VE air conditioning is hopeless

[xthommox]

Hi all,

Yes Ive read the threads about the VE and a recall for O rings etc. and some of the other Holden stuff ups that may explain the issue, but Im still stumped

Mine's a late 2009 SS and it's new enough that they've fixed the O ring problem (allegedly), so I didn't get the letter.

Had the 3,000km first service and mentioned that on a hot day it barely works and after driving for 15 minutes on the F3 it does get cooler but nothing like it should. Eventually it does. I mentioned the O rings (not applicable sir) and the over filling of the gas (we'll check that sir) and a few other things I'd read on here to the service guy.

It came back with everything is OK and it's cooling down to 4C!! Yes that was a mid 20's day, of course it's working very efficiently.

The very hot days we had the last few weeks (ie 35c), the thing blows warmish air for ages whilst it tries to cool down. Yes I had the windows open initially and yes I had it on recirc. It's just shit. Im sweating in the car with the aircon on or off until it gets to a clear open bit of road. Ive had dozens of cars and this is the worse one ever.

Any other suggestions as to problems you may have had and the fix for it?

Cheers.:)

[plzblv]

Definitely sounds like it isn't working properly to me.

Mine is a black 07 SSV, and even on days hotter than 35.C it doesn't take long for inside to cool down, and only about a minute for the air coming through the vents to be pretty cold.

I have dual zone climate, note sure if that has any importance, and i just run it on 21 Auto almost all the time.

Good luck getting it sorted.

Cheers,

Ben

[chillicatqld]

my black 9.5 wagon SSV is good also... not as cool as my black VY ute - but I gather its because more surface area of heat in the cabin

[Mega76]

My aircon in my black SSV wagon is woefull. Any temperature of 27 and under outside it doesn't do a bad job. Any temperature above then it's like an asthmatic breathing & not very cool at all.

When my car goes in for it's 15k service I'll get Holden to check it. On my last trip to Melb and had the fans on FULL and not much air was coming out at all. Sounded like all the air was getting blocked behind the dash.

What's settings are most people using for the aircon day to day?

Mines on usually for a hot day on C or 17c, single zone, aircon on non circulate to begin with and then recirculate as my cabin cools down and then whatever fan speed & pointing on my face and feet. Maybe I should look at my manual and see what it suggest.

[chillicatqld]

Mine is usually set at 23 degree on AUTO dual zone with recirculate on most of the time.
Cools the car fast even when 30+C outside.

[Raptor6L]

Mine is usually set at 23 degree on AUTO dual zone with recirculate on most of the time.
Cools the car fast even when 30+C outside.

Same.
I've had mine not cool at all once or twice. Just keeps blowing warm/ hot air. Turn the car off then start it back up again and it comes back to life. It's only happenned when i've started the car, never whilst i was driving.

Aside from that intermittent issue, it's the best vehicle air-conditioner i've owned.

[Mega76]

Mine is usually set at 23 degree on AUTO dual zone with recirculate on most of the time.
Cools the car fast even when 30+C outside.

Ok sweet chilli. I'll try the auto setting and dual zone next time. Lucky for me I have a sunroof that gets rid of quite a lot of heat when I first drive off. Helps with a black car and no tint :)

Matt

[Mikey]

Hi all,

Yes Ive read the threads about the VE and a recall for O rings etc. and some of the other Holden stuff ups that may explain the issue, but Im still stumped

Mine's a late 2009 SS and it's new enough that they've fixed the O ring problem (allegedly), so I didn't get the letter.

Had the 3,000km first service and mentioned that on a hot day it barely works and after driving for 15 minutes on the F3 it does get cooler but nothing like it should. Eventually it does. I mentioned the O rings (not applicable sir) and the over filling of the gas (we'll check that sir) and a few other things I'd read on here to the service guy.

It came back with everything is OK and it's cooling down to 4C!! Yes that was a mid 20's day, of course it's working very efficiently.

