When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I am the original owner of a 2006 Honda Civic DX 4 door Sedan with manual transmission. Love the car, btw. Go team! But the air conditioner is acting up and I could use some direction.
The air conditioner has never failed completely in this car. About a year ago, it began cooling intermittently. At that time, I recharged the system and replaced the relay in the fuse box and that cured the issue... for a year. This year, the same intermittent cooling issue returned. Specifically, the system works fine for about 15 or 20 mins after a cold start but then the compressor disengages. Once again, I topped off the coolant charge and tried replacing the relay fuse but this did not stop the problem. Checking the onboard diagnostics, I came away with 2 issues; a faulty temperature sensor at the evaporator coil and a faulty climate control module. So, as the diligent Honda fanatic I am, I rolled up my sleeves and replaced both. I notice the climate control module improved fan function (it blows more air than with the old climate control module), however the faulty function as described remains.
I am new to this forum and will now dedicate an abundant amount of time digging through any and all relevant posts on this matter that I may locate within. In the meantime, however, if any kind soul has a more directed answer, solution, hypothesis, or experience with this matter, I would appreciate the input. Its over 100 degrees outside and my lady is melting.
When the ac stops working see if the evap lines going into the evaporator are freezing over. If they are, replace the expansion valve, and do a proper evacuation and recharge.
Thank you, holmesnmanny, for the suggestion. Ill take the Civvie out for a spin in the morning, run the ac till it stops, and check the evap lines.
Then ill post a followup to let you know what i find.
Couldn't wait till morning to run the AC and check the evap lines to see if they freeze. Too impatient.
First, I ran the car for 30 minutes and got the engine bay good and hot before even attempting to turn the AC on. When I did, I got nothing in the way of cold air. The compressor did not kick on with the command from the climate control unit. In other words, getting the engine hot was sufficient to cause the system to fail. Based on this clue, and what I've dug up elsewhere, I think Im looking at a failed or failing clutch; it works fine when cold but when the bay is hot, metal in the clutch warps enough to cause failure.
To confirm the diagnosis, I let the car cool for half an hour (coolant temp indicator fell halfway back to ambient temperature) and tried again; the compressor kicked on and nice, cold, conditioned air came out.
Roger dodger, holmesnanny. I found a nice overview on Youtubs entitled (2007 Honda Civic A/C diagnostic and Clutch Replacement). That should be sufficient to get me in there and over the target. Thanks again for the input.
I won't be able to carve out the time necessary until later in the week. ( I like to do these things when I have access for a couple of days just in case something unexpected comes up. ) I'll be back with a followup.
Have a terrific week and a happy 4th if your celebrating!
x2 on the clutch gap that holmesnmanny suggested. Working fine and suddenly not working fine when warm is pretty common of a clutch gap issue. Sometimes you can tap on the outer hub of a compressor clutch assembly and it will re-engage.
If you remove any shims, be sure to verify the clutch is able to disengage when the system is off. This can be disastrous if the system isn't able to turn itself off if it needs to. It would be really inconvenient to trigger a blowout valve/plug (and lose refrigerant) if the system just wants to turn off or cycle.
Welcome to the party, and thanks for the input! Much appreciated. Now on to the fun...
I stopped by the Honda dealer for price quotes on a new AC clutch. I do understand that I may not require an entire clutch assembly, but I generally prefer to be loaded and ready for anything just in case. You can see the laughs below.
Relevant AC clutch assembly packages are blown up in the attached schematic as either #ers 2, 4, or 9. The corresponding prices are also listed by quote at the top of the schematic. Hehe. My best possible outcome, requiring only a new coil set, will "set" me back 144.98. I also had a mechanic tell me the clutch plate and assembly will have no shims from the factory, and that my fishing expedition to locate and "fiddle" with such shims is a fool's errand. He also told me the clutch would make noise if bad and therefore it likely was not said clutch shims even if they did exist. I thanked him and left. I figure I'm this far on my own and have never really been let down by fellow forum members. I trust you more than I do him on this matter.
Anyhow, I have not dug more deeply on the interwebs or on this forum for detailed procedure to measure the air gap. So Im not clear as to what, at a minimum, I require to tackle this job... that's why I started by going to said Honda dealer for the clutch assembly blowout attached. But if replacing the entire clutch looks like a new AC compressor to my wallet, then perhaps I should start thinking in that direction.
As always, any thoughts or comments from team Honda-Techies is appreciated. In the meantime, I will do more homework and return to harvest your wisdom. Thanks ahead of time.
Very true, holmesnmanny. Thank you for that wisdom. Chuckling. Never once have I veered from my ultimate Honda destiny.
As I mentioned, I trust you guys more than the mechanic on this issue, and he is a friend. The noted conversation was friendly, not a solicitation for further advice. Rather, I was "fishing" for lift access at his shop if I required it, which he graciously offered before I could ask. He really is that great a guy, even if a bit off target on this issue.
I note the AC clutch can be located on the interwebs for a fraction of the..." 750 quoted ()." This Honda service center flyby has blown out my timeframe to repair/ replace the clutch though. Ill order the new one first of next week as it will be another week before I can nail the car down for a couple of days. I will search the site for recommended parts suppliers. Thanks again.
Very true, holmesnmanny. Thank you for that wisdom. Chuckling. Never once have I veered from my ultimate Honda destiny.
As I mentioned, I trust you guys more than the mechanic on this issue, and he is a friend. The noted conversation was friendly, not a solicitation for further advice. Rather, I was "fishing" for lift access at his shop if I required it, which he graciously offered before I could ask. He really is that great a guy, even if a bit off target on this issue.
