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Old 07-24-2012, 07:36 PM
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A/C Code 14: Evaporator Sensor - or don't believe everything a computer tells you!

First, thanks to everyone who helped – or I pestered - in dealing with this problem: Tom, David, and Huck from the Network and Péter and Bill not on SVXWN. I learned a lot of tangential things dealing w/this issue, and even the Evap. Sensor is one of those tangents since it wasn't the problem. The issue is solved, but I'm posting this, because I came across things that might be useful to others. There are already a few threads on the issue, but they leave out important details. These topics are covered:

Location and accessibility of the Evaporative Sensor
Glove Compartment removal
A/C Idler pulley and it's bearings.

BACKGROUND: Like many here, I've had the issue of the A/C cutting off & on intermittently over the last couple years, sometimes more often than others. At the beginning of last summer it was back, and I wouldn't get any codes in direct sunlight. I had an A/C specialist, Bill, check the system pressure, and it was good, so I just wasted my money having it checked! A little later that summer, My A/C failed while driving across country. I swung by Kentucky, and Huck replaced my blower fan, and all was good and frigid. Eventually the A/C started cutting out again, but it usually didn't do so on the hottest, brightest days. It usually did it on overcast days when outside temperature was at most moderately high, but humidity, the effect of car's windows, or my own intolerance made it uncomfortable for me inside. I thought maybe the Sunload or another sensor could be becoming less sensitive over time. This summer the intermittent functionality was still there. I found that when the A/C stopped cooling, if I turned the car off at a stop and then right back on again, it started working (and my aftermarket stereo reset itself to factory defaults)!

CURRENT PROBLEM: Several days ago, the A/C stopped cooling in the middle of my drive home. The sky had just clouded up that afternoon for the first of a string overcast, humid, rainy, but only moderately hot days. I wasn't too surprised, but over the next 2 days, as that weather remained, the A/C never cooled the air even briefly, and the blower would come on full. Restarting the car or judicious use of the gas pedal to make the engine work harder didn’t help.

The easiest first thing to do is to check for codes. In addition to the expected 13 for Sunload Sensor, code 14 also came up: Evaporator Sensor! On the 4th day, the sun came up: still no A/C, and still code 14 came up. I latched onto that as my problem! Now I had to find out 1.) the thing's location in the car, 2.) how to access it, 3.) where to but a new one, 4.) how much it would cost, and 5.) if it's a job I can do by myself or if I need someone to do it for me.

SubaruParts.com listed 2 sensors in the cooling unit, but did not distinguish between the 2. One costs about $53, the other around $140. The diagram was not available, so I couldn't compare it to the diagram in the service manuals (http://www.seccs.org/tech/1992%20SVX/index.html), (http://www.seccs.org/tech/1992%20SVX..._AUOTMATIC.pdf). And I couldn't determine which part number was right for it. IF ANYONE KNOWS, PLEASE POST IT.

I did find out that the Evaporator and the Evaporator Sensor are located under the passenger side dashboard behind the glove compartment. Discouraged by the lack of easy accessibility, I checked the red 10 amp fuse in the box under the hood, and it checked out. I read in an old thread where someone had that sensor replaced, and Earthworm asked for the part number, so I PM'd him to see if he had it. Here's his response:

Before you go replacing the part just check to see if it's a poor (loose) connection. I've been fooled by this code before. There should be a connector you can probe with a meter near the blower motor. You can test the sensor side for continuity and the other side for proper voltage. There's a chart in the service manual that indicates what the proper reading should be for a given temperature.

If the sensor is in fact open then try getting a used one from someone. It's not a high demand part so most people with a parts SVX should have one.

To sum up...no, I don't know which is the correct part number.

GLOVE COMPARTMENT REMOVAL: Next I had to figure out how to remove the glove compartment. I didn't find any pictures or detailed How-to's; people just said, "You have to remove about 20 screws and pull it out". The first 2 screws I removed just held the hinge of the door onto the glove compartment, so I put them back.

