AC Problem 06 Subaru Forester

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

I have an 06 subaru forester with a little over 130k miles on it. The AC has now become intermittent and when running doesn’t blow super cold air. I had it recharged but that didn’t fix the problem. What happens is that it will run fine for like 15-20 minutes or if not hot. The clutch will start by attaching very firmly but then suddenly for no reason will disengage. It is not slipping the belt at all. I dont think that it is a matter of too much air gap because when it grabs it does so very firmly. Ideas? Also when they were charging it i noticed that the for a moment it was kicking on and off rapidly and then he did something that looked as though he might have released some and it stayed more constant?

CB

2
I had it recharged but that didn't fix the problem.

Did your shop pump all the refrigerant out first into a holding tank, then re-fill with the exact amount recommended by the manufacturer? Modern AC systems are very sensitive to fill level. Too much or too little both cause problems. And they don’t take much refrigerant these days, so it is very easy to overfill if careless. It sounded like the compressor was short cycling, and one cause is an improper fill level.