The very hot days we had the last few weeks (ie 35c), the thing blows warmish air for ages whilst it tries to cool down. Yes I had the windows open initially and yes I had it on recirc. It's just shit. Im sweating in the car with the aircon on or off until it gets to a clear open bit of road. Ive had dozens of cars and this is the worse one ever.

Any other suggestions as to problems you may have had and the fix for it?

Cheers.:)Unfortunately I think you are right. I have had two VE's now and one of the things I noticed about going from my VZ to my first VE was that the air is not as efficient as the VZ was. Even the vent design is no where as good. I was hoping that my new VE would show an improvement in design over the years but my new one behaves pretty similar. It seems to work, but it can take a long time to get there maybe 5-10 mins perhaps. Our BA works incredibly well in 10-15 seconds, as did my VZ. I do not think you are imagining things. One thing I will say though is once it is fully cranked, it is fine, so I know it is not a charge issue.

[chillicatqld]

Ok sweet chilli. I'll try the auto setting and dual zone next time. Lucky for me I have a sunroof that gets rid of quite a lot of heat when I first drive off. Helps with a black car and no tint :)

Matt

Get some tint dude... I got 15% on mine

[EXCESSV]

tint is a big help especially with the large VE windscreen

also go try another dealer and see what they say.

[simon.w]

Mine stopped yesterday ... checked fues etc with no luck ... then searched forum ... found that they had a habit of throwing the belt ... and yes that's what it had done.

Not impossible to put back on ... but what made mine more challenging was less room to work caused by the tilted radiator to accomodate the Russo OTR.

Belt didn't even occur to me because I always thought they had only the one.

How crap that it would happen in the first place ... poor design!

[Northy]

I have a black 06 SSV and the aircon works a treat even in sunny qld. I have also had the issue with it blowing hot air, as said turn it off then on and it's fine. Somthing isn't right with your aircon, go down to the yard next to the service center and get them to put the A/C on in one of the new cars to show how stuffed yours is

[paulvdb]

I've had two rental VE's in the last month and both had problems with temps in the mid 30s. The first one I rented had awful aircon on the first day I used it and then it worked great the next day. That surely cannot be a gassing issue. The second VE I had simply was unable to produce air any cooler than about mid 20s - it pumped out lots of air but none of it was very cool. Both of these cars were only a few months old so obviously still a current issue.

[EXCESSV]

Mine stopped yesterday ... checked fues etc with no luck ... then searched forum ... found that they had a habit of throwing the belt ... and yes that's what it had done.

Not impossible to put back on ... but what made mine more challenging was less room to work caused by the tilted radiator to accomodate the Russo OTR.

Belt didn't even occur to me because I always thought they had only the one.

How crap that it would happen in the first place ... poor design!belt being thrown is well publicised on here.

Holden removed a pulley that held tension on top of the aircon to udp belt so with the slack it lashes off...especially in cammed cars

PlanetDavo also annouced a week ago after the apparant belt throwing issue was before the harmonic balancer being faulty said its now the missing pulley.
have a search as the thread lists the part numbers from holden to put it on yourself or try going via warranty. not sure how well the Holden fix is as I had the Chipmaster fix done back in feb 2008 when mine did it and never had a issue since

[planetdavo]

PlanetDavo also annouced a week ago after the apparant belt throwing issue was before the harmonic balancer being faulty said its now the missing pulley.

Not fully correct. Many cars still suffer from the failed harmonic balancer running out of alignment. Affected cars can suffer from either issue, or both of them.
VE's have a further issue with their A/C, where the evaporator ices up, due to a leak in the housing causing a temp sensor to read a higher temp than it should. This makes the a/c work flat out, freezing up the evaporator housing and leading to much higher vent temps. Best way to tell if it's this is to see if a big puddle of water forms under the car after it has been parked and the a/c off for a while, letting the ice melt.
Dealers have a techline for this issue.

[Mega76]

Get some tint dude... I got 15% on mine

Ha yeah I know. I'll see out this summer and then decide. I really like the clean look with a black car and no tint. I'd say I'll have tint by next summer.

