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Air conditioning not working

K

kow

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kendal
Car
7th gen accord
Started this topic in newbies, but was advised to get the gas checked and restart here if no joy, so here we are again.
A/C man checked pressure initially and was OK at 6 bar, but I asked him to drop the lot out and recharge
Less quantity came out than was listed but allegedly some cars will work with less than full spec qty, others won't
He then dried the system out by pulling vacuum, before recharging system and having a fully gassed system
Started the car and only the fans started, A/C just blowing ambient air
Then we started the following checks
Located all the fuses and relays that had the snowflake symbol in the fuseboxes in the engine bay and checked all fuses, non blown, didn't see any A/C fuses in main panel
Still with engine off pulled each relay and using temp wires from battery proved each relay pulled in
Replaced all relays/fuses
Started car and checked for 12 v at compressor supply, no volts
Compressor clutch was free and compressor could be turned
Switched engine off and gave compressor wire 12 volts, the clutch came in
So everything points to a circuit fault between the button on the dash and the compressor.
There is a pressure switch in front of the radiator which detects A/C system pressure, that may be faulty
I could do with a circuit diagram and any wise words on how to procede, will linking the pressure switch test this bit of the circuit?
Anything else???
Could a relay be clicking and not closing etc, bit of a long shot I think
 
Yeah try bridging the wires on the pressure switch, if you have a faulty pressure switch it wont kick the compressor in. Also has he put the correct amount of gas in?
 
Yes he also did the pressure test and put the correct ammount in
If I bridge the switch and it works, what next? leave it bridged? change the switch and if I do, does this lose all the gas?
 
If you take a look at the other air con thread currently being discussed they have a diagram showing the pressure switch, item 17. Link to thread

If the switch is faulty you will need to replace it. You'll have to get the system de-gassed, change the switch, and have it re-gassed.

Matt
 
Thanks for that, will try tomorrow and let you know the outcome
 
i wouldn't leave it connected (bridged) as the pressure switch normally does low and high pressure so it might over pressure and blow something up
 
Malcolm, I had a similar problem recently. My AC was kind of running low on gas, but as it was winter, I was delaying the moment to regas it. So April came, the first really hot days and on one long motorway trip my AC stopped working. As I was going to travel next day, I went to my local mechanic to regas it. So he did, but the AC did not work. He tested the compressor, when he put power directly to it, it works and the AC blew ice cold, but otherwise it did not want to switch on. Oh well, it looked like a trip to Honda, but as I was busy, I did not do it for a week or so.... until all of a sudden my AC started working again! The only explanation that I have for this is that the high pressure switch had stuck because the lack of gas in the system and the new gas, as it has some lubricant features in it, managed to loosen up the switch and make it work again. Since then it has been working no problems.
I hope it helps, just leave the AC on and drive for several days...
 
kpanchev said:
Malcolm, I had a similar problem recently. My AC was kind of running low on gas, but as it was winter, I was delaying the moment to regas it. So April came, the first really hot days and on one long motorway trip my AC stopped working. As I was going to travel next day, I went to my local mechanic to regas it. So he did, but the AC did not work. He tested the compressor, when he put power directly to it, it works and the AC blew ice cold, but otherwise it did not want to switch on. Oh well, it looked like a trip to Honda, but as I was busy, I did not do it for a week or so.... until all of a sudden my AC started working again! The only explanation that I have for this is that the high pressure switch had stuck because the lack of gas in the system and the new gas, as it has some lubricant features in it, managed to loosen up the switch and make it work again. Since then it has been working no problems.
I hope it helps, just leave the AC on and drive for several days...
Click to expand...
 
Right Guys, here's what I found and did
Looking under the lower grill, located the A/C pressure switch connector and another connector below it, to another adjacent device
Getting the connectors appart is a bit of a pain
Removed the lower one which had two pins, and shorted the pins, made no difference to A/C operation, pump didn't cut in, so cleaned the contacts with cleaner,added a bit of electric contact grese and reconnected.
Went to the other connector that was plugged into the pressure switch, and pulled this off with engine running and fans operating as the A/C was selected. Fans immediately stopped.
Because this upper connector had three wires, had a dilema on which to short, in the event tried all combinations and Fans kick in momentarily on one link then stopped, A/C compressor didn't kick in at all
Decided to reconnect this plug to the pressure sensor and have a look at the Pump end.
Disconnected the pump connection and with engine on and connected a direct 12 v supply to the Pump, it started and A/C worked immediately.
Left it running to get everything circulating and got out the mutimeter
At the supply to the Pump which was now disconnected, I had 11 volts, then it wandered down to 5 volts, varying at each reading, the cars battery voltage was 14 volts
Thought this was strange, a flucuating signal
Then returned my attention to the 3 wire plug/connection on the pressure switch, disconnecting this it stopped the fans and I lost the volts at the A/C supply plug
Cleaned up the terminals and plugged it back in
Went back to the A/C compressor supply which was still disconnected ( A/C comp. still had the 12v permanent connected) and the wandering voltage was now a steady 14 volts
Disconnected the temporary 12v, and reconnected the normal supply and hey presto, the A/C pump starts and we have A/C working as Mr Honda intended

