Auto Air Conditioning

[Benelli1]

Turned on my A/C yesterday on my Honda for the first time since last fall and it is not cooling. Anybody have any recommendations or experiences on a reputable auto A/C repair facility in Calgary? Preferably in the south.

[DiabeticKripple]

Probably just needs to be recharged

[Arty]

Originally Posted by DiabeticKripple

Probably just needs to be recharged

A very slight on-going leakage is normal for mobile a/c systems, so if nothing else is going on, I agree. But only with the correct gas in the correct amounts. No DIY cans from C-Tire or wherever.

However, if you're back to warm air by August and the vehicle is several years old, you should have the system reconditioned or rebuilt. Having completely replaced all my a/c components myself, except for the in-dash evaporater (and only because tearing out the dash is a royal p.i.a.) I found my system started working far better, compared to just getting another recharge.

[KGB]

Any AC system is a closed sealed system. If there is a need to recharge, there is hole somewhere that needs to be fixed. Talk to a mechanic.

[Pixel Shooter]

Had the same issue with my Honda Ridgeline. My ac fuse blew and just replaced it and voila. The Honda forums are a great resource

[Arty]

Originally Posted by KGB

Any AC system is a closed sealed system. If there is a need to recharge, there is hole somewhere that needs to be fixed. Talk to a mechanic.

Depends on your definition of 'closed sealed', doesn't it?

Compressor shaft seals need to be kept wet-lubed to maintain a seal. If you don't use the thing often it dries enough that the gas escapes. Over years you might even get a slight groove worn in the metal from the seal similar what happens to a pinion seal, so the seal doesn't work as well.

And the fill valves don't stay perfect forever either.

You certainly don't need a hole to slowly drop pressure over time, although that will obviously do it too.

[Benelli1]

Thanks to all that replied. Took Pixels advice, changed out the a/c compressor relay and all good, saved a pile of time and $. Thanks again Pixel.

[DiabeticKripple]

Funny thing, my A/C isn’t working either. Just blows coolish air. I checked the A/C clutch fuse and it’s still good. Must be some other issue.

The Freon lines are supposed to get cold right? The discharge line out of the compressor is really hot, the other line is ambient temp.

[dodgeboy1979]

Originally Posted by DiabeticKripple

Funny thing, my A/C isn’t working either. Just blows coolish air. I checked the A/C clutch fuse and it’s still good. Must be some other issue.

The Freon lines are supposed to get cold right? The discharge line out of the compressor is really hot, the other line is ambient temp.

There is also a high pressure sensor on the system that will fail periodically so you wont be building enough pressure in the system. As well check the fuse to your electric fan on the front radiator, if the fan is not drawing air through you will get warm air. Also check to see if the rad is full of debris and wash it out.

[laus]

AC not cooling, talk to a mechanic... apparently there is a leakage ongoing

[Headdamage]

I've had great success with the DIY kit for recharging and adding leak sealer/lube. Did my Range Rover about 7 years ago with one and it still works.

[propliner]

We have 3 Ridgelines at work and they all had leaky a/c systems that had to be fixed. There must be a service bulletin out there.

[Arty]

Originally Posted by DiabeticKripple

Funny thing, my A/C isn’t working either. Just blows coolish air. I checked the A/C clutch fuse and it’s still good. Must be some other issue.

The Freon lines are supposed to get cold right? The discharge line out of the compressor is really hot, the other line is ambient temp.

Whenever you compress a gas, it heats up. When you release pressure, it cools down. That's the principle a/c works on.

But the first thing I'd do is get a good pressure guage manifold, with the correct valve fittings for your vehicle. And research exactly how an a/c system works, and what pressures to expect in your particular vehicle under the conditions of temperature and humidity you're working in. That's necessary to have even a chance to properly diagnose the system.

There's several very good U.S. Youtube sites (and a lot of dogs) which explain the system and how to do a proper diagnosis.

You can do a lot to diagnose and fix your own a/c, but to do a complete job you'll also need a proper vacuum pump strong enough for the job, a micro vacuum guage, maybe a scale, and the correct type of refrigerant in container(s) with proper fittings. The pump and guage will be much more expensive than a single charge at a dealership, and the refrigerant will not be available to you in Canada without some sort of certification. You can get it imported from some US suppliers, as there's no law against that, but you have to know exactly what you're ordering.

It's a tricky kind of system to get right, and you have to pay attention, but if you rebuild the whole thing you can do that way cheaper yourself with good components from Rock Auto or wherever.