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Topic
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Car: 2006 Honda Civic LX 2 Dr
Issue: Intermittent air conditioner coolingHello folks,
My 06 Civic’s AC seems to be misbehaving. When I start the car up in the AM and turn the AC on it seems to work ok, maybe a little slow to start cooling. I’ll drive through town for a few mins and then hit the highway and everything seems to be cooling just fine all the while. Then when I get off the highway and start slowing down, the AC starts blowing uncooled air. So far this is about 15 mins of driving. The AC will stay off for about 4-5 mins and then come on again as normal.
So far I’ve done some basic troubleshooting. When the AC is acting up and not cooling, I noticed that the AC compressor is definitely engaged. I swapped around a few of the fan relays to make sure they were not the problem and it didn’t make any difference.
My next step is to try to catch what the fans are doing when it’s not cooling with the compressor engaged. Anyone have any idea what could be going on here? I don’t seem to be having any engine cooling problems so I don’t think its a relay or wiring issue. Looking at the wiring diagram I’m pretty sure any issue here would also affect my Radiator fan as well…..would probably cause a cooling issue.
I’ve noticed that the problem only occurs at low road speeds. I think that is a very telling symptom. I have never noticed it stop cooling while out on the highway. In the end I know that most AC repairs should be done by a professional but I would like to have a place to start first.
Anyone ever replaced a condenser fan? Can it be done in situ or do I have to remove the radiator?
Cheers!
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Replies
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You are low on refrigerant… This is what those quick shots of R134 are sold for…
Big lots has them on sale for $8 a can… a great deal Advance Auto sells them for $19..
http://www.biglots.com/p/freon-r-134a
It is not unusual for older cars to lose up to 2 ounces of refrigerant a year…..Until it gets low enough to not provide the pressure for cooling.
Here is a link I wrote about A/C If you have any questions, let me know…
-Karl
Appreciate the reply!
If I was low on refrigerant, wouldn’t I always have this problem? It only seems to occur at low road speeds or idle.
[quote=”ourkid2000″ post=68202]Appreciate the reply!
If I was low on refrigerant, wouldn’t I always have this problem? It only seems to occur at low road speeds or idle.[/quote]
The compressor isn’t building the required pressure at low RPMS… higher RPMs allow it to do this… Hence why it works when you are highway driving.
Ensure you fill to proper pressure… If at proper pressure it still doesn’t work then post here…
-Karl
You sound very confident! I like it!
Not cheap at my local garage though. 65 bucks for the initial inspection…..a further 150 to do the refrigerant. $215 total.
I’m sure they’ll end up charging me more though.
[quote=”ourkid2000″ post=68204]You sound very confident! I like it!
Not cheap at my local garage though. 65 bucks for the initial inspection…..a further 150 to do the refrigerant. $215 total.
I’m sure they’ll end up charging me more though.[/quote]
I am certified by law to handle refrigerants and charge for repairs if that helps my confidence as well..
Let me say this… There are times when the “spot-shot” refrigerants are perfectly fine.
Yours is exactly the case for one of those….The issue is when you hook the gauges up and you see zero pressure…There is usually a large leak somewhere and refrigerant will exit almost as fast as it goes in. In that case the only thing those quick fixes are good for is to find the leaks…
Actually it is not against the law to not repair a system before you add refrigerant to system… Oftentimes dye and some about of refrigerant is required to find a leak…
Leakage can occur from many places, sometimes even the compressor itself.., slow leaks are the ones that can drive you crazy…
The proper equipment is required to do A/C work… An electronic sniffer is one of the best tools around…. Still these cost money…
99% of DIYers do not have the proper equipment to do a proper A/C repair…. That is why when asked, I will let a person know how to do it, but chances are they do not have a recovery machine, a sniffer, a vacuum pump, manifold gauages and other tools to do it right.
Which brings me back to slow leaks… This is what the spot shots were made for…. So you don’t have to pay all that money to get them fixed….
Here is my word of caution to you if you will attempt this yourself… Get a Spot shot with a guage and fill it up to the proper pressure corresponding with the ambient air temperature…. Refrigerant is not something like pizza and beer (i.e. more is better)…. Overcharging can cause your system to work worse and not be as cold….
-Karl
Awesome,
The only problem though is that here in Canada a set of those AC gauges will cost you about 200 bucks. There’s no harbour freight version here so I might as well pay a pro to do it.
I’d love to have my own set of gauges but it will have to wait until the right deal comes along.
I see those RedTek AC recharge kits at Walmart…..are they something I can use?
My system uses 134a and I’ve noticed the local kits have things like 12a or 22a written on them. No mention of 134a.
This is uncharted territory for me but I’m enjoying learning. I’ve already learned a loy
[quote=”ourkid2000″ post=68209]I see those RedTek AC recharge kits at Walmart…..are they something I can use?
My system uses 134a and I’ve noticed the local kits have things like 12a or 22a written on them. No mention of 134a.
This is uncharted territory for me but I’m enjoying learning. I’ve already learned a loy[/quote]
If yours is r134, only put in R134…..
Cheers!
Karl
It sounds like the evaporator might be freezing up. (Too Cold) You would need a pressures check to rule out a problem with the expansion valve.
I do believe that 134a is no longer sold in Canada…..I could be wrong about that but I’m pretty sure. If it is available I think you may need some kind of license to purchase it.
I guess what I would have to do is get someone to evacuate the system and recharge it, either myself or pay a pro. We shall see!
I think the Redtek stuff is meant as a replacement for 134a. You evacuate and recharge with the Redtek stuff.
So in my ongoing research I have been coming across some interesting things.
First, my car has an AC pressure sensor installed. So if the system pressure falls below a pre-determined level, it is supposed to shut the compressor off.
Seeing as though my car stops cooling but does not shut the compressor off (scroll type), wouldn’t this rule out a low charge?
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