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Poor air conditioning performance and engine running hot

Gozzy

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Location
East Anglia
Car
Accord
Hi all,

I have a 2012 Diesel Accord with 55k on the clock that has developed a possible issue with the air conditioning. This previously ran icy cold in all weathers, but now only seems to blow cool(ish) at best, although it does get colder if the outside temperature is lower. This seems to be having a knock on effect with the engine, which has on occasion run pretty hot when the air conditioning has been running. Even on short journeys (I'm talking under 5 miles driving at a steady 40-50 mph with little traffic and hardly any idling time), when the outside temperature has been fairly warm, I've noticed a hot smell when I've got out of the car and the cooling fan has continued to run fairly enthusiastically after the engine has been turned off. I've got no warning lights on the dash though and the temperature gauge doesn't appear to suggest an issue.

I've looked through some of the air conditioning topics on the site and can't see that the issue would be fuse or relay related, as both the air conditioning compressor and the engine cooling fan appear to run. I'm therefore thinking it could be a thermostat maybe? Or could it be something more serious? I'd really appreciate any suggestions as to what the issue is likely to be; any things that I can check myself with my limited knowledge :mellow: ; and rough costs of fixing the potential causes. The car has a Honda service plan so goes back to the main dealer every year for servicing, but I do know a chap who runs an independent garage if it's likely to be an expensive job to diagnose and fix.

Many thanks in advance!
 
It's never been recharged. Would a low charge cause the engine to run hot? By putting more strain on the system I guess?
 
Have you looked at coolant level? That resolved my issue on my 2004 accord
 
Sounds liek your car is trying to do a regen of the DPF. Worst thing you can do is turn the car off. You need to go on a long motorway drive, keep revs high for at least 30 mins.

Gas in your ac is low. Get it refilled otherwise will put strain on the system
 
Similar on mine passenger side coldish driver side noticeably warmer, without the engine issues.

Had a regal done at local independent garage, system only had 120g of gas. After regas 450g of gas and car is now Baltic on all vents.
 
Ice cold on passenger side and warm on drivers side is symptom of low gas in my experience.
 
Thanks all. I booked it in for a recharge. The garage said the gas level was fine, but the system needed a clean. They emptied and recharged the gas. It's now back to icy cold. I fitted a new pollen filter as well, as the old one looked quite grim despite being replaced on the last service back in Sept.
 
Gozzy said:
Thanks all. I booked it in for a recharge. The garage said the gas level was fine, but the system needed a clean. They emptied and recharged the gas. It's now back to icy cold. I fitted a new pollen filter as well, as the old one looked quite grim despite being replaced on the last service back in Sept.
Thanks for the update. How much did it cost?
 
Sorry for the delay replying guys. Honda quoted £85. I took it to Quik Fit in the end, as they have the money back guarantee if the recharge doesn't lower the a/c temp. They charged £60.

Honda suggested that the a/c not running properly would cause the engine temp spike, as the system would work harder to try and cool the car. Touch wood, I've not had any issues since and I've been running the a/c all the time. The true test will be when the predicted 30+ temperatures return mid-August...
 
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