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i’ve had my 98 honda civic ex for about 2 years now. the A/C has never worked. the lines hold pressure, there are no leaks. i tried to recharge it last year, and nothing. the clutch never engaged. due to money being tight i gave up on it. i had a friends father look at it and he said it was the pressure switch attached to the receiver dryer. if i replaced it and recharged it, it would work…..
well i did that today, and still no A/C. The clutch still does not engage. my lines were drained before i replaced the switch, so maybe i need more Refrigerant? i used about half the can so far.
the pressure switch wasn’t pricey, but i really want to get down to why its not working. my thoughts are that the compressor itself is shot and needs to be replaced. but i really hope that is not the case.
if you need any information about the car or what happens if i do this or that. reply below and i will get back to you asap.
i really appreciate any input you can provide….Thank You
-Josh-
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AC work is not really for the DIY. You need to know how the system operates in order to repair it. You also need to know how it’s suppose to work electrically as well as mechanically. Without this knowledge you’re flying blind. You can’t just throw parts at it and hope it works. You need to diagnose any electrical faults and also monitor the pressures with the system is operational. If you don’t have the proper equipment to do so, not only will you not be able to diagnose the problem correctly, but you could cause environmental damage by releasing refrigerant into the atmosphere. I recommend you take it to a professional to have it diagnosed. After that you may be able to perform the repair yourself to save some money.
You need to add the proper amount of refrigerant to the system to get it to work properly…
Below is a link to look up what you need… A half a can is really not a measurement.
http://www.techchoiceparts.com/refrigerant-and-oil-capacities
Also, Did you evacuate the system?
There is quite a bit of work that goes into making one of these work…
I have answered quite a few questions about A/C in the last few days… here is a link where I explain about what to do for a bad A/C system……..
your thread was very informative. but when you mentioned recharging the system. it was assuming the clutch was engaging. mine is not, so i am not getting the proper reading on the gauge that comes with the can of refrigerant. the can itself is 20 ounces. ive used half like i said. the thread for capacity says mine holds 23. so should i add the whole can and see what happens?
Yes, Keep adding (as long as you know you have no leaks). The clutch will not engage until it reaches a certain pressure with the refrigerant added.
If you have only put in 10 ounces, the system still thinks it is low and won’t engage the clutch…
If you add the rest of the can, the clutch should engage at some point. If not, you have an issue elsewhere.
I hope you evacuated (pulled vacuum) on the system…This must be done and cannot be skipped if you had an open system… If you didn’t do this, you will have issues.
Karl
i just tried to empty the can into the system. but it seems like its not taking anymore? i held it for a little while but it seems like none went in. im thinking my uncle may not have pulled a vacuum on it like i thought he had. would this cause the lines to not accept enough refrigerant?
Do you have gauges? Not just the one on the can, I mean real guages? You may have overcharged the system… Stop what you are doing…
If your uncle did not pull vacuum on it, stop where you are. Get refrigerant discharged in a legal way and start over… This will be an exercise in futility if you do not do this.
Also, if your dryer has not been replaced, you should replace the dryer before you do this service. If this dryer is from 1998 and you are re-doing this. Buy a new one. This is important. Any moisture in the system could have your dessicant in your dryer saturated and useless.
Get the vacuum pulled (evacuate) and use gauges to ensure there are no vacuum leaks (30 inches of mercury…like I said on the link)
Also replace your schrader valves while it is apart.
Unfortunately, this is exactly why Eric said doing A/C work is typically not for the DIY person…
Almost all systems will leak small amounts over time (that is why a recharge kit can be useful).. But when the system has completely lost a charge, then something is wrong and a repair is more than likely necessary.
This requires Gauges (so you know that your system is working properly) and even before you start adding refrigerant that you have no vacuum leaks…
Also an electric vacuum pump (you can use an inexpensive venturi one, but you must a have a BIG compressor to keep it drawing a consistent 30 inches of mercury). The electric pumps cost around $100 from HF and most people don’t do this enough to justify buying one.
Karl
I want to commend both Eric, and ToyotaKarl here.
AC is a difficult thing to work on, and there are some risks, to the environment, to the car, and to the person doing the work if things aren’t done properly. Because of that, most of the people who know about AC systems are not willing to share any of what they know, which makes it difficult for anyone to learn.
Rule number one, if the system has been low enough on refrigerant that it won’t cycle on, you need to be looking for a leak. Since you’ve messed about with it, I would have the system evacuated, draw a vacuum on it, close up the valves on the gauges, and see if the system will hold 30 inches of vacuum for half an hour. If it does NOT, then you need to be looking for a leak.
If it does, then in all honesty, I would get a new receiver / drier, open the system back up to install that, and then vacuum it again. With that done, then I would go ahead and charge it with the proper amount of gas and see if it works.
At that point, if the compressor still isn’t engaging, then it is time to look for other problems, such as a blown fuse, bad clutch, bad relay, etc.
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