New question: DO YOU EVEN HAVE TO REMOVE ITS DOOR TO GET THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT OUT? Answer: (Technically, probably "No", but realistically) Yes, unless you have a special tool, because there's not enough clearance in the door's open position to get at the screw on your lower left side. Here's what you have to remove: There are 5 big bolts that accommodate a Phillps head screwdriver and a socket/wrench (10mm). They have to come out. The screwdriver alone probably won't cut it; use a socket. There are black plastic bolt-shaped connectors pushed in upward through the top of the glove box. You have to pull those out. I could get one with my fingers/nails, the others I pried with a knife. There are a bunch of small, black "finishing" Phillips screws with flattened-dome heads. They look like they just hold a liner into the box. The box IS the liner.

New question: DO THEY ALL HAVE TO COME OUT? ANSWER: NO. The 3 horizontally arranged across the bottom back of the GC don't have to come out, but there are 3 along the sides (but with their heads pointing towards the back of the car) that do. One is on the side of the box towards the passenger door. The other 2 are on the side towards the driver and center consol. The lower one of those two is the one that requires you to remove the box's door. Underneath there are 2 brass colored Phillips screws with dome heads that hold the door's hinge together. Remove these. Then the door is held to the compartment by 2 curved, black, metal-looking, plastic strips that limit it from falling all the way open. The one on my right, I was able to easily pop it out from the box and dash from where its top connects. (I did it by accident the first time.) The one on the other side is another story: I couldn't get it to disengage from the top from the dash. I had to pry up the slot on the door and slide the bottom of the strap out to the side. This was frustrating! (If you disconnect these first, then MAYBE you can remove the glove compartment w/o taking it’s door off.)

EVAPORATOR & SENSOR & CONNECTOR ACCESSIBILITY: Now I was able to compare reality to the limited diagrams I had. The cooling unit that contains the Evaporator is on your left, the big white plastic piece. I determined that the Evaporator Sensor it inaccessible and not visible from here: it is on top of the side of the unit, the side that faces the front of the car/engine compartment and on the corner facing the driver/center consol (your left.) To remove it you would have to either remove the dash (not going to happen) or remove the whole cooling/evaporator unit, which probably means losing all your "freon" charge. (I found out that replacing the sensor definitely means losing your charge.)

I didn't know if the connector Earthworm and the Service Manual mentioned for testing was accessible w/o removing the cooling unit. None of the connectors I could see seemed to match the manual's description with the wire colors, so I sent another PM. Here's Earthworm's reply:

The sensor is not accessible but the connector should be. The sensor sits inside the evaporator inside the white plastic case. The connector is outside the white case but it's been a while since I've been in there. If the sensor is in fact bad then you will need to drain your A/C system to remove the evaporator assembly to get to the sensor.

IF SOMEONE COULD POST A PICTURE OF THE CONNECTOR, THAT WOULD BE AWSOME!

DON’T TRUST A COMPUTER: I never found it. I decided since I hadn't checked for codes that day yet, I might as well try. The code 14 was gone! And I only got the 13 in the shade, as expected. A friend suggested that I check the temperature of the piping in the engine compartment from the compressor to the firewall. If it's not cold and "sweating", then the problem isn't with the Evaporator or its sensor. The piping was all warm! That's when I took to Bill, the A/C guy. We opened the hood for him to do a pressure check, when I noticed the A/C belt was shredded, broken, and the slim strip that remained of it was slack!

Bill checked that the pulley wasn't seized, I ran to the parts store, Bill installed it, and I had cold air again! We chatted a while, and when I reached into the car to turn it off, the air was only slightly cool! Bill took the can of refrigerant I brought, and started charging the system. That's when he noticed the new belt was cleanly sheared through. This morning I came back with a new belt, but Bill found out that the idler pulley was, in fact, occasionally seizing. (No big surprise at this point.) We couldn't get a replacement, but we were able to find a bearing supply store. They were able to mach the bearing (a donut shaped assembly with tiny individual ball bearings inside the double annular cage), and Bill pressed it into the idler pulley with a vice and a large-diameter socket, and then finally fixed my A/C!

PART NUMBER FOR A/C IDLER PULLEY BEARING: 6202 JEM.
Manufacturer: SKF
I paid $9.90 for it.

