AC issues on 2013 FRS Base - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

blsfrs · 07-08-2025, 09:59 PM

Naturally, my AC ain't working when it's been hot as heck. I think it's the blend door. The refrigerant was low and I added some to get in the "green" The compressor is running and condensate is dripping from under the car but I get hot air out of the vents.

The blend dial seems to have normal tension when rotated between hot and cold. Back in the fall, I swapped the ECU a couple of times. Is the blend door actuator on that side of the box? Could I have boogered it messing with the ECU?

I've found some posts on fixing the wire behind the dial but I haven't seen any diagrams of the routing of the cables or where the actuator is located.

Any help would be appreciated.

DarkPira7e · 07-09-2025, 06:27 PM

Take it to a shop that can evacuate the old fill and put it where it's supposed to be before you get to digging more. Sometimes these systems are particular and it's best to have a baseline before going into the craziness

blsfrs · 07-22-2025, 10:58 PM

Well, the ac is working again. What did I do? Nothing. The car sat for 3 weeks while I worked on a couple of other projects and when I drove it again, I had cool air. Today, the air was almost cold. Gremlins again.

norcalpb · 07-25-2025, 12:06 PM

Just to add my experience...I would top off the AC every once in a while but the system would blow ambient temp air after just a couple days. It wasn't until I had the system fully evacuated, vacuumed, and then recharged did the AC return to it's properly functioning state.

blsfrs · 07-26-2025, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by norcalpb

Just to add my experience...I would top off the AC every once in a while but the system would blow ambient temp air after just a couple days. It wasn't until I had the system fully evacuated, vacuumed, and then recharged did the AC return to it's properly functioning state.

Thanks. Good to know. Thanks also to Dark. It sounds like you both had the same experience. I'll try this before pursuing a possible blend door malfunction.

humfrz · 07-26-2025, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blsfrs

Thanks. Good to know. Thanks also to Dark. It sounds like you both had the same experience. I'll try this before pursuing a possible blend door malfunction.

Two things that I always take my cars into the shop for. One is any AC problems and the second one is everything else.

07-08-2025, 09:59 PM	#1
blsfrs Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2018 Drives: 2013 frs base Location: central Virginia Posts: 1,469 Thanks: 2,801 Thanked 1,486 Times in 702 Posts Mentioned: 13 Post(s)	AC issues on 2013 FRS Base Naturally, my AC ain't working when it's been hot as heck. I think it's the blend door. The refrigerant was low and I added some to get in the "green" The compressor is running and condensate is dripping from under the car but I get hot air out of the vents. The blend dial seems to have normal tension when rotated between hot and cold. Back in the fall, I swapped the ECU a couple of times. Is the blend door actuator on that side of the box? Could I have boogered it messing with the ECU? I've found some posts on fixing the wire behind the dial but I haven't seen any diagrams of the routing of the cables or where the actuator is located. Any help would be appreciated.

07-09-2025, 06:27 PM	#2
DarkPira7e Rust bucket enthusiast Join Date: Feb 2017 Drives: 2013 Turbo Firestorm FRS Location: Vermont Posts: 4,160 Thanks: 3,447 Thanked 4,340 Times in 2,188 Posts Mentioned: 34 Post(s)	Take it to a shop that can evacuate the old fill and put it where it's supposed to be before you get to digging more. Sometimes these systems are particular and it's best to have a baseline before going into the craziness __________________ Turbo FR-S Build - Build Thread JDL EL Recirc manifold, Boostlab BL58x Turbo w/ T51R, 17x9 ARC-8, IAG block

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Base Timing A vs Base Timing B	NoHaveMSG	Software Tuning	2	01-08-2018 03:31 PM
FS: 2013 FRS Base Head Unit	Dephective	Audio/Visual, Electronics, Infotainment, NAV	3	05-05-2014 05:19 PM
Like-New 2013 FRS BASE HeadUnit - $125 shipped obo	VuDism	Audio/Visual, Electronics, Infotainment, NAV	3	01-10-2014 02:45 AM
Base FR-S Radio bluetooth synchro issueS!	Duff_man	Electronics \| Audio \| NAV \| Infotainment	3	08-05-2012 04:36 AM
FRS/BRZ vs 2013 Base Mustang GT	Tbomb 25	FR-S / BRZ vs....	280	07-07-2012 06:13 AM

07-22-2025, 10:58 PM	#3
blsfrs Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2018 Drives: 2013 frs base Location: central Virginia Posts: 1,469 Thanks: 2,801 Thanked 1,486 Times in 702 Posts Mentioned: 13 Post(s)	Well, the ac is working again. What did I do? Nothing. The car sat for 3 weeks while I worked on a couple of other projects and when I drove it again, I had cool air. Today, the air was almost cold. Gremlins again.

07-25-2025, 12:06 PM	#4
norcalpb Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Drives: 2013 BRZ, 2023 Model 3 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 2,348 Thanks: 1,258 Thanked 906 Times in 592 Posts Mentioned: 15 Post(s)	Just to add my experience...I would top off the AC every once in a while but the system would blow ambient temp air after just a couple days. It wasn't until I had the system fully evacuated, vacuumed, and then recharged did the AC return to it's properly functioning state.

User Name		Remember Me?
Password