87k miles. I noticed this morning the ac wasn’t getting cold. It was recharged last year. I tried to put the max ac on and it kept kicking off after a few seconds. I noticed a musty smell from the vents lately and I had intended to change the cabin filter, but I’m not sure if that’s related.

If your airflow is blocked it definitely won't get as cold as it should. If you turn the blower on low and the vents get cold but they get lukewarm when you turn the blower up, you either have blocked airflow or a bad compressor swash plate. Both are pretty common on gen2 Rogues. If the blower speed doesn't make much difference then the problem is something else.

So I drove home and the problem fixed itself. . I’ll chnage filters and see what happens.

Might be a sticky swash plate. The swash is a device that changes the travel of the compressor piston and allows the compressor to pump more or less refrigerant under electronic control. When they fail they usually stick at the "minimum" position, which is why changing the blower speed gives you a good indication of a stuck one. The compressor will still be moving enough refrigerant to make the vents cold with a minimum blower speed, but as the speed increases the refrigerant flow can't increase to keep up. If it stuck once then chances are it will do it again, the problem is usually degenerative. If it does happen again, use the blower speed trick to confirm the problem and you won't have anyone selling you extraneous junk that isn't related to the problem. That's common because swashes are mystery to a lot of "old school" AC guys.

I have noticed at times changing the airflow settings (defrost only, top vents only, floor plus defrost, etc) doesn’t so anything. Would that be the swash plate?

aquapong wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 31, 2021 11:37 am

I have noticed at times changing the airflow settings (defrost only, top vents only, floor plus defrost, etc) doesn’t so anything. Would that be the swash plate?

No, the mode actuator is a separate setup. The swash only controls the amount of refrigerant being pumped.

So is there no method of unsticking the swash plates- like a flush/freon/oil? Not that I need that thankfully!

burrpenick wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 11, 2021 6:06 pm

So is there no method of unsticking the swash plates- like a flush/freon/oil? Not that I need that thankfully!

Assuming the swash solenoid is good, sometimes a little tippy-tap with a hand sledge will jar them loose, just like weak brushes in a starter motor.