From what I have done I think it was a dirty/bad connection at the pressure switch which was the cause of my problem
This connection and other 2 pin below sits low down and face all the ***** that weather can throw at it
Thanks to all who had their three penorth on this thread and hope this helps others
 
Did you write all that down as you went along? Thanks for that ( I hope I never need ) information, very well done sir :)
 
No just from memory, just can't remember dates, times,places and peoples names
 
kow said:
Right Guys, here's what I found and did
Looking under the lower grill, located the A/C pressure switch connector and another connector below it, to another adjacent device
Getting the connectors appart is a bit of a pain
Removed the lower one which had two pins, and shorted the pins, made no difference to A/C operation, pump didn't cut in, so cleaned the contacts with cleaner,added a bit of electric contact grese and reconnected.
Went to the other connector that was plugged into the pressure switch, and pulled this off with engine running and fans operating as the A/C was selected. Fans immediately stopped.
Because this upper connector had three wires, had a dilema on which to short, in the event tried all combinations and Fans kick in momentarily on one link then stopped, A/C compressor didn't kick in at all
Decided to reconnect this plug to the pressure sensor and have a look at the Pump end.
Disconnected the pump connection and with engine on and connected a direct 12 v supply to the Pump, it started and A/C worked immediately.
Left it running to get everything circulating and got out the mutimeter
At the supply to the Pump which was now disconnected, I had 11 volts, then it wandered down to 5 volts, varying at each reading, the cars battery voltage was 14 volts
Thought this was strange, a flucuating signal
Then returned my attention to the 3 wire plug/connection on the pressure switch, disconnecting this it stopped the fans and I lost the volts at the A/C supply plug
Cleaned up the terminals and plugged it back in
Went back to the A/C compressor supply which was still disconnected ( A/C comp. still had the 12v permanent connected) and the wandering voltage was now a steady 14 volts
Disconnected the temporary 12v, and reconnected the normal supply and hey presto, the A/C pump starts and we have A/C working as Mr Honda intended

From what I have done I think it was a dirty/bad connection at the pressure switch which was the cause of my problem
This connection and other 2 pin below sits low down and face all the ***** that weather can throw at it
Thanks to all who had their three penorth on this thread and hope this helps others
Click to expand...

hi Kow,

I'm having an issue with my aircon not working and I'm being told its the compressor. When you were troubleshooting, did you have to remove any bodywork to get access to the pressure switch or the compressor? Any chance you took some photos?

I'd like to try what you did before I go shelling out for a replacement compressor. Thanks.
 
kkelly77 said:
hi Kow,

I'm having an issue with my aircon not working and I'm being told its the compressor. When you were troubleshooting, did you have to remove any bodywork to get access to the pressure switch or the compressor? Any chance you took some photos?

I'd like to try what you did before I go shelling out for a replacement compressor. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Didn't take any pics of my efforts, but you don't need to remove any bodywork
Worked through the lower grill to remove plugs etc
Disconnecting the compressor connection is a bit of a pain, a single wire connector just above the Compressor
You should see 12 volts at the feed when everythings OK.
If you haven.t got 12 volts compressor clutch won,t engage
It's just a fidily job undoing the connectors, but if you work logically through the checks you will get there
 
kow said:
Didn't take any pics of my efforts, but you don't need to remove any bodywork
Worked through the lower grill to remove plugs etc
Disconnecting the compressor connection is a bit of a pain, a single wire connector just above the Compressor
You should see 12 volts at the feed when everythings OK.
If you haven.t got 12 volts compressor clutch won,t engage
It's just a fidily job undoing the connectors, but if you work logically through the checks you will get there
Click to expand...

