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A/C problem figured out!! - See last post.


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This car is a good design, and when working properly fun to drive, it is one of the small cars that the USA has needed for a while. I'm fairly certain that most slight pulling to one side or the other is a slightly to large specification for the rear axle tolerance. I think it may be set for a longer wheel base car, and this little guy needs a better tolerance. Since it is solid Axel, only one way to correct a rear toe issue, and that's to try and bend the assembly. Not something most places are going to be able to do. I would have replaced mine by now, but you have no guarantee that the new part will be better, and it might be slightly worse. Rear beam is only like $200, plus whatever labor to swap all the other parts.

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No the Internet can give you a valuable tool to combat stupid dealers.

I felt the same way, but up to now, I still have no regrets, I've never had as much fun with a car, as I've been having with the Spark. Although a pain in the ass, this a/c problem will be resolved. I

Our ac generally works great. But im starting to notice everyone in a while it blows not so cold...I wanna say like coming to a stop. However there are other times at idle itll freeze us out.

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Are any of the other USA domestic cars better? Thinking I need to find a Fiesta hatch and be done with this.

Are you more than 5'10'' tall?

I am 5'10'' and not overweight and I can barely squeeze in the front seat of a fiesta. I can't even get in the back seat of a fiesta at all. Spark has loads more passenger room than a Fiesta.

The Fiesta isn't a bad car. Just too darn small on the inside. The 1.0 Ecoboost looks pretty cool. I'd like to test drive one, but I can't fit in one!

The complete lack of interior space, plus a timing belt (Timing belts are a completely unacceptable cost cutting measure that have no business on any modern vehicle) eliminated the possibility of me buying one.

Edited by NoSprak
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Well, I have a '14, and it def was blowing cold, then cool, then cold, then cool when it was 90 degrees the other day. It would be cold, then get humid in the car, then cold again. The system was on recycle. Dont get me wrong, it was keeping the car comfortable, but it def was not working the way other cars ac works..

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Well, I have a '14, and it def was blowing cold, then cool, then cold, then cool when it was 90 degrees the other day. It would be cold, then get humid in the car, then cold again. The system was on recycle. Dont get me wrong, it was keeping the car comfortable, but it def was not working the way other cars ac works..

That is the issue.

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Well, I have a '14, and it def was blowing cold, then cool, then cold, then cool when it was 90 degrees the other day. It would be cold, then get humid in the car, then cold again. The system was on recycle. Dont get me wrong, it was keeping the car comfortable, but it def was not working the way other cars ac works..

My old Taurus was an ice box. If you put the AC recirculate so it came out all of the vents and were wearing sandals, it would freeze your feet!

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Are you more than 5'10'' tall?

I am 5'10'' and not overweight and I can barely squeeze in the front seat of a fiesta. I can't even get in the back seat of a fiesta at all. Spark has loads more passenger room than a Fiesta.

The Fiesta isn't a bad car. Just too darn small on the inside. The 1.0 Ecoboost looks pretty cool. I'd like to test drive one, but I can't fit in one!

The complete lack of interior space, plus a timing belt (Timing belts are a completely unacceptable cost cutting measure that have no business on any modern vehicle) eliminated the possibility of me buying one.

That might be problem.

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OK, first week of mid 90's, which will shortly escalate to the 100's for the next 4-5 months. While most of my driving is in town, the a/c on my 2014 2LT is still performing well and no warm/cold/warm problems thus far. Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping GM gets the problem with the people who continue to have a/c issues.

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  • 2 weeks later...

sparkfanatic:

You are exactly right. I just got rid of a 2011 Honda Fit Sport that was nothing but problems and had the worst paint, squeakiest suspension, most uncomfortable seats and a terrible radio/speakers. I had a 2013 Spark 2LT with airbag problems and I worked with GM directly and got a 2014 Spark 2LT replacement and I am as happy as can be. Every car manufacturer, American and other countries, have problems and unhappy owners. I feel bad for people with problems and hope they get their problems resolved to their satisfaction.