[EXCESSV]

VE's have a further issue with their A/C, where the evaporator ices up, due to a leak in the housing causing a temp sensor to read a higher temp than it should. This makes the a/c work flat out, freezing up the evaporator housing and leading to much higher vent temps. Best way to tell if it's this is to see if a big puddle of water forms under the car after it has been parked and the a/c off for a while, letting the ice melt.
Dealers have a techline for this issue.and the techline number so the OP can go to a dealer and regurgitate it is??????

[tyrhantc]

I have a black 06 SSV and the aircon works a treat even in sunny qld. I have also had the issue with it blowing hot air, as said turn it off then on and it's fine. Somthing isn't right with your aircon, go down to the yard next to the service center and get them to put the A/C on in one of the new cars to show how stuffed yours is

Same with mine. Maybe they sent all the good A/C units to QLD...:)

Only twice in 2 years have I have the A/C blow hot air only. I just turned the A/C off and back on and it worked fine after that.

[planetdavo]

and the techline number so the OP can go to a dealer and regurgitate it is??????

Not at work this week.
It's not necessarily his issue. Just brought it up for everyone to know about it.

[HX76LS2]

I have a SS in red and have had no problems at all with the air con. That is running it on 19 deg C in QLD on 39deg C days. The aircon is as good as the last 4 new cars i have owned. So i wouldn't say it was the VE aircon in general but it seems like you have a problem with your system.

The only complaint i would have with the VE aircon would be that the dash vents don't point up high enough.

Were warranty is concerned take it to a couple of different dealers and see what each one has to say. If the one you take it to has a cheap ar$e service manager trying to same money he will encourage to push back on warranty work on not so important or non safety related items.

Stu.

[chook]

My SSV is pretty useless also but again so was the VYII & the VX before that. My wife has an 08 XR6 and the aircon is awesome , to the point you have to turn the thing off from time to time. In my experience, the holden aircon has never been up to scratch.

[PESSV]

My SSV is pretty useless also but again so was the VYII & the VX before that. My wife has an 08 XR6 and the aircon is awesome , to the point you have to turn the thing off from time to time. In my experience, the holden aircon has never been up to scratch.

Too true. I've had a VT and VZ before the SSV and the aircon’s were crap. Daughter has a VY Belina with so called climate control, a/c is crap. I don’t really remember some of the earlier models (that actually had a/c). Maybe it started with the VT? The SSV is hopeless for so called climate controlled a/c compared to say a Toyota, it is ordinary. If you want 25c in the cabin, dial in 20c. Lucky I didn't buy it for the aircon.

Don't know why they can't get it right for a car designed and built in a country like Australia. The heating is good though so just hang out till winter.

[xthommox]

Some great and very helpful responses. It MUST be some sort of a problem inherent with these cars as there are a few people with interesting stories, like the guy with the 2 rentals. Do ya reckon over at some Camry web site theyre complaining about the airconditioner not working properly. Of course not. Same with the myriad of other web sites for various cars that Im a member of. I cant recall EVER seeing a thread about poor air con, yet there are many on here, after doing a search. It's obviously a bad design which becomes apparent moreso in certain unlucky owner's cars.

Thanks again for the ideas guys. I'll report back if I can find out what the problem is. The puddle theory is a good one that I'll check asap.

I'll get the boffins at the stealership to start up some factory lot one, to show them the difference, but bear in mind it has to have been in the sun for a while. Thank God I have window tinting.

[OneManEmpire]

Don't know if this will help or not, but I'll post it up just in case...

Mate has a VE Senator Series 1 that had an aircon issue..

Long story short, Holden upgraded the software on the A/c and now all is good..

His complaint was... accelerating lightly in bumper to bumper traffic
would cause the A/c to cut out. The A/c thought he was at more than 98% throttle and would cut the air con...

