Mazda3 blows hot air on driver side, cold on passenger
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Mazda3 blows hot air on driver side, cold on passenger
I've got a 2008 Mazda 3 which has an odd A/C problem.
As owners of these cars know, when the cabin air filter gets dirty, the A/C stops working (it freezes up). This happens about every year or two, on the hottest day of the year of course.
Usually the fix is to live with the problem, using occasional bad language, till a new cabin air filter can be installed. Sometimes you have to turn off the A/C for a bit to let it thaw out, especially when the local auto parts stores can't get the filter in for a day or two or three.
Naturally, this problem reoccurred when it got to around 100F in the central Texas area. But, this time, I was out of town, on a road trip, and stuck in Dallas rush-hour traffic when the A/C gave out.
The only thing I could think to do was turn off the A/C, and set the air to come through the vents (not recirculate). When the air got warm again, the A/C would work again for a little while.
After I got back into town, the cabin air filter was replaced. Unlike other times this happened, there wasn't cold air again. So.... I got a digital kitchen thermometer and checked with the cabin air filter both in and out.
The odd thing was, on a 95 degree evening, the A/C on the far right passenger vent was as much as 20 degrees colder than the driver's side! Example, with the cabin air filter in, and the A/C set on recirculate, the A/C would read as low as 60 degrees on the passenger side door vent, and around 80 on the driver's side door vent. Generally, the middle driver vent was a little cooler than the door driver vent, and the middle passenger vent was just as cold as the passenger door vent.
With the vents set on outside air, it was even stranger - at one point the driver vent (to the left of the steering wheel) was actually reading hotter than the outside air by a degree (ie. it read 96) and the passenger door vent was about 80 or so. The left middle vent was 95 or so and the right middle vent was also around 80, like the door vent.
So, generally, the two driver vents were considerably hotter than the passenger vents.
It seems that maybe turning the recirculate on and off a bunch maybe jammed something and now, when it is set to recirculate, the driver side is maybe still getting outside air?
Since the A/C on the passenger side reads as much as 35 degrees cooler than the outside air (60 vs. 95), it does not seem likely that the system is low on refrigerant.
Any ideas how to debug the problem? The system works a little better with the cabin air filter out, but I'd rather leave it in if I can.
As owners of these cars know, when the cabin air filter gets dirty, the A/C stops working (it freezes up). This happens about every year or two, on the hottest day of the year of course.
Usually the fix is to live with the problem, using occasional bad language, till a new cabin air filter can be installed. Sometimes you have to turn off the A/C for a bit to let it thaw out, especially when the local auto parts stores can't get the filter in for a day or two or three.
Naturally, this problem reoccurred when it got to around 100F in the central Texas area. But, this time, I was out of town, on a road trip, and stuck in Dallas rush-hour traffic when the A/C gave out.
The only thing I could think to do was turn off the A/C, and set the air to come through the vents (not recirculate). When the air got warm again, the A/C would work again for a little while.
After I got back into town, the cabin air filter was replaced. Unlike other times this happened, there wasn't cold air again. So.... I got a digital kitchen thermometer and checked with the cabin air filter both in and out.
The odd thing was, on a 95 degree evening, the A/C on the far right passenger vent was as much as 20 degrees colder than the driver's side! Example, with the cabin air filter in, and the A/C set on recirculate, the A/C would read as low as 60 degrees on the passenger side door vent, and around 80 on the driver's side door vent. Generally, the middle driver vent was a little cooler than the door driver vent, and the middle passenger vent was just as cold as the passenger door vent.
With the vents set on outside air, it was even stranger - at one point the driver vent (to the left of the steering wheel) was actually reading hotter than the outside air by a degree (ie. it read 96) and the passenger door vent was about 80 or so. The left middle vent was 95 or so and the right middle vent was also around 80, like the door vent.
So, generally, the two driver vents were considerably hotter than the passenger vents.
It seems that maybe turning the recirculate on and off a bunch maybe jammed something and now, when it is set to recirculate, the driver side is maybe still getting outside air?
Since the A/C on the passenger side reads as much as 35 degrees cooler than the outside air (60 vs. 95), it does not seem likely that the system is low on refrigerant.
Any ideas how to debug the problem? The system works a little better with the cabin air filter out, but I'd rather leave it in if I can.
Junior Member
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 1
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Having same issue.
I'm no expert on cars, but I am having the same issue on my 2008 Mazda 3. It's blowing regular, much warmer air on the driver side and cooler but not cold air on the passenger side. It's been suggested that the door actuator, cabin air filter or low level coolant could be the problem. Or any combination of the three. Any suggestions or advice would be much appreciated in this hot summer heat!!!
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