That is odd, because the 2011 Honda Fit Sport is the HIGHEST rated compact/subcompact car for the past 4 years !!! The reliability for the 2011 model in particular had been extraordinary !!

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Has anyone checked the refrigerant levels for themselves?

It just occurred to me that some years ago ('90's) when I had a Ford Escort it developed the 'warm to cool to warm cold' cycling and would only blow warm air at a stop. Even though the refrigerant level/pressure was OK, I did give it a VERY LITTLE shot of canned refrigerant and that solved the problem for the remaining few years I drove it. Not saying this will fix the Spark issue, but someone may want to check that out and I will certainly ask my old and experienced mechanic if he has ever come across a similar situation. BTW..our 2013 Spark 1LT auto (built 1/13) seems to be OK but not nearly as cold as other cars I have owned or driven in the Miami heat and humidity. If I run into the problem others are having that is the first thing I would investigate. Keep in mind that before trying this on a Spark that has a completely different AC design than the old Escort that it worked on, it may be WISE to get a trusted mechanic to advise or do the little job as there are SAFETY ISSUES in that kind of work...K?

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Understand all the ratings, but remember they are opinions and usually from a very dedicated and defensive forum people. My Fit Sport had terrible seats, low quality interior, poor paint (Milano Red) and noisy rear suspension for the 2.5 years I owned it. Only thing good about it was the magic seats which allowed for more cargo room. I would never buy another Honda Fit.

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Has anyone checked the refrigerant levels for themselves?

There has been quite a bit of complaining on the Cruze forums, where it seems the a/c is acting a lot like the Spark, with the warm/cool problem, and as the 'Ol Gearhead suggested, some guys have just topped it off with a can of coolant from Walmart, and it has solved their problem. Interesting......................

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If someone would like to take a picture for me of the AC Fill port in the engine bay, I just happen to have a can in my garage, that I would be willing to top off my system with a few more PSI....

If you are asking where the low side is you should not be topping anything off.

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If you are asking where the low side is you should not be topping anything off.

Usually the 'High' and 'Low' ports have an 'H' or 'L' stamped on them. I do not have my Spark in front of me as it is too big to fit in my office but I believe the low port is a black cap near firewall and the high port a blue cap near the front of the engine compartment. It's just a tad more complex than just a quick 'top-up'. It worked for me because I am very old and have gained some experience with cars and other motorized vehicles. Sometimes the hard way... The reason I believe this top-up MAY be a possible fix for the Spark is that it worked for me in a similar situation on an older '90's Ford Escort when it was cycling too often causing the 'warm, cold, cool' behavior. My Spark's A/C is working fairly steady, so I have not had the need to top it off, but I do know that low refrigerant can cause more frequent cycling. When it is very hot out the AC should cycle very little or not at all. When the outside temps are around ±75ºF it will cycle more often. Before going the 'top-off' route, please, for your own sake, take some time to become familiar with how car A/C's work. Modern cars have smaller more precise tolerances and specs. Below is a link that explains the procedure for small modern car A/C's service fairly well. If and when I feel I need to top up my Spark A/C I would rather have a mechanic do it as most have more experience and tools to do it right. "When in doubt, do without".

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Recharge-Your-Cars-Air-Conditioner/?ALLSTEPS

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Just an update.....daily temps here in Tucson are now in the mid 80s and even a few days of mid 90s. My 2014 Spark LS blowing cold air with no problems. So, so far, so good.

Thanks for the update greggb! I'm happy to hear that your A/C is working properly in your vehicle. Let us know if you have anymore questions or concerns.