Just a thought...

cheers



Some great and very helpful responses. It MUST be some sort of a problem inherent with these cars as there are a few people with interesting stories, like the guy with the 2 rentals. Do ya reckon over at some Camry web site theyre complaining about the airconditioner not working properly. Of course not. Same with the myriad of other web sites for various cars that Im a member of. I cant recall EVER seeing a thread about poor air con, yet there are many on here, after doing a search. It's obviously a bad design which becomes apparent moreso in certain unlucky owner's cars.

Thanks again for the ideas guys. I'll report back if I can find out what the problem is. The puddle theory is a good one that I'll check asap.

I'll get the boffins at the stealership to start up some factory lot one, to show them the difference, but bear in mind it has to have been in the sun for a while. Thank God I have window tinting.

[Aussie Pete]

Interesting for me. My car is okay but on a real hot day it simply doesn't come close to keeping the car cool. Then I rent an SV6 and the air in that was ice ice cold - superb. In fact on the SV6 I was adding heat!!!

[xthommox]

Just too many people with aircon stories. These thing obviously have an inherent problem that the 'tards at the service centre can't be bothered looking for.

Like I said, I've never heard of anyone with a modern brand new car of any make (other than VEs), where the air con was an issue. So annoying. But I'm going to list all the possible faults from the various threads on here, give it to the service twits and get them to check each one!

[planetdavo]

For everyone's info (as far as I'm aware) there are fixes for every VE A/C issue.
Head office going Chapter 11 bankrupt (and cutting off the cash flow) made things a wee bit difficult for Holden, in regards to resolving all issues.
I suspect the dealer involved to be the "problem" in this car's case.

[xthommox]

As usual it all comes down to dollars! I appreciate they're running a business, but its customers that keeps them running. I'm nearly running the other way from them! lol. I'll see how I go when I present them my list.

[planetdavo]

As usual it all comes down to dollars! I appreciate they're running a business, but its customers that keeps them running. I'm nearly running the other way from them! lol. I'll see how I go when I present them my list.

Just keep on their back.
With my constantly revolving list of company supplied cars, I reckon I've had one (VE's) with every single complaint people have mentioned!
Every one of them have had a fix.
I've also had numerous VE's with ice cold A/C. :)

[bladerunner]

my last ute was an 08 sv6. it used to ice up as planetdavo said and leave a big puddle on the ground around the aircon area of the engine bay.it also played up particularly on long trips. i would see mist coming out of the vents followed shortly after by no cooling so i turned it off and on again to get the bloody thing to work

[planetdavo]

Here's a list of the various techline subjects for everyone's knowledge...
08/02/2010 A/C Belt Dislodged – No HVAC Cooling - VE, WM - (V8)
01/02/2010 Updated 1/2/2010 - Evaporator Ice Up, Reduced Air Flow through Vents, Evap Temp Sensor Reading too High, Excessive water under vehicle - VE, WM
24/11/2009 A/C Charge Quantity - VE, WM
24/11/2009 A/C Charge Quantity
30/10/2009 HVAC DTC B0228 and B0418 Set, Recirc Door Inoperative - VE, WM
30/10/2009 Evaporator Ice Up, Reduced Air Flow through Vents, Evap Temp Sensor Reading too High, Excessive water under vehicle - VE, WM
24/07/2009 A/C pipe leaks near low pressure charge port - VE, WM
23/04/2009 SVS Warning illuminated in Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC), no engine DTC’s - VE, WM
27/11/2008 A/C Compressor Rattle - VE, WM, V6 & V8
26/08/2008 Heater Hoses Leak At The Quick Connect Clamps - VE, WM
10/07/2008 Poor A/C performance or windscreen slow to demist (A/C compressor not activating) - VE, WM (V8 Engine Only) MY8.5 & MY09
12/06/2008 Erratic Fan Speed or Flash Fogging - VE, WM
07/04/2008 HVAC Outside Air Temperature (OAT) Sensor Operation - VE, WM
26/09/2007 Odours entering cabin with HVAC in Recirculation Mode - VE, WM
26/09/2007 A/C not cold, compressor turned off after Full Throttle Acceleration - VE, WM with V8
03/07/2007 Heater Core Leaks - VE, WM
02/04/2007 HVAC Control Module Replacements - VE & WM
27/11/2006 Water Leaks on Front Floor (A/C Drain Grommet) - VE, WM
02/08/2006 Description Of HVAC and A/C System Changes for VE

