Spray the switch with;
RadioShack Control Contact CLEANER AND LUBRICANT or
CRC QD Electronic Cleaner

 

For #1, that actually could be low refrigerant, but it could be other things as well. I would say it's worth doing one of those $75 AC check ups at a reputable shop. The refrigerant level needs to be just right, not too high or too low, so it's best to have a shop check the pressures instead of trying one of those recharge it yourself kits.

It could also be other things. There's a sensor that turns off the compressor when the evap coil starts to ice over. So it could be operating correctly if that's what's happening, or it could be covered in gunk and letting it ice over, resulting in more time with the compressor off when it does detect the ice. The evaporator is deep in the dash, so I hope that's not it. The labor cost to get to it would be high.

 

Question #1 sounds like the AC clutch is slipping. Several threads on here about removing a shim or replacing the clutch to fix. You should be able to turn the AC on and see the clutch start to slip as the pressures build. What happens is that the air gap increases due to wear thus causing the clutch to slip as pressures increase. Specs for the air gap are in the threads which you can check with a feeler gauge.

 

Newbie XTrek Sport owner but not new to vehicle ac systems. One word of advice - DO NOT EVER USE AC REFILL KITS CONTAINING SEALER! As a long time member in another forum, refill kits containing sealer is nothing more than repairs-in-a-can that doesn't work and ultimately raises repair costs. Sealer simply contaminates a factory system never having sealer. Assembly line procedures ensure a leak-free system under warranty. Normal wear and tear can and will compromise ac systems resulting in a leak. In my humble opinion, 98% of all vehicle ac problems are the leaks no one wants to address but will run to the store for a refill kit to top off........a leaking system. Sealer will precipitate internally to block off passages, adding to system repairs because no repair shop wants their equipment contaminated with sealer with some repair shops turning away known contaminated systems when sealer is used. The worst part is the inevitable; sealer requires replacing almost everything and a rebuild to restore ac back to factory condition, flushing out oil, sealer and any debris if the compressor self destructs. An expensive lesson for diyers unfamiliar with ac systems. Refrigeration gauges are needed to assess whether a leak occurred by monitoring low and high side pressures, local temperature and humidity, comparing values to service manual charts. Short of service manuals, there's a rough guideline to use depending on whether ac pressures are monitored with engine at idle or higher (service manual procedures). In general, low side pressures may vary from 25 psi to 45 psi while high side pressures vary greatly, from 150 psi to 250+ psi (depending on ambient temps and humidity). Two tell tale signs of loss of refrigerant; if Subaru uses dye, any leak will release refrigerant, oil and dye. If dye used is the same type used by many vehicle manufacturers, it will glow with an inexpensive uv blacklight. GM uses greenish yellow dye that can be seen in daylight if a medium to large leak occurs or glow brightly with a uv blacklight. Under shade, sunset or inside a garage are some places to allow dye to glow easily with a uv blacklight. Older r12 systems never had factory installed dye. R134a systems may have dye installed at factory assembly like GM did. My new '24 XTrek Sport uses the new r1234yf refrigerant and I don't know if it has dye in the system. The easiest way to see if dye is in a system; locate the two ac service Schrader valves, the same as tire valves with caps, remove a cap or two and look into the valve for oil and dye. If dye exists in Subaru r134a systems, a uv blacklight is the first thing to buy to search for the sometimes elusive leak, not refill kits. Beyond a possible leak, there's a possibility of a worn out cooling fan or two. When not operating correctly, a worn out cooling fan not forcing airflow to condenser coil and radiator increases overheating potential and intermittent ac cooling. An inoperative or worn out fan allows higher than normal high side pressures that's detected by the combination low/high pressure sensor that determines excessively high pressures and will send a disable signal to the ecm to disable compressor operation until pressures subside, then re-enable power to the compressor and repeat. The cooling fan must operate when ac is used and sometimes overlooked when diagnosing ac problems.

 

I am not in complete agreement with this. I have used this with good results.
EZ Chill R-134a Auto AC Recharge Kit with Leak Sealer Plus - 18 OZ - Walmart.com
There was no leak in my 2001 Audi A4 1.8t. A crooked shop kept removing the R134 from my car. I think this damaged their equipment.
McPeek's Tire & Service Ramsey NJ - AudiForums.com

A friend of mine has a 1985 BMW 635csi. He had his system changed to use R134. There was a leak that the kit above could not fix. We used this to seal the leak;
A/C Pro Max Seal R-134a Refrigerant: With A/C Leak Sealer, Shields Against Metal Leaks, 12 oz ACP-105V - Advance Auto Parts
It has been good since 2018.

 

OK, so I have 2 separate issues with the HVAC in my 2014 Crosstrek.


2. Unrelated to the first issue, the number 4 position of the climate control fan speed is not working all of a sudden. It would be finicky here and there (not working on speed 4) but switching back to 3 and then up to 4 again would usually make it work. Yesterday, it will not work on fan speed 4 setting at all. Does that sound like a bad fan speed switch? If so, can you replace just the fan speed switch or do you have to replace the entire climate control cluster?

Thanks in advance for your answers.

Dave G.

I posted a similar question for a 2016 Crosstrek two days ago...

I've just swapped out the HVAC Control Panel after the 6-pin Fan Speed control connector I-15 "fried" (symptom - Max Fan Speed 4 died; 1, 2 and 3 were fine). The Control Panel and Connector were replaced - the Control Panel with an OEM 72311-FJ-500, the connector with a pig-tailed connector soldered in place to get 3" to make position easier.

The clearances here are very tight. When I did this and reconnected the Airflow Control cable, I found that the Airflow knob did not rotate fully right and left. This led to a follow-up..

Problem seems to have resolved itself with a test warm-up.

The primary problem, that of the "binding" control cable seems to have resolved itself. The new Control Panel was installed on a cold day, outside in the mid 30's. The control cable itself was OEM that came with replacement Control Panel.

It snowed last night, then rained - a real mess. Having nothing better to do, I gave it a road test to thoroughly warm up the heater module and surrounding parts, including the control cables and Control Panel.

Magically, the Airflow control knob rotates, exactly as it should, with detent clicks at the extreme right and left rotation.


About the electrical issue. It seems bizarre to me that Iwire sells about 20 of the 6-pin I-15 connectors - a week!!! According to them, this has happened from 2012-17 and has never been addressed in a Service Bulletin (according to Iwire in a phone call). Like mine, this happens in the Max Fan position - 4, which is "straight through" and involves no resistors in the resistor module like 1, 2, and 3. Sorry to say, this just seems like a bad design which Subaru has had ample time to address in part updates for Control Panel and the I-15 connector. The only difference between the 2012-14 version (72311-FJ-050) and 2015-17 version (72311-FJ-500) that I can see is the color of the knob rings (black vs silver).

Cynically, I can't see that Subaru and their dealers/shops have any reason to fix this - it's "cash cow" for $300+ in parts and 6-7 hours of labor (ripping the dash apart, crimping/soldering in a replacement pig-tailed 1-15 connector $25) - given this has now happened to me twice, well beyond 100,000 and 7-10 years and well after any extended warranty has ended.

Another thought - looking farther, I came across a post that postulates the the over-current problem is the result is the result of water somehow getting in the fan motor unit. I suppose it is "possible", but the real answer may be to rarely use the Max Fan 4 position unless absolutely necessary. (I usually use 2 or 3, and those contacts and pins on I-15 look perfectly fine.)

Hope this helps.