i got my rx8 1 month ago and with the warmer waether here in washington, the a/c does not work that well, on car and driver, they mention the same problem and that mazda but an a/c amplifirer to fix the a/c, i was curies to know if anybody had this problem.

 

hmm... wish i could help... i've only the used teh a/c 4 times in 2+ years of owning the 8.

the a/c is just too expensive to run haha

 

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...02-04-1338.pdf

Service bulletin is for 2004 models only. My 2005 works pretty good. Considering the size of the compressor (tiny), and the fact that it cycles on/off quite a bit (normal ops) I cant complain about the coolness. However, I've never had to turn it down cuz it was too cold in the car.

 

My a/c, brand new off the show room floor, had no leaks but was down quite a bit on Freon. The lesson I learned, just because is is new does not mean it was put together right. Also, my alignment was way off. My dealer does not have an alignment rack so I took it to a company that does.

Have you dealer see if the a/c system is fully charged.

 

thank guys will check with mazda and it is a 2004.

 

My AC struggles a bit here in central Texas but I notice the car automaticlly goes to the outside air mode (bottom right of the control with a green light) when I turn on the AC. When I switch it to recirculating air (bottom left with a red light) the AC continously pumps ice-cold air but after a while it will switch back to outside air automaticlly. My biggest problem usually comes when sitting in traffic or drive-thru windows.

As far as operating costs as someone mentioned above if they are referring to gas consumption several recents studies have shown that the extra gas consumed from the drag coeffecient being reduced from the windows being down outweigh the extra gas consumption caused by running the AC. Any engineers want to put some truth to this?

 

The gas consumption discussion has been had elsewhere, notably in either C&D or R&T in the past couple of years. Someone inevitably comes up with 'another take' on it. Basically, fuel costs of the HP losses of AC are less than that of the Cd increases at highway speeds; in the city, the Cd doesn't affect fuel consumption as much, so at city speeds, opening your windows might be a better idea.

However, at lower speeds, the windows cool the car less effectively; it really depends on where and how you drive if this is the case. AC is there for a reason!

 

not promising this will work, but it's easy and worth a try, and will make a huge difference if it does work.

a/c reprogramming instructions.
it only works if the build date is after 9/03, but it may work if the a/c compressor was replaced under the tsb

1. Make sure the car is off AND the HVAC fan is off AND the A/C on/off button is off.
2. Press and hold the front defroster (on the left) AND air source (recirc/fresh air) buttons
3. Continue pressing the buttons in step 2 and turn the key to ACC for 3 seconds
4. Continue pressing the buttons in step 2 and further turn the key to ON (NOT START) for 3 more seconds.
5. Verify the programming update by observing the REAR defroster LED blink 3 times.
6. Release the two buttons from step 2 and start the car.

When you turn on the A/C with the MODE button set to FACE and turn the thermostat to full COLD (max counter-clockwise setting) the RECIRC should automatically engage. In addition, the amplifier should put out colder air (~ 5-10 degrees F colder and not just from the RECIRC setting) and the compressor will not cycle nearly as often (which some of us found annoying).

Note: This programming change is not persistent. If the battery is fully discharged or disconnected the procedure needs to be repeated to re-enable the settings.

this takes all of 10 seconds to do, and everyone that's done it has noticed a dramatic difference.

 

Buy some fire reardant shielding and cover your A/C line.

The other crap from home depot doesn't work.

Go to DYI section.

 

Good tip on the reprogramming. Worked like a freakin charm! i had unplugged my batt and i noticed my AC sucked after. Then i reprogrammed. Kaboom colder air! NICE

 

I also live here in WA (Bellevue). My car had its AC replaced with the move powerfull unit. Fixed he problem. Call mazda and see if they will replace the unit free of charge, they did for me.

 

programing didn,t work it was build 09/03 i got an appointment at the dealer for wed 9:00am

 

The reprogram trick worked great! My a/c was so/so under 90 degrees and over 90 degrees it was struggling to blow any cold air at all. I reprogrammed it in the morning and right when i started the car it started blowing cold air immediately and didn't struggle at all during the record 100 degree heat the other day.

I wonder how the reprogram makes such a big difference if it's just a software issue? By the way my car is a 05 with 11/04 build date.