I'll check it out. What type of wire did you use to connect the battery directly to the compressor? Was it just from the positive terminal into the connector of the compressor?
 
kkelly77 said:
I'll check it out. What type of wire did you use to connect the battery directly to the compressor? Was it just from the positive terminal into the connector of the compressor?
Click to expand...
Yes, straight off the battery positive, you can here a click as the clutch pulls in
If your engine is running and the system has the requisite gas, the pipes quickly go cold.
Remember Hondas are pretty well built and not saying your compressor isn't shot but do be sure it is before your shell out the notes
 
OK, I just wanted to follow up on this issue. It looks like my compressor is shot. It is clicking when connected to the battery directly but the clutch isn't engaging when the a/c is turned on.

From the photo I took, the white arrow is pointing to the power connector, the blue arrow is the compressor and the red arrow is pointing to what should be spinning when the a/c is on. On mine car though, this is remaining static. On the plus side, I have sourced a replacement compressor for £70.



I also took a photo of the two power connectors going into the high pressure switch. These are accessed through the lower grill.

 
kkelly77 said:
OK, I just wanted to follow up on this issue. It looks like my compressor is shot. It is clicking when connected to the battery directly but the clutch isn't engaging when the a/c is turned on.

From the photo I took, the white arrow is pointing to the power connector, the blue arrow is the compressor and the red arrow is pointing to what should be spinning when the a/c is on. On mine car though, this is remaining static. On the plus side, I have sourced a replacement compressor for £70.



I also took a photo of the two power connectors going into the high pressure switch. These are accessed through the lower grill.

Click to expand...
Sorry to here it's the compressor, but at least you know for definate, the pics clearly show the items and the knuckle crunching area where the compressor connector lurks
 
I'm still having aircon woes :angry:

I've had the compressor, fuse, relay replaced and the system re gassed. Still no aircon. I had the car back with the local Honda dealer who troubleshooted and told me the replacement compressor wasn't working. Luckily I got the breakers to agree to supply me with another compressor for a cheaper price as the replacement is only about 8 weeks old (only got re gassed last week).

Had the car with Honda again today as they were going to take out the existing compressor. They rang me a while ago to say that in fact the compressor IS working and are now looking at either the high pressure switch or the actual a/c button inside the car being faulty. Unfortunately, they had no other car to swap out the console to eliminate the a/c button inside the car being the faulty link.

Can anyone offer some advice on this? I'm throwing money down the toilet replacing parts that don't need to be replaced on the advice of Honda.
 
kkelly77 said:
I'm still having aircon woes :angry:

I've had the compressor, fuse, relay replaced and the system re gassed. Still no aircon. I had the car back with the local Honda dealer who troubleshooted and told me the replacement compressor wasn't working. Luckily I got the breakers to agree to supply me with another compressor for a cheaper price as the replacement is only about 8 weeks old (only got re gassed last week).

Had the car with Honda again today as they were going to take out the existing compressor. They rang me a while ago to say that in fact the compressor IS working and are now looking at either the high pressure switch or the actual a/c button inside the car being faulty. Unfortunately, they had no other car to swap out the console to eliminate the a/c button inside the car being the faulty link.

Can anyone offer some advice on this? I'm throwing money down the toilet replacing parts that don't need to be replaced on the advice of Honda.
Click to expand...

I think I already posted this comment on a previous a/c thread : Go under the hood and find your fusebox, there are two a/c relays, one for the cooling fans and one for the electromagnetic clutch which engages the compressor. They are the same rated relays.........so just swap them over and see what happens. Worked for me, i.e. the relay controlling the clutch was busted..
 
ebod said:
I think I already posted this comment on a previous a/c thread : Go under the hood and find your fusebox, there are two a/c relays, one for the cooling fans and one for the electromagnetic clutch which engages the compressor. They are the same rated relays.........so just swap them over and see what happens. Worked for me, i.e. the relay controlling the clutch was busted..
Click to expand...

Any photos of the relays you're talking about? I was told the a/c relay was replaced by Honda.
 
kkelly77 said:
Any photos of the relays you're talking about? I was told the a/c relay was replaced by Honda.
Click to expand...

on n/s inner wing near strut top. The inside of the box lid is indented with symbols of which/where so you can't go wrong. Look for icicle symbols :)
 
ebod said:
on n/s inner wing near strut top. The inside of the box lid is indented with symbols of which/where so you can't go wrong. Look for icicle symbols :)
Click to expand...

Yes, I know exactly where you're talking about now. But i only remember seeing one a/c symbol on the lid. I'll check it out tomorrow.
 
