Automotive Air Conditioning Information Forum

Hello All,

I hope you're all having a great day.

I have a 2021 Polestar 2 which is an EV. But the A/C system is pretty much a standard system all cars use of course. I noticed an odd sound the other day coming from inside the cabin from the A/C system. When I turn the A/C off, it the sound goes away. It sounds almost like a gurgling sound where water is going through pipes or pressure is building up and traveling through pipes. I had the car in for a service for a full week prior to this and before the service, the this sound was not present.

I also have this sound of the vents/internal air flow guides (or whatever the tech term may be I apologize I do not know) where especially when set on auto, they constantly keep making noise, trying to change position, almost as though they are stuck and keep wanting to move to another position but can't. I have taken the liberty of making a video with sound and I'd be very grateful if someone could give me feedback on these issues...especially the first with the gurgling. The car is still under warranty but before taking it in again to the service center, I wanted to be armed with some knowledge. Cheers.

Link below:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/wWXsYVeVPr1qBgMb7

I would advise a reclaim of the refrigerant using an RRR machine, obtaining a well held vacuum, and recharge to factory specs before going further.
We have no idea what kind of service the car received.

tbirdtbird wrote: ↑Thu Oct 03, 2024 2:31 pm I would advise a reclaim of the refrigerant using an RRR machine, obtaining a well held vacuum, and recharge to factory specs before going further.
We have no idea what kind of service the car received.

Ok thank you. I bought this car used and it was always serviced at the dealer prior to my purchase. The owner was an older gentleman who actually kept the car in very good condition. I took the car in two weeks ago for other maintenance issues and prior to that, the clanking was happening but the gurgle/hiss/water in pipe sound was not present. The service I took the car in for had nothing to do with the A/C system so I doubt they touched it at all.

You can never tell

I never heard of a Polestar 2 EV.

That being said, the vehicle's A/C system could be low on refrigerant, which might be causing the gurgling noise, as tbirdtbird inferred. Does the A/C system cool the cabin sufficiently on a hot day?

Since the vehicle is still under warranty, I would ask the dealer to recover the refrigerant (I presume it's R-1234yf) and compare the recovered amount to the manufacturer's specification to determine whether it's low. If it IS low, the dealer will need to find and repair the leak(s) and/or make any additional repairs as needed, then evacuate and recharge the system to the proper amount, plus adding back the exact amount of oil that might have been recovered.

The under-dash noise sounds to me like a problem with a blend-door linkage (broken, worn, etc.), or it could be a defective blend-door motor. Does the airflow direction change from the defrost position at the base of the windshield, to the dash vents, and to the foot-well vents when selecting the corresponding settings on the control head?

Might as well have the dealer replace the cabin air filter while they're looking around under the dash.