Last edited by Brian; 09-29-2012 at 08:25 AM.
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Old 07-24-2012, 07:42 PM
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Re: A/C Code 14: Evaporator Sensor - or don't believe everything a computer tells you

Great post. +1
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Old 07-24-2012, 08:52 PM
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Re: A/C Code 14: Evaporator Sensor - or don't believe everything a computer tells you

I have been going thru almost the same thing with my old 92 teal. The sensor you are talking about its a copper color/probe looking thing in the evap box(the one with a drain hose sticking out by the firewall). I think you will have to disconnect the ac lines(by the passenger side firewall) to get it out. The last time I checked(its been a long time) there were only a few sensors left in their inventory(subaruparts.com)
I never fixed the problem before I sold the car but I have hear people changed out the AC control unit and that took care of intermittently ac problem.
Good luck
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Old 07-25-2012, 07:11 AM
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Re: A/C Code 14: Evaporator Sensor - or don't believe everything a computer tells you

Thanks! I think it's fixed. The A/C's definitely working powerfully, but time will tell whether or not it's only intermittently. For the next person who really does need a new Evap. sensor, do you know if it's the one listed for $53 or $140+? From that we can look up the part number too.
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Old 10-01-2012, 07:43 PM
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Re: A/C Code 14: Evaporator Sensor - or don't believe everything a computer tells you

Update: the internmittent operation has been back for serveral weeks now.
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Old 10-01-2012, 11:03 PM
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Re: A/C Code 14: Evaporator Sensor - or don't believe everything a computer tells you

It's best to just replace the whole evaporator assembly. It comes as a complete assembly with the case and sensors installed.
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Old 10-27-2012, 01:16 PM
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Re: A/C Code 14: Evaporator Sensor - or don't believe everything a computer tells you

I've had codes 14 & 15 the entire summer and I attribute them to a loose connection somewhere. The odds of both sensors going bad is not high. I hope you find the cause of your intermittent problem. One thing to consider is that the board inside the A/C control unit starts to flake out due to the solder connections getting old.
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Old 11-06-2012, 08:16 AM
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Re: A/C Code 14: Evaporator Sensor - or don't believe everything a computer tells you

Thanks! That's 2 votes for the A/C contol unit. I'm guessing you mean the Climate Control Unit: the unit in the center of the dash that has all the buttons to conrol the heater, A/C, defroster, etc. and the digital temperature display? Is there a how-to on how to open it up and access the board? I'm not currently working on this problem, but if it becomes too much of an issue come spring or summer, or I'm feeling especially ambitious or confident, I might look into it. I have no idea what this board looks like. Do you think adding a little extra solder to the connections is feasible?
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Old 11-06-2012, 09:38 AM
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Re: A/C Code 14: Evaporator Sensor - or don't believe everything a computer tells you

For whatever it is worth: I got the multiple codes you are describing and the intermittent operation you described on my 92 a couple years ago. It was not the control unit. I replaced the evaporator assembly which comes with the sensors and some other electronics as part of it. Been perfect since. Don't be afraid of replacing the evaporator. It's actually not that huge of a job in the SVX. Follow the factory service manual instructions and it comes in and out without much hassle.
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Old 11-06-2012, 03:36 PM
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Re: A/C Code 14: Evaporator Sensor - or don't believe everything a computer tells you

I'll keep that in mind too!
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Old 06-03-2013, 05:57 AM
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Re: A/C Code 14: Evaporator Sensor - or don't believe everything a computer tells you

Brian,

What was your final resolution? I need to tackle this again since it's heating up.
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Old 06-05-2013, 06:51 PM
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Re: A/C Code 14: Evaporator Sensor - or don't believe everything a computer tells you

My post from 7-25-2012 was pretty much my final resolution. Sorry, but I didn't pursue it any further, because my immediate issue was the bad pulley. I only followed up with other posts to let anyone else with issues know that I've still got an intermittent problem, but it's minor, or to respond to other posts. The A/C works great on very sunny hot days, when it's needed most. If it is overcast, and only hot in the car for me, then it's possible it doesn't always kick on everytime. Annoying, but so far it hasn't been enough of a problem for me to make a roject out of. It seems like the codes were bogus. I still think it's probably the sunload sensor, but I don't really know. No one ever cleared up the issue about which is the evaporative sensor or what its part number is. If you do work on this, please post what you find on this thread or one linked to it. I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful.
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