on my '96 legacy sedan, i'm having a curious issue with the climate control.

 

Even when i put the slider all the way in the "cool" position, the air is still somewhat hot. (That is, it's hotter than the air outside.)

 

Clearly some of the engine heat is being transferred to this air.

 

has anyone had this issue before, and is there anything that can be done?

thanks

The cabin ventilation draws air from the grille just ahead of the windscreen. Between this and the engine bay there is a full-with rubber seal that separates the grille from the engine bay. Open the hood and check to see if it is bent, cracked, missing...

Same thing with my Legacy during the summer. It's not the engine's heat, it's the sun's rays hitting the dash top. If it's dark in color and the sun is shining (Florida...) it will take some time for the outside air to cool the air ducts.

No problem with that right now in Montreal...

P.-S.: simple way to check this: when your car has stood in the sun for some time, check the air temp the minute you turn on the fan just after starting the engine. If it's already hot, than it's a sure thing it's not the engine's heat.

thanks for the suggestions,

 

the rubber gasket looks in-tact, and the air is indeed cold when we start out (ie, no engine heat) but progressively gets warmer as the engine heats.

 

This has been easy to notice here in florida over the past few days, as the weather has been in the 50's (usually its so hot that I leave the A/C on full blast, so i never noticed this issue.)

 

how does the temperature control slider work? is there a valve or something that opens and closes depending on the position of the lever?

Originally posted by adwolf1

thanks for the suggestions,

 

the rubber gasket looks in-tact, and the air is indeed cold when we start out (ie, no engine heat) but progressively gets warmer as the engine heats.

 

This has been easy to notice here in florida over the past few days, as the weather has been in the 50's (usually its so hot that I leave the A/C on full blast, so i never noticed this issue.)

 

how does the temperature control slider work? is there a valve or something that opens and closes depending on the position of the lever?

 

Sounds like a gas issue to me!

If it starts out cold and then slowly gets hot then that is generally a sign of low gas. Check the sight glass for bubbles or foam when the A/C is running if you see any then your A/C needs re-gassing.