[paulvdb]

An interesting update for those following this thread. Had an Omega rental over the last couple of days (SIDI so recent release). Leaving NW Vic this afternoon aircon works fine for about 49 k's then starts getting to outside air temp. Tried turning aircon off and it started getting cooler !!! at least for about 20 k's. I then turned the aircon back on and it ran fine after that. I'm wondering if the system has some overheating issue or a body computer issue?

I'm not finding the whole Commodore aircon experience much fun - a bit embarrassing that an Aussie car can't survive even 30 degree days.

[Ausmartin1]

"Best way to tell if it's this is to see if a big puddle of water forms under the car after it has been parked and the a/c off for a while, letting the ice melt.
Dealers have a techline for this issue.[/QUOTE]

Glad you mentioned BIG as a normal puddle is total normal especialy when there is humid weather.

A better check is the reduction of air flow as an ICED up evaporator really slows it down. People have to guage it well.

As to high temp issues, if the system is overgassed the compressor will cycle off as the High/Low Pressure switch trips. Believe this sets a code the dealer can read back

I'm suprised an over gas issue would occur from factory as they have really good equipment and trained people.



Cheers All.

[afmss]

well mines just done the evaporator ice up trick for the second time now:bawl:

[mmciau]

I experienced this back in December 2009. Post 31

http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=1638922#post1638922 (http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=1638922#post1638922)



Last Online: 03-03-2010 06:43 PM
Member Since: Feb 2003
Location: Marion, South Australia
Age: 66
Primary Ride: April 2009 VE Omega International with Dual Fuel
http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/images/misc/im_yahoo.gif (http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=1638922#)

Re: VE airconditioning
Took car to my Dealer today - told them of the circumstances that the car started its journey after sitting in the sun, no cooling at all from any fan setting, any vent setting and whether recirculate or fresh air for the drive Victor Harbor to Adelaide.

They rang me to advise they could not find any loss of refrigerant, fault codes, any malfunction because it was emitting cold air as expected.

They did indeed check and clean all terminals as it applied to the Air Con Compressor because they can only summise that the compressor was not doing its job for whatever reason not clear to them

Advised me to report any future malfunction..

Mike
__________________
Mike McInerney

[Pickles]

"Best way to tell if it's this is to see if a big puddle of water forms under the car after it has been parked and the a/c off for a while, letting the ice melt.
Dealers have a techline for this issue.

Glad you mentioned BIG as a normal puddle is total normal especialy when there is humid weather.

A better check is the reduction of air flow as an ICED up evaporator really slows it down. People have to guage it well.

As to high temp issues, if the system is overgassed the compressor will cycle off as the High/Low Pressure switch trips. Believe this sets a code the dealer can read back

I'm suprised an over gas issue would occur from factory as they have really good equipment and trained people.



Cheers All.[/QUOTE]
I don't have a VE, but our VZ GTO was over gassed from the factory, I was told by 20%. This caused the compressor to switch on & off in high temps, causing the blowing of hot air....not good.
Dealer corrected the gas level, & A/C has worked well sinse. The climate control is really good....only trouble is, we have ours set at 21C, & when one gets out of the car on a hot day....it's a bit of a shock!
Cheers, Pickles.

[mickeyrourke]

Most people have issues with their AC not getting cool enough.
My VE Calais has suddenly developed the opposite problem - even with the heater on 23 degC it is freezing. I can put it up to H and hot air comes out but it should at least be warmish at 23 degC. It used to be fine. Any suggestions?

[xthommox]

Update: well not really. Haven't used the bloody air con since my original post but it's getting its 30K service this Thursday (different dealer), and as the next service wouldn't be until 2011 (and includes summer of course), I'll be melting if it isn't fixed on Thursday. Will advice the service centre of the issue and see what they come back with!!

