AC ?

1,396 Views | 12 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by Dr. Doctor
bkag9824
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AG
Noticed '08 CRV was draining more condensation than normal when cooling/idling, then wife calls to say AC not cold. Belt still turning, compressor not clicking on, car not overheating.

Put simple pressure gauge that came with bottle of refrigerant on and it spiked to red/warning within 10 seconds.

Compressor bad? Check fuse?

Bend over and take it for a new compressor or offload vehicle altogether since it needs 4 new struts has ~160k?

Additionally, we're moving to a place that gets a lot of snow/ice and AWD/4x4 with winter tires have been recommended by some locals.
1agswitchin4lanes
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AG
bkag9824 said:

Noticed '08 CRV was draining more condensation than normal when cooling/idling, then wife calls to say AC not cold. Belt still turning, condenser not clicking on, car not overheating.

Put simple pressure gauge that came with bottle of refrigerant on and it spiked to red/warning within 10 seconds.

Condenser bad? Check fuse?

Bend over and take it for a new condenser or offload vehicle altogether since it needs 4 new struts has ~160k?

Additionally, we're moving to a place that gets a lot of snow/ice and AWD/4x4 with winter tires have been recommended by some locals.
Bad compressor?

You need to put high and low gauges to verify proper charge.

After you do that, you can start looking at things like a clutch, relays, pressure switches etc.
bkag9824
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AG
Yes, compressor, not condenser.
Agmechanic
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AG
Are the condenser fans running?
Agmechanic
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Does it work fine running down the highway? In the morning or in the late evening?
John Francis Donaghy
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Try switching out the Omron compressor clutch relay with a Mitsuba (repackaged as Duramax at Autozone). It is a common issue with Hondas of that era, and it's a $15 part that takes 30 seconds to switch out.

May or may not be your problem, but for $15, it's an cheap and easy thing to try before you start messing with the mechanics or paying a shop.

I've tried this in two different 08 Hondas where the a/c had stopped cooling and it fixed both perfectly (and both have stayed fixed for years).
CanyonAg77
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AG
The clutch relay is common with Acura of the same vintage. They've been known to fail in a way that drains the battery.


And I'm no A/C expert, but with the compressor off, wouldn't the pressure always be high on the low pressure side? (Assuming normal charge of freon)
bkag9824
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AG
Agmech - I didn't have time to check the fans in depth but my gut feeling is yes. My wife drives the car daily and said the car (not the AC) ran fine (no overheating, etc) at highway speed as well as stop/go for the better part of all day Wednesday. I'll take it for a spin this evening.

JFD - never heard of any of those components (not a car mech guru) so off to Google I go. Thanks for the info.

Canyon - Dunno about pressure being high with compressor not on. Interestingly the refrig bottle said to dump 1/2 can if compressor not starting. I saw the gauge spike & said aww hell no.
CanyonAg77
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AG
I thought that when the compressor runs, the suction (low) side gets low and the high pressure side gets high. When the compressor stops turning, the pressure evens out...higher than normal low side, lower than normal high, and the same on each side.
bkag9824
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AG
No clue sir, I'm no HVAC tech. Just read the instructions on the bottle and didn't feel comfortable dumping more refrigerant in the loop.

Going to try the relay and see where that gets me.
bkag9824
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AG
So the condenser fan wasn't running. New fan in, it runs but no AC.

Tried compressor relay after new fan...still no work.

What's next?
1agswitchin4lanes
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AG
bkag9824 said:

So the condenser fan wasn't running. New fan in, it runs but no AC.

Tried compressor relay after new fan...still no work.

What's next?
Gauges on low and high side.
bkag9824
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AG
Your contact is looking more & more appealing.

Carmax quoted $4,400 as is. Private treaty shows $5-6k max in KBB (I know...). Mi hombres se viven en los apartementos de mi papa quoted $650 for the struts (everybody else is $1k min). Who knows what this AC will finally tally, but it's increasingly difficult to justify more input into this thing given the move & need for better space/towing capacity.

Appreciate all the info/advice.

Dr. Doctor
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CanyonAg77 said:

I thought that when the compressor runs, the suction (low) side gets low and the high pressure side gets high. When the compressor stops turning, the pressure evens out...higher than normal low side, lower than normal high, and the same on each side.
You sir, are correct. It is called "Settle Out Pressure". And it takes work to solve it, in both large and small scale compressors; this value is important in safety systems (when to relieve, pipe size, etc.)

If you put gauges on the AC system with the compressor off, the pressure should be whatever the current ambient temperature is. If it isn't, that's a sure way to know you A) don't have enough Freon and B) you have a leak.

~egon
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