 

Hahaha I remembered they tested that myth on Mythbusters and it was busted. The car with windows down kept on going while the car with the a/c on ran outta gas

 

Wouldn't it depend on wind speed, a/c strength, and speed of the car?

And isn't the drag coefficient increased with windows down (which means worse gas mileage, at least at high speeds)?

 

Been meaning to try this why I dance around with mazda since mine doesn't hold a temp at all. Set it to the furthest cold and a few minutes later it goes to straight heat. Same thing if you have full heat, few minutes straight cold. Have to flip back and forth to get it to return to what you had it set as.

Gah. I'm sure people are wondering why I'm crusing at the dash...."Oh he must have that bluetooth phone."

No I have crappy AC.

 

I must try this when I go to lunch in a minute!

Oh come on, that show is stagged... lol Actually, I must of missed that one.

Yep, way to many variables involved to prove or disprove.

 

went to my appointment, on my one day off, and i wasted my time at 9:00am. i did my appointment one week ago, i show the service rep the service bulleting i got from here, which is from mazda usa. waited for 1/2 a hr and the tec. call for me and ask me what wrong. i show him the service bulleting and he tells me he has done this like three to four time and that it easy to fix, he goes to check if he has the part(a/c amplifirer) and they do not have the part so i have to wait 7 to 10 days to get it here. what gets me mad is the fact that the tec read the service bulleting and agreed to charge the part with out looking at the car, but the serviceman behine the counter toll me that they need to do some test to see whats wronge with the a/c. if not they wood not change it. if he saw that its a service bulleting from mazda usa and they have vin#from 00001 to 00999 on a made year 04 and my car is with in that made year 04 and vin#00555, why don't they order the part and change it, and not wasted my time, my one day off out of the week, mazda is paying them. millan mazda of puyallup in washington. will keep you posted on my next appointment.

 

Pick a different dealer. You shouldnt have to beg to get justified service bulletin work done.

 

I don't think a day goes by that I don't use my A/C system.
The day after we got the car the A/C would cycle on and off. The next day it worked fine.
Has been working fine now for the week we have had this one.
The RX-8 we had before this one did the same thing early in it's life.
It works fine now, even in 110+ degrees.

 

Generally the service person behind the counter doesn't have the ability to say "ya we can do that" without first having a tech look at it. All the ones I have seen are just cashier and parts ordering people, they don't have the training nor the permission to give the ok to such a thing even if you show them a service bulletin. Be happy you are getting your part that easy, mine at first tried to blame my XM radio on it.

 

Well today it hit 90 in New Jersey so I go to put on my A/C and I get nothing but hot air. I don’t think it’s the amplifier because even when that goes it cycles between hot / cold. I felt around the A/C tubing under the hood and they were hot. So I think I have a leak somewhere or maybe the condenser got hit with a rock but it didn't have any clear damage. The fun thing is I am out of my warranty (65,000 miles) so I have to get it fixed out of pocket. Anybody have a tip on how to find a leak in you’re A/C?

 

They make refrigerant with an ultraviolet dye in it. Get a can at your local auto parts store and put it in the AC. Run the AC and then use a black light to look for traces of the dye. If you have a leak, it should be highly visible.

 

Has anyone else noticed that the A/C fan blows out much more air on the passenger side than the drivers side? Next time you have your A/C on hold your hand in front of all the ducts and notice. Does not matter what fan speed you have it on it blows more air on the passenger side. ???????

 

Glyphon, I brought my 8 into the dealer the day (9/3/03) after puchase, as that evening, while reading the owners manual, I noticed the cabin had gotten warm (humid) even though the a/c was up full with recirc on and the ambient was only 68F. The dealer said the unit was working properly, despite my claims that my previous 3 RX-7s always had more than adequate a/c. I had the a/c amp (btw, the tsb doesn't replace the compressor) replaced just after the tsb was issued, but the result was no improvement. I just tried your reprogramming, but didn't get the flashing rear defrost confirmation. Tried it 3 times, including after disconnecting the battery. Before and after doing this registers steady 69F with 85F ambient with maxed a/c at idle. The only way I can get the a/c to blow "cold" is to rev above 4.5k. Guess I'll try a recharge and insulating the a/c pipes. I recall that insulation was posted a few years back. Anyone recall where that can be purchased? Razz1? - Gary, SoCal