[moconn20]

Most people have issues with their AC not getting cool enough.
My VE Calais has suddenly developed the opposite problem - even with the heater on 23 degC it is freezing. I can put it up to H and hot air comes out but it should at least be warmish at 23 degC. It used to be fine. Any suggestions?

It depends on the inside temp, but generally 23 degrees with AC on will blow cold air.
To blow warm air at that setting your inside temp would need to be well below 20 degrees, more like 10 degrees.

If you dont like the temp, just turn it up, or set it to 23 and turn the AC off.

[xthommox]

Well the guys at Kelly Holden (at the counter mind you), here in Cardiff seemed to know what the problem will be. Good stuff.

Yes it was the "evap sensor reading incorrectly". They removed the sensor and fitted a new housing. As well as undertaking 30K service.

It was fairly warm here yesterday at about 27c and the car was outside in the sun most of the day, so it was great to use the aircon. to work as it was intended. The temp. stayed icy and the air flow was great!

Yay team!

[moconn20]

Well the guys at Kelly Holden (at the counter mind you), here in Cardiff seemed to know what the problem will be. Good stuff.

Yes it was the "evap sensor reading incorrectly". They removed the sensor and fitted a new housing. As well as undertaking 30K service.

It was fairly warm here yesterday at about 27c and the car was outside in the sun most of the day, so it was great to use the aircon. to work as it was intended. The temp. stayed icy and the air flow was great!

Yay team!

A good result, esspecially from Kelly Holden. They are usually woeful.

[xthommox]

A good result, esspecially from Kelly Holden. They are usually woeful.

But less woeful than where I live - Gosford. They had nfi about the problem and "couldnt find anything wrong sir". Kelly identified it at the counter!

Maybe the lesser of 2 evils?

[R863]

Help Please,

I have a 2 month old R8 and the Air Conditioner is blowing hot air on day's around 30 deg.
I have been reading the replies on this post but was wondering if anyone has had a problem just recently.

Thanks in advance for anyones help as my car is just sitting at the dealers while I'm sitting at home on annual leave.

[R863]

A good result, esspecially from Kelly Holden. They are usually woeful.

You are dead right, Never ever again for me at Kelly Holden I swear that.

[emufriedchicken]

My aircon used to ice up with little to no airflow thru the vents. Turned the A/c switch off for 15 mins and left the fan running and sure enough the airflow returned and got cold again when i pressed the air con switch.

Took it to a dealer for its 30k service and had them check the sensor out as per the tech bulletin along with another 4 things under warranty.

Now it all works flawlessly

Cheers
TC

[R863]

My aircon used to ice up with little to no airflow thru the vents. Turned the A/c switch off for 15 mins and left the fan running and sure enough the airflow returned and got cold again when i pressed the air con switch.

Took it to a dealer for its 30k service and had them check the sensor out as per the tech bulletin along with another 4 things under warranty.

Now it all works flawlessly

Cheers
TC

Is that the Evaporator Temperature Sensor you are referring to and do you remember how the tech bulletin was worded ?

Thanks, R863

[smokey777]

ive noticed my aircon blowing cold then hot then cool again and it seems it coldest on fresh not recirculate??

[LSavvy]

This is what happens when you send work offshore to save some labour dollars. I guess the "costs saved" is now spent on rectification work.

http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/showpost.php?p=1853219&postcount=34

[emufriedchicken]

Is that the Evaporator Temperature Sensor you are referring to and do you remember how the tech bulletin was worded ?

Thanks, R863

I just quoted this info posted earlier

"01/02/2010 Updated 1/2/2010 - Evaporator Ice Up, Reduced Air Flow through Vents, Evap Temp Sensor Reading too High, Excessive water under vehicle - VE, WM "

To the dealer and they knew alll about the problem, the tech bullettin and the fix. I have not seen the actual bulletin so dont know what was written

Cheers TC