard water flowing in the pipes overhead. We hoped this noise might be related to Noise 1 and that it might go away after replacing the compressor. Well, it is completely unchanged after swapping it out.

When I cycle the a/c off (leaving the fan on), the fluid rushing noise immediately stops, and resumes when I cycle it back on. There is no performance issue with the system, it's plenty cold, I'm just getting tired of having to have the radio on when I come to a stoplight so I don't feel like I need to pee all the time from hearing a constant waterfall in the engine bay! I have owned roughly 10 other cars in my day and none of them has ever made this kind of noise. My '10 LGT also never made this noise.

I appreciate any insight anyone might have into this problem, especially my fellow 3.6r'ers. The car is otherwise flawless, this tiny little issue is just bugging the crap out of me though!

Thanks,
Benn

Noise 1: My car has been doing this since day 1. I guess its the compressor, thanks !

Noise 2: My car also does this when the AC is on. I only hear it when I'm idling ( probably because the exhaust masks it while driving )

I've had the car for almost 2.5 years now. My AC is always on even when I use the heater, it seems to get rid of the humidity inside the cabin. So other than being annoying, it hasn't caused me any problems.

Thanks, glad to know it's not just me and not just the 3.6r.

If enough people post up with the same issue, maybe I can get something started with SOA to find a resolution.

I'd bet you won't get many responses on this.

If you want to get something started with SOA send them an E-Mail.

Be extremely polite, even a little too polite because the dealer does not want to spend any time or money trying to figure out an issue unless it's obvious and they have a fix for it. You have to make them want to fix it.

the fluid sound when the a/c is on might be the freon moving through the a/c pipes, have your dealer to check the pressure of the system, i had the same noise in my wrangler after replacing the compressor, they didn't purge the system and than re-fill it/pressurize it. but it could be different with subaru systems.

I have had no issues with AC at this point, but I have heard the fluid rushing noise on my car since day one, but not as frequently as you described. I also run my AC when the heat is on, so I will pay more attention to the sound and see if it is happening more often than I think.

I checked through the service manual this afternoon and it looks like the only way you can replace the compressor is to purge and recharge the refrigerant in the system, so I don't think that would be the issue since they swapped out the compressor and there was no change in the fluid sound.

When I had to recharge the system, the dealer was very quick to point out the amount of refrigerant needed to be close to the spec. Perhaps you have too little or too much? Think its a quick check.

I've noticed a strange happening, but not really concerned. AC on and hear a low rumbling/vibrating noise that goes up and down in volume, but seems to be more noticeable at idle. AC works as it should though. And no it's not the new catback lol!!

Yeah, what makes no sense to me is the fluid sound is literally unchanged before and after the compressor swap, and now that it's colder out, it happens less when i'm using the a/c (I almost always leave the compressor running all the time, regardless of temp). So it's become very intermittent such that when I take it to the dealer, and it doesn't make any noise of course when I'm sitting in the car with the tech, I just get these looks like I'm crazy.

When I have a spare moment I'll bring the car back in and have them check the system pressure, and they'll probably tell me it's normal. :spin:

im lucky to have an amazing mechanic to help with all my needs, dont trust the stealership to diagnose issues, if its under warranty i will bring it into the stealership.