kewatin

i have a 2011 hhr with 1500 miles on it and it has been in the shop 2 times for no cold air and has to go back again for the 3 rd time next week as they think they might have the source of the problem.supposedly a variable pressure valve in the compressor. ichecked with my brother whom is a ac teck at a gm dealership and he says it is possible but in all his yrs has never seen a valve fail as they are extremely reliable. any way it is frustrating that on every 90 degree plus day it blows cold air. also iwas asked if i had it on recirc air or outside air,didn;t know there was a difference but appently when its hot day u need it on outside or the system works against itself. trust it will be repaired right this time when it goes back in next wk. never had any problems with the 09 we had previously. any thoughts or comments will be greatly appreciated
REGARDS&LATER KEWATIN

Lucky

could be posible keep us posted

sleeper

To Cool down a very heated inside, manual states to use recirculated air, then when getting cool, switch to outside air for fresh A/C air.

I have never had to even use recirculared air, so IDK ?

American & Proud

Hope they get it Fixed for you this time around.

My '08 Panel Blows some Nice Cold AC and it blows it very well, unlike the wifes '03 Venture WB Edition we bought New in '04, I hate driving it on HOT days, it just does Not blow well out of the vents at all, Never really did either.

The other day we all (6 of us) were going somewhere and I tore the darn interior filter Out to help get a little better flow out of the vents, not great but a little better force.

Both cars are Black. The HHR just has some Great AC IMO. If it was like the Venture, when I bought the HHR last July, I would have Walked far far AWAY from it. I Love Good AC in the Summer and a Good Heater in Winter. And Auto Start is my Friend! Love it.

Laco

I agree, the AC in the HHR, when its working correctly, does a great job of cooling. The AC in my 2007 can keep us very comfortable inside, even when its 105 or more outside. You mentioned the variable pressure valve, which is generally reliable, but they can fail. When they do, you usually will have inconsistant AC performance, sometimes fairly cool, sometimes not cool at all. I had one fail in a Chrysler years ago, drove me nuts until the dealer finally just replaced the compressor.

BlackknighT

Using a digital AC Vent Thermometer-In my 09 LS the middle right vent blows air down to 43 degrees F on a 94 degree day on regular AC. If I am stuck in wonderful NY traffic it will fluctuate between 43 dF and 56 dF. When I have recirc on it stays a steady 42 dF comming from that vent no matter how I am driving.

My wifes 05 Cobalt goes to 48 dF on regular AC then on recirc drops to 45 dF steady.

My 03 Impala does 45 dF no matter how the AC is set.

I know my 09 would show pending codes (no CEL light would come on) for AC issues that would only show when looked for. It should also for you 2011. Ask the Dealer if it throws any AC codes.

My thermometer is like this example:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...B5TEsAOcroigDQ

843de

It sounds like you've got a bad compressor, and a dealer that needs to just replace it before they jerk you around anymore. Never a complaint with the A/C on any of the three that we have, I swear you could keep a side of beef frozen even on the hottest Carolina summer's day.

sleeper

Ice box on wheels here also..

fwiw: someone had a Thermostat issue & it was causing the A/C not to work also (among other things)..

843de

Yeah I kind of remember that deal too sleeper. A bad thermostat causing an overheat condition will cause the compressor clutch to either drop out, or refuse to engage due to an elevated engine temperature. It sure doesn't sound like what kewatin is dealing with, but it could be another avenue for the dealer to explore if a new compressor doesn't cure the issue.

sleeper

843-

Or not reach optimal operating temps if O-ring has it stuck open, same result for the A/C, (no workie)..

I just threw it out there as a wild card, never know..