I apologize if this the wrong forum but the air conditioning on my Scion ws acting up last night.
It has never been on such a long journey but on the tail end of a 6.5 hour drive (about the last hour) the air didn't come out the vents with as much force as it usually has.
All other functions of the climate control worked fine but the flow of air was markedly less even though the sound of the fan motor had not changed.
After turning the fan off for a time did it's originally force come back.
Was the motor just tired from 6.5 hours of use and needed a break? Is this something others have experienced? Just looking for some clues. Thanks.

 

interesting...Ive run mine all day more than once..and never noticed decreased airflow

were you uncomfortable?

 

It is possible that that system iced up from being on for so long. The ice would block airflow and reduce the flow out the vents. Letting it sit with the a/c off gives the ice a chance to melt so everything would work properly again.
Check that the drain tube isn't clogged, that is about all that I can think of. Other than that, extremely humid temps could cause the icing.

 

It wasn't too uncomfortable as we were nearing the end of the journey. Concerned about the ride back though! I'll check that drain tube. Thanks for the info.

 

Two possibilities:
1. The cabin air filter is very dirty and needs changing.
2. The evaporator coil became blocked with ice.

Since your air flow came back after you turned off the AC, the immediate cause was ice, which soon melted. Evaporator icing is in turn caused by:
a. Insufficient air flow across the evaporator coil, caused by low fan setting or a dirty cabin air filter.
b. Low refrigerant charge, caused by a leak.

Solutions are:
Use a higher fan setting. But if the filter is clogged and/or the charge is low, the highest fan setting may not work for long and is harmful to the fan motor.
Change the cabin filter, which requires snapping the glove compartment out. The procedure is on page 104 of the Owners Manual.
And have the refrigerant charge checked.

 

I don't see a connection between icing and a clogged drain tube. If water from either condensate or melted ice should begin to collect in the evaporator airbox, it would overflow the drip pan and leak out onto the floor of the car.

 

no matter how you reason it out..it's a good call to check the drain tube

 

What would be the reason to check the drain tube if the air conditioner stops working?

 

Your AC compressor froze over, not allowing the freon to circulate and cool the air...

Mine did the same thing about an hour outside of ATL last week... pulled over and thought the compressor was seized, but alas that bastard bout froze one of my fingers off

 

in the Op..he said his AC was working...just weak after a few hours

check the things you can check..it cannot hurt..that was my point,
everything you can check and confirm that it's in good shape or not plugged..is another item that you do not have to suspect of giving you trouble