themadness

my wife's 02 civic's A/C killed over on the way home today. it was blowing fine then it quit. changing the levels and settings caused a little air to linger but now its done.........nothing. the defrost, recirculate, and A/C button lights work. the heat is not working either.

i have checked all the fuses under the hood and the dash. all of them are good. there are a few fuse/relays that i dont quite understand how to check in the under hood box. the large black ones and the really big metallic ones i have left alone since i am not that tech saavy.

i also read that it could be the blower motor but again, you guys would know better than i.

thanks in advance to those that may help me out!

RICKSAUTOMOTIVE

so have you tested the blower motor yet?

It Wasn't Me

The relay you're looking for is the big metal one. (see picture)



You should also test the Power Transistor.

Note: The actual unit is plugged in upside down in the vehicle (as shown in the DIY link provided below)



1. Remove the lower dash cover on the passenger side.

2. Disconnect the 4-pin connector from the power transistor.

3. Measure the resistance between the #3 and #4 terminals of the power transistor. It should be about 1.4 - 1.5 k Ω (ohms)

- If the resistance is within specs, go to step 4.
- If the resistance is not within specs, replace the power transistor.**

4. Release the lock tab on the #1 terminal (blue/yellow wire) in the 4-pin connector, then remove the terminal and insulate it so it doesn't ground.

5. Reconnect the 4-pin connector.

6. Supply 12 volts to the #1 cavity with a jumper wire.

7. Turn the ignition ON (II), and check that the blower motor runs.

- If the blower motor does not run, replace the power transistor.
- If the blower motor runs, the power transistor is okay.






** Or you can attempt to repair it, using this DIY from the FAQ's.

themadness

how do i test the blower motor?


with the 2 relays in the pic above; how do i know if they are bad or not?

the transistor replacement looks a bit out of my league. is that something a standard car repair shop could do or is it a specialty job?

on a side note. we just returned from a trip on the interstate. i noticed that air was moving through the vents with out the a/c going. i pressed the recirculation button on the panel the air flow stopped. i dont know if that makes any difference or not in what may be the problem. like i said earlier i am totally clueless in the car hvac department.

thanks so much for you responses.

It Wasn't Me

Unplug it and put 12v power and ground directly to it.

Click this link and test it.

You're joking, right? It's right underneath the dashboard, and only held in with two screws. It's easy to replace. Repairing it (as seen in the DIY) is a little more involved.

That means it's working. (the recirc. control motor)



You can also check for HVAC codes, yourself, using this DIY from the FAQ's.

themadness

see why i am not a techie.....i thought the repair link was what had to be done to replace the transistor. is 64 a hight IQ?

i had no clue you could get HVAC codes. i wish her car had the same OBD system that my jeep has.

the transistor description page wouldnt load correctly for me. would just removing the relay with the a/c running be a way to test it or is the jumper wire and battery the only method?

thanks again for all your help

themadness

i have been doing a little online shopping for parts and it seems the relays in the pic above are hard to find. blower motors and motors resistors are easy buys. are the relays are rare part?

i'm getting around 60 for the resistor and around same for the blower motor. the relays i have found top out at 30 dollars. normal prices??

It Wasn't Me

Don't worry about the compressor. I doubt that's what the problem is. Find out why the blower motor doesn't work, and fix that.

You only need the one for the blower motor, but test the one you have before buying a new one. If it turns out that the relay is fine, you're out $30.

And, yes, that's a normal price for the relay. Click here to verify the list price. (can be purchased for less than dealership list price)

The power transistor is more expensive, as seen here.

themadness

ok..............

i did the dtc test in the faq articles. i ran the test and got 12 blinks which corresponds with a problem in the blower motor circuit. which is obvious but it may give you guys a little more to work with. i also checked the blower motor relay in the under hood fuse box. i removed it and replaced and heard a distinct click. from what i have read the means it is still good.

my next step is to check the transistor under the passenger side dash. if that is good, is replacing the blower motor itself complicated and are there any other things i should check (assuming the transistor is ok) before going on the blower motor?

maybe i will learn enough about civics to help one of you out later. probably not, but maybe. i appreciate it a ton!

themadness

i found these videos. is this the process? i will most likely be purchasing a multimeter tomorrow. guess this is good a time as any.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzXSPI6ZjoM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q--XN...eature=related

you guys have been a huge help

It Wasn't Me

For the most part, yes, the one about the power transistor is about right. Between the video and the DIY steps I listed earlier, you should be able to determine if the power transistor is bad.


The blower motor is also easy to replace, there's really no need for a DIY or the video. I doubt you'll need to replace it, anyway, since you said that it "just quit working." As noted in the video, if the blower motor had been "on it's way out" it would have been making some noise. Usually it'll squeal or rattle before it goes completely ****-up. Since you did not mention those symptoms, I highly doubt the blower motor is bad.

Worry about the power transistor, first.

themadness

can the relays be tested with a multimeter or are the jump wires necessary?

the blower didnt make any noises or squealing before it went out. so it has to be the transistor or relay. i wanna get this taken care of as cheap and quickly as possible.

It Wasn't Me

Between this
and this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JB63ebFfgU

You should be able to figure it out.

themadness

picked up a relay last night and returned it today. since that wasnt it i went ahead and ordered the resistor. hopefully i will have better luck when i replace it tomorrow.

is there a fuse somewhere i could be overlooking either under the hood or under the dash?

It Wasn't Me

Check fuse #12 (40amp) under the hood.

If you look at the picture that I posted earlier, the fuse you're wanting to check is located just under the Blower Motor relay. There are two that look the same, but you want the one on the left. You can test it by following the instructional video you posted earlier, but it should be obvious if it's blown.