[jlflores77]

Help please!!

I need some help figuring out what might be causing my ac not to blow cold air before I take to shop. Vehicle is out of warranty, so I'm on my own.

I checked the fluid level with a refrigerant refill bottle, but the gauge on it is on the blue which shows its at the proper level and working properly. When I turn the ac on, I hear what sounds to be the compressor come on along with the fan. It looks also like the compressor and fan are always on. Is this normal or it supposed to kick on or off. I also checked under the car and water is coming out forming a good puddle. I touched the lines and the bigger one which is supposed to be cold is not. Ive seen some so cold that water is on it. Mine is just a little and I mean little cool. I also notice that when I turn the ac very low, it looks like cool air is coming out, especiallly from the passenger vents. When I turn on high, I can't feel any cold air. Any idea what I can look for? I always like to know anything about what might be the problem before I take to shop and get killed in the wallet.

Thanks for anyone that can help!!

 

[splew]

First of all, there is no "refrigerant refill bottle", I think you're referring to the engine coolant reservoir, which is completely unrelated to the A/C system.

Second, The A/C compressor is not supposed to always stay on. It is supposed to cycle on and off every 15-60 seconds or so. The A/C compressor being constantly on can indicate a problem.

One thing I would check for is to see if there is any type of debris blocking airflow through your A/C condenser (The large thing that looks like a radiator with refrigerant lines running to it that is in front of your actual radiator). A blocked condenser can often cause the symptoms you described.

Another possible cause I can think of is a bad thermostatic expansion valve, but that's not something you can fix on your own.

 

[jumanjaq143]

Put the window down

Really there is sooo much that could be wrong. You have not provided enough info to really pinpoint it to one thing.

 

[splew]

Put the window down

Really there is sooo much that could be wrong. You have not provided enough info to really pinpoint it to one thing.

He provided a decent amount of information. But really there's pretty much no way to pinpoint most A/C diagnosis until you hook up a set of A/C gauges to see what the high/low side pressures look like.

But like I said before, check the obvious stuff first like if the condenser is blocked by debris. That could save you from having to take it to the shop.

 

[jumanjaq143]

He provided a decent amount of information. But really there's pretty much no way to pinpoint most A/C diagnosis until you hook up a set of A/C gauges to see what the high/low side pressures look like.

But like I said before, check the obvious stuff first like if the condenser is blocked by debris. That could save you from having to take it to the shop.

Thats what im trying to say.

Like its hard to pinpoint without seeing it. Sorry.

 

[FA5Chick]

Have you checked your AC fuse? Theres two diff fuse panels you can check (under the hood & dash)
I had this problem before and my problem was I was missing my AC fuse.

 

[jlflores77]

Thanks for all the ideas. Its something and I will start checking to see if their is debris in the condensor which I have not checked. I am sorry for the mixup on the bottle,it was a EZ Chill Auto air conditioning R-134a Refrigerant Plus oil Leak Sealer bottle. Its supposed to add freon, but I just used it to check the status of the freon. I will definetley check the condensor which I haven't yet since to be honest I did not know what to look for. Some webistes I looked talked about it as well as the evaporator. I havent checked the fuses yet since I didnt see anthing with an ac. Is the blower the fuse i should be checking for. Any idea what the name of the fuses are and I will check also.
I think after I check these things out, I will see if somebody has the ac gauges you talked about to see if they can hook them up and give me an idea. Its just that the first thing they want to do is run this dye test for freon leakage, and I don't believe my freon is the problem. Will the test with the gauges show if it might be the bad thermostatic expansion valve?

I reallly appreciate all the help!!

Thanks

 

[lefty976]

My 07 civic lx has the same problem, when the fan is on low the a/c blows cold air but as I increase the fan to full blast the temperature of the air starts to rise higher and higher. I can't be a leak in the condenser because if there was a leak no cold air would be coming out at all right?(cold air when fan is on low) Any certified honda mechanics or a/c experts please chime in.

 

[splew]

Thanks for all the ideas. Its something and I will start checking to see if their is debris in the condensor which I have not checked. I am sorry for the mixup on the bottle,it was a EZ Chill Auto air conditioning R-134a Refrigerant Plus oil Leak Sealer bottle. Its supposed to add freon, but I just used it to check the status of the freon. I will definetley check the condensor which I haven't yet since to be honest I did not know what to look for. Some webistes I looked talked about it as well as the evaporator. I havent checked the fuses yet since I didnt see anthing with an ac. Is the blower the fuse i should be checking for. Any idea what the name of the fuses are and I will check also.
I think after I check these things out, I will see if somebody has the ac gauges you talked about to see if they can hook them up and give me an idea. Its just that the first thing they want to do is run this dye test for freon leakage, and I don't believe my freon is the problem. Will the test with the gauges show if it might be the bad thermostatic expansion valve?

I reallly appreciate all the help!!

Thanks

Yeah, doing a leak test is the wrong way to start IMO. Hooking up some A/C gauges is probably the best thing to do first IMO. Looking at the high/low side pressures can really help narrow down the diagnosis, because it tells you a lot about what the A/C system is doing.

My 07 civic lx has the same problem, when the fan is on low the a/c blows cold air but as I increase the fan to full blast the temperature of the air starts to rise higher and higher. I can't be a leak in the condenser because if there was a leak no cold air would be coming out at all right?(cold air when fan is on low) Any certified honda mechanics or a/c experts please chime in.