Hi guys, see there has been more actions on this thread
Just a bit more info from when I first meddled and fixed our A/C on the Accord
It was the faulty connection under grill not giving 12 volts to the Compressor etc
When I swapped the relays in the fault finding under the bonnet etc, it didn't work as expected when relays swapped
Can't remember what the precis events were, fan not starting etc, but it was though the two relays were different in operation/internal wiring although they looked identical
I put them back in there original sockets and all was well
A/C is still operating OK since the connector fix
 
I know that Honda dealers are better than dealers of other makes of car, but beware, they are now always so good.

My A/C has been slowly getting worse, and each year when it gets serviced they say "Condenser needs replacing". They wanted £532 !!!

Now here is my point ...the A/C had been working but very badly (due to the condition of the Condenser) but when it came back from the service it was not blowing any cold at all. That definitely changed in the service ..... note this as ZZZ !!

Anyway, I decided to change the Condenser myself. Dealer wanted £388 for a new Condenser, Unipart sold me one for £80. I took the bumper off (its not that difficult) to get at the Condenser (it is in front of the radiator, was very badly perished on my car). Undo the screws holding the supply and return pipes (but not fully) then pull one pipe out slightly to let the refrigerant out (note to keep the screws in place else you will get a severe blast). When the pressure has gone, remove the screws and pull out the pipes, remove the clips that hold the Condenser, pull it out, put the new one in, replace the pipes and screws and replace the front bumper.

Next I went to Halfords, for £70 they do a full refrigerant check. I told them what I had done and they said no problem.

When I went back later, they said that they had done the work but the A/C was not working. I told them about ZZZ and said I would fix it.

Along the lines of prevoious posts here, after checking that the compressor came in, I think started rumaging with the relays as explained by others here. Sure enough after swapping the relays, the compressor came in but not the fans. I looked at the relay and it looked like someone had had a pair of pliers on it, the side of it was pushed in !!!! Anyway, I pulled the plastic off the side of the relay and I could see the contacts. Gave them a squirt with switch cleaner, put the relay back in, and my A/C is all like new again.

I like my Honda dealer, but I am cautious of them. Delaer or no-dealer !!!!!!
 
So what did you do with your refrigerant?
 
Dan Robinson said:
So what did you do with your refrigerant?
Click to expand...
ah, well, let's just say it was safely captured and safely disposed of for me

EDIT: for the sake of clarify, I omitted to say that I went to a local A/C place first before I did anything and asked them to remove the refrigerant and they charged a small fee. Then I took care when removing the pipes, etc, etc
 
Good man.... didn't fancy issuing another F-Gas rollocking :D after the day I've had it wouldn't have been pretty.

People... when working on AC - please make sure you get the gas collected by a company with the right equipment. Please don't just dump it out of the safety valve! I am far from an Ecowarrer, but I do have limits.
 
Dan Robinson said:
Good man.... didn't fancy issuing another F-Gas rollocking :D after the day I've had it wouldn't have been pretty.

People... when working on AC - please make sure you get the gas collected by a company with the right equipment. Please don't just dump it out of the safety valve! I am far from an Ecowarrer, but I do have limits.
Click to expand...
cheers Dan, I saw a bullet coming there, shame I forgot to mention that bit ithe first place :blush:
 
Hi guys sorry to bring up an old thread but this sounds like the trouble im having with my air com on my 2004 2.2.

its been inactive for about a year now due to it not clicking on when turned on on the touch screen. ive had everything electrical tested at honda and they say its all ok. so i had it regassed at honda and still nothing!!!

their next step was to take the dash apart to look for internal electric issues at the cost of £300 plus any parts needed. this is why i didnt get it looked at further.....

ive tried running with it on as suggested by someone to see if it will start of its own accord but still nothing. ive cleaned the relay contacts and still nothing.

after reading this thread it seems like it may wll be the pressure valve/sensor. ive just been to honda and been quoted £48 + vat for the sensor and £72 + vat to install. ive just tried getting the plug off to see if it just needs a clean but cant get it off. is there a special way of taking this off? does it just pull off as i cant see any tabs to push etc?

i would like to try and clean it before i part with the best part of £150 incase im looking in the wrong area.

ive no idea how to test or bridge switches and tbh dont trust myself with electrical items except for taking off and cleaning etc. if this is a common fault then im hoping this is my issue but like i said i would rather try and clean it myself before shelling out for a new switch/sensor. the part number they gave me is HO80450S7S003 is this the correct part also?

i would love to get to the bottom of this and have air con again
 
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