Just was looking for a little input. There is literally an intermittent hissing sound coming from behind the driver left vent by the door. Sounds like it's coming from behind the dash. I know it has something to do with the A/C because it only comes on when it's activated.

I'm not sure if this is a problem or not--my intuition tells me it's nothing to worry about. The air works great and I am keeping in mind that this car is so quiet you're gonna hear little stuff like that. Just like the swinging air vents, it's nothing more noticeable than that. You don't hear it if you have the radio above like vol 3. Lol.

Anyone else ever have this same issue? Don't tell me my A/C is about to go out, please. Lol.

 

My 02 LS does the same thing, but it's sounds a little more like water gurgling. I'm thinking it may be a little piece of leaf or something stuck in there vibrating. I tried blowing it out, with higher fan speeds on manual, no luck. Like you said, these cars are so quiet, you can hear EVERYTHING in them. You could probably hear a rat pissing on cotton. I told my wife it was probably the radiator fluid gurgling, because the car was so quiet inside. I'm not sure, she might have believed me!

 

Expansion orifices (part of a/c system) make this exact sound when system is low on refrigerant. Check it.

 

Is this something I can do myself or that I need to have done?

 

Agreed, you are low on refrigerant. Open the hood and check the sight glass on the a/c line in front of the radiator, it should be clear. If you see bubbles, you are low on refrigerant.

 

Check it while the engine is running and the a/c is on.

 

On old cars, sight glass is usually all black (read - useless).

 

Yes it's supposed to look black, if there are bubbles you will see them easily.

 

If you need a shot of freon its super easy to do yourself. You can buy a kit with refrigerant and a gauge for about $35. Follow the instructions and its a 15 minute job. DON'T OVERFILL. Fill it to the recommended pressure range and that's all.

Also if you are low on freon, you have a leak somewhere. It may be very slow but an AC system should never lose freon. I would give it a charge and see if it holds. If not you can buy a leak tester and put that in. It all depends on how mechanically inclined you are if you want to go further from there.

 

You don't charge a/c by pressure... You charge by volume (weight).
Also, you can lose refrigerant and not have a leak. R-134 tend to decompose over time, breaking down to become air.

 

Adding too much freon by "weight" creates too much "pressure". The gauge is used as a guide to prevent overcharging.

 

If it's the little thing on the right side in the front of the radiator next to a cap with an H on it, there are no bubbles.

 

Make sure the air is on the lowest setting to make sure its on and not cycling. If you cant see bubbles and your air is still cold it may be just slightly low or its fine and that sound was always there.

Turn the air on full blast (lowest temp) and stick a thermometer in one of the center vents to see how cold it is. It should probably be high 40's to very low 50's depending on the outside temperature. I'm not an AC guru by any means but I've charged a few and replaced a condenser and a line on my wifes Acura MDX and recharged it and it blows 46 degree air.

 

I will do it....the air works just fine...it's cold and blows strong. I just don't know if it's that this car is just that quiet and you hear little stuff like that. Like I said, I can hear the center vents swinging even when I'm in motion. This car is like a tomb. I love it.

 

Yes they are very quiet. I'm one of those guys that always listens for noises on cars. I pay very close attention to the noises cars make when idling, shifting, etc. and this car is so quiet, you have to really listen carefully as sometimes you think you hear something that's not there................

The car is a pleasure to drive.