Patsy G

Chevrolet Customer Care

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Usually the 'High' and 'Low' ports have an 'H' or 'L' stamped on them. I do not have my Spark in front of me as it is too big to fit in my office but I believe the low port is a black cap near firewall and the high port a blue cap near the front of the engine compartment. It's just a tad more complex than just a quick 'top-up'. It worked for me because I am very old and have gained some experience with cars and other motorized vehicles. Sometimes the hard way... The reason I believe this top-up MAY be a possible fix for the Spark is that it worked for me in a similar situation on an older '90's Ford Escort when it was cycling too often causing the 'warm, cold, cool' behavior. My Spark's A/C is working fairly steady, so I have not had the need to top it off, but I do know that low refrigerant can cause more frequent cycling. When it is very hot out the AC should cycle very little or not at all. When the outside temps are around ±75ºF it will cycle more often. Before going the 'top-off' route, please, for your own sake, take some time to become familiar with how car A/C's work. Modern cars have smaller more precise tolerances and specs. Below is a link that explains the procedure for small modern car A/C's service fairly well. If and when I feel I need to top up my Spark A/C I would rather have a mechanic do it as most have more experience and tools to do it right. "When in doubt, do without".

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Recharge-Your-Cars-Air-Conditioner/?ALLSTEPS

I was telling the person that if they don't even know where the ac ports are then they have no business doing it themselves.

I have ac gauges and equipment. I used to do all the ac work in the body shop I used to work for. We did not do lots of trouble shooting but after a front end accident normally the condenser is the first to go. So I'm very familiar with ac from that aspect.

But in a new car under warranty, I'm not hooking anything up to it.

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Strangely enough, last year when I had my yearly state inspection at a thrid party replace, I was talking to the owner about the AC issues and he sat down and looked up the specs. on his computer. He said it sure doesn't use very much gas, might be worth stuffing a little more into the system to see if it would cool better. The only thing he couldn't tell me was if it used "regular" 134a or if it used the newer hydrocarbon based 134x (not sure what the letter might be). But at least he was thinking an extra few ounces might not be a bad thing. Never got around to trying this because we had a defective high pressure coupler at home and I never bought a replacement before the snow started.

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So I'm having the same issue with my AC and when i went to check my Cabin filter to see if that may be causeing the issue, I found my Recirculation Flap sitting on top of the filter with part of it busted off. Will be taking it into the shop to see if this could be my problem and have the Compressor checked.

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So I'm having the same issue with my AC and when i went to check my Cabin filter to see if that may be causeing the issue, I found my Recirculation Flap sitting on top of the filter with part of it busted off. Will be taking it into the shop to see if this could be my problem and have the Compressor checked.

Read this whole thread, http://chevysparkforum.com/topic/2136-hvac-customer-satisfaction-program-end-april-30-2016/ it will give you some guidance as how to handle your problem.

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Hey CClick815,

We’re sorry to hear that you are also experiencing this concern with your Spark. Please feel free to send us a private message with your VIN and we will be glad to look further into this for you. We look forward to hear from you!

Kristen A.

Chevrolet Customer Care

Edited by Chevrolet Customer Care
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I took my car into my local dealer in mid April. They did a reprogram on the computer that was supposed to fix AC problem. It was 85 degrees today and the AC cooled the cabin down just fine so I'm guessing whatever they did fixed it. It's not ice cold, but it's a constant cool at least.

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I took my car into my local dealer in mid April. They did a reprogram on the computer that was supposed to fix AC problem. It was 85 degrees today and the AC cooled the cabin down just fine so I'm guessing whatever they did fixed it. It's not ice cold, but it's a constant cool at least.

There is also a new fix with low pressure switch and wire harness. You might want to check it out in the other thread.

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This appears to be the fix, http://chevysparkforum.com/topic/2136-hvac-customer-satisfaction-program-end-april-30-2016/ also reference the older PI that changes the blend door flap and changes the evaporator core temperature sensor. It still isn't going to be the coldest system on the market, but it seems to be consistent now from the reports that have been made. Locking this thread so it can be discussed in the link as that seems to be a lot closer to a real fix, at least the latest info.

Edited by Greg_E
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