I'm MACS (Mobile Air Conditioning Society) certified in A/C work. Like I told the OP, it's difficult to diagnose an A/C problem without a proper visual inspection and hooking up some A/C gauges to read the high/low side pressures.

 

[Icebreaker1979]

I had my '06 EX's A/C looked at a couple of times by the dealer while under warranty. It blows cool air when it gets in the 80s and above. Not cold by a long shot. Usual sham job by the local dealer because they found nothing wrong.

I knew this couldn't be right because my mom has a '05 Civic and my dad an '08 Accord and you can hang meat in both because they get so cold.

Took it to a quick lube place for an oil change today and asked them to service the A/C. They looked at it before servicing it and it was low by 1.3 pounds of refrigerant. Blows air out super cold now. (Granted the outdoor temp was cool here today, but the meat thermometer they put in the vent was reading 43 degrees.)

 

[jlflores77]

Thanks again for all the advice. I have looked at the condensor and it looks fine. I did replace the cabin filter which was absolutely full of dirt. I don't think that was the problem, but it will help. I had a friend look at it and we added some freon and it seems to be a little colder now. The freon was the dye type, so I will look at it to see if it is leaking. I haven't had a chance yet to hook it up to the gauges, but I plan to soon if it gets warm again.
I still think the compressor it staying on all the time. My friend had me rev up the car to 2000rpm and he noticed the compressor belt would stop and then start again immediately (about 1 second). He thought this was very weird and might be a problem. Does anyone know if this is normal. I looked for leaks in the condensor and compressor area. Could there be a leak in the evaporator area, since I have not checked there.
Thanks again for the help.

 

[jlflores77]

I just noticed that the compressor is turning on and off. That I believe is good. The other thing I noticed is that I am showing leaks with the ultraviolet light. There is a line coming from the compressor to a black plastic connector on the side of I believe the condensor. This connector is a black one piece but it looks like it has two compartments. Also one of the lines returning from the compressor has a leak on it. This is the line which is opposite to the smaller line where you check how much freon is in the system. Anybody know what the black connector is and what it might cost to replace or if its a fix that can be done without evacuating the system, etc. Any info would be appreciated.

 

[InDashMP3]

jlflores77 - Did you ever get it worked out? I posted an a/c related issue a while back, and someone had said it might be the expansion valve. Sometimes the a/c works when I first turn it on , then it just starts getting hot.. Hooked a pressure gauge to the low side, and read 150 PSI @ 90 degrees F (engine off)!! Not sure what's going on.. Curious if you fixed yours.. BTW, mine is an 06 sedan with 187K miles..

 

[Stealthcivic]

which fuse is the a/c fuse????? 20A? in the Si?

 

[captainradbrad]

is it bad if on the low side it reads at 100psi?

 

[Civic Smith]

-This is for 2007 Civic EX

- Wear safety goggle and glove, R-134A can blind you if gets in your eye, and frost bite if gets on your finger

-Disconnect Battery, (to remove alternator)

-remove underbody plastic splash guard (to access bottom two bolts on AC compressor)

-make sure to recycle R-134A, and there is no pressure in the AC system before you disconnect high and low pressure line on the AC compressor. Else, R-134A will splash everywhere

-Remove Serpentine Belt,
19MM wrench, stuck a deep socket with long extension on the open end of the wrench for more leverage. Push Counter Clock Wise or towards the firewall to release the tension on the belt.

-All bolts are 12MM size, except the high and low pressure line on AC compressor, which is 10MM size.

-remove alternator, there are few 12MM bolts needs to be remove, pull the rubber boot and disconnect the wire to the alternator and AC compressor.

-remove the bracket where Alternator sits on

-remove high and low pressure AC line (10MM), stuck a piece of clean paper towel in there to prevent debris getting in. Replace the O-ring on the high and low pressure line, lubricate the new O-ring with PAG-46 oil.

-remove top two bolts (12MM) on the AC compressor, remove bottom two bolt on the AC compressor.

-wiggle the AC compressor out of the engine bay (difficult), if you can't wiggle the AC compressor out of the engine bay, you need to remove the condenser fan.

-You need 2.5OZ PAG 46 Oil with yellow dye and 15 OZ R-134A.

-(skip this step if new compressor comes with oil) drain the oil out of the new AC compressor, and pour 2.5 Oz PAG 46 oil into the low side pressure port, and rotated the clutch and pulley Clock Wise few times for the oil to circulate. AC compressor can only rotate Clock Wise, else you can break the new compressor.

-To install AC compressor, is the reverse of removal.


-Recharge AC with PURE R-134A (no Additive), use AC manifold gauge, pull vacuum for 20 minutes, and shut off the vacuum pump. Wait for another 40 minutes, make sure the vacuum holds.
Low pressure gauge should read -20, high pressure should also read below 0. If the gauge reading goes back to zero, that means you have a leak in the AC system.

-if vacuum holds, pull vacuum for additional 1 hour to get all the moisture out of the AC system.

-Fill the AC system with 15OZ of R-134A. DO NOT OVER CHARGE. The low pressure gauge should read 28, and high pressure gauge should read 149 at ambient temperature of 29 Celcius or 85 Fahrenheit