smrogers

I have a 1997 Honda Accord. The AC seems to stop working when I set the fan to 3 or 4, but it works relatively fine on 1 and 2.

I went to a National Tire and Battery yesterday, and got the AC checked. They said the Freon was relatively fine but topped it off. However, they said I needed a new AC Thermostat. I regret not asking, but how critical is this part to the operation of the rest of the car?

95% of the time I am fine with the AC, and I am unsure if I want to spend the $350 to replace it (including labor). However, if this could potentially cause damage to the rest of the car creating larger problems, I would like to get it fixed.

phootbag

I fear they are wrong. What is the vent temp on speed 1234? Does the blower shut off on speed 3-4? Need more information.

smrogers

I am unsure of the what the vent temperature is. Where should I look to get this information?

The blower seems to appropriately blow air at the correct rates/speeds on 1,2,3, & 4.

However, on 1 & 2, one can clearly feel that the temperature of air is lower (or feels like air conditioning). However, when the blower is upped to 3 & 4 the temperature of the air is noticeably warmer and sometimes indiscernible from when the AC is on or off.

Thanks for your reply.

phootbag

Your car has no AC filters. I have seen poor cooling on higher fan speeds because the evaperator is covered with debris. There are many variables and hard to say through the internet.

smrogers

At the beginning of the summer, I cleaned out a considerable amount of leaves from under my hood (trapped over what seemed to be where air goes in). But I did not physically do anything/remove anything from the engine to clean this out. Where I parked for the last year had a considerable amount of leaves fall on the car throughout the year.

Do you have a recommendation of how I should get this more thoroughly checked (go to the dealer or ask a shop to check something specific?) or if even these steps are necessary? I am probably 80% satisfied with the AC. It is just a problem on hot days with four people in the car.

Thanks again for your help.

phootbag

I work at a dealer. Naturally, I'd say go there. I'd trust the diagnosis. However AC is not easy to understand and many customers get hosed by inexperienced techs. Use good judgement before agreeing to costly repairs.

smrogers

Thanks for your honest reply. It is appreciated and continues my good impression of Honda.