I note the AC clutch can be located on the interwebs for a fraction of the..." 750 quoted ()." This Honda service center flyby has blown out my timeframe to repair/ replace the clutch though. Ill order the new one first of next week as it will be another week before I can nail the car down for a couple of days. I will search the site for recommended parts suppliers. Thanks again.
Ill keep you posted!
not really sure what you are doing, this is all you need to check the gap
#2 is the whole compressor assembly. #4 is the whole clutch kit. #9 is the field coil (you MIGHT need this, we don't know yet, you can test resistance later).
$750 to replace the clutch? wut. I also wouldn't get raped for nearly 400 bucks in JUST parts. Go to a junkyard or source your parts from somewhere else. You literally lift the car up and take off the plate from underneath/to the side. And no, the shims are clearly marked as #6 in the illustrations. You can even go to a junkyard and start taking clutch plates off of random compressors to obtain your extra shims. And no shims from the factory? NEVER ran into that. Clutches don't necessarily have to make noise to be bad. I've had a bad field coil that's burned fuses instantly. I've had out-of-spec clutches that disengage when warm. I've had clutches with worn plates that never engage. A/C clutches, that is.
Have you tapped on the outer hub with the butt-end of a screwdriver yet to see if it re-engages? I don't know why this mechanic wants you to blow 800 bucks for something you may not need (we really know the reason, come on).
Sorry for the late reply. I got a promotion and can't ******* on HT all day anymore at work.
Welcome back! I agree on your assessment of the quotes I received and will definitely tackle this sucker myself. Like yourself, Ive been busy and not focused on this AC issue. The lady suffers on in our mobile sauna.
To answer your question, yes, I tapped on the outside of clutch cover with a wrench. I got the engine bay up to temperature and when I observed the AC stop cooling, I shut the car off and tapped that sucker rigorously. Hard to get leverage from above, but when I turned the engine back on, the AC did work again. But only momentarily. Going to order the clutch set (#4 above) from someplace other than the dealer. But before i do that, I'll test the coil set (#9) by placing a metal rod on the outside of the housing after the AC fails to see verify the coil remains magnetized as it should.
I thought about hitting up the u-pull-it parts honda yard nearby. May still go there but haven't decided. Probably depends on whether or not Im able to determine that the coil functions as it should.
As always, thank you for the comments. I appreciate them tremendously.
Tapping on the outer hub should happen when the car and A/C unit are both running, which is why the plastic handle of a screwdriver is recommended. You don't have to beat the crap out of it, just the same force as knocking on a door. The goal is to bring the clutch momentarily back into spec to pull in to re-engage the compressor. Just be very careful. You don't want the car to throw a screwdriver right back through your face.
I understand the 2006 is on the opposite side, and on the bottom, but it's the same principle:
Thanks for the clarification sumdewd. I am very careful around running engines. I understand the admonition for caution and the consequences of not being so. On the 2006 civic, the clutch and coil are the bottom pulley on the left side of the engine bay; reversed from what I've seen broadcast in some youtube videos I encountered researching the subject. So, yes, you are correct.
I ran the front wheels onto ramps, loosened the lugs on the right front tire, jacked up the same side of the car and set jack stands under the car frame before pulling the tire. I pulled the splash guard, ruining a few of the plastic body clips that I'll have to replace, to access the AC clutch plate. To get the 14mm nut off that sucker without an impact wrench, I used three vice grip pliers to clamp the clutch plate to the lip of the drive pulley. That way the clutch plate didn't free spin while I levered with the hand ratchet. Fortunately the nut wasn't corroded on the thread post so I was able to muscle it off without too much issue. With the plate off, I was able to pull a single factory shim I found from its position at the base of the thread post. For reference, holmesnmanny, this shim was slightly thicker than the thickest feeler gauge blade I have (.025-.027 inches / .635-.686 metric). I sanded the corrosion off the bearing surface of the clutch plate, put that sucker back together, and went for a ride to test.
VICTORY!!!!!
At least temporarily. I know its going to fail again someday, but right now (and for the foreseeable future?) everything works like a charm. I tried to write this episode up in a manner that's easy to follow so the next noob with the same problem that comes along has some reference to work from. If Ive left something out or anyone has additional questions, let me know.
THANK YOU EVERYONE, for the help. It always makes things easier to be guided over the target by experienced help.
Epic, dude. Let us know if you have any other questions or encounter any issues.
One last thing... Did you check that the clutch turns off and on with the button? If the gap is too close where it can't cycle, you risk blowing a pressure relief valve or lead plug and losing refrigerant.
Sumdewd, yes. I forgot to mention that I repeatedly turned the ac on and off while I still had access to the clutch plate. It never stuck but rather engaged and disengaged on demand as it should. I also ran it in hot weather (really hot weather) at full blast for at least an hour. And I periodically checked to make sure the compressor lines were not freezing up. IE, that the unit regulated itself via the evaporator temperature sensor as it was designed to do. It did not remain on full blast as set at the climate control unit, but rather cycled on and off to prevent freezing the lines as it should based on feedback from the temperature sensor.
07-02-2018, 01:35 PM
2006 Civic AC Intermittent Cooling
) I'll be back with a followup. 
Chuckling. Never once have I veered from my ultimate Honda destiny. 
)." This Honda service center flyby has blown out my timeframe to repair/ replace the clutch though. Ill order the new one first of next week as it will be another week before I can nail the car down for a couple of days. I will search the site for recommended parts suppliers. Thanks again. 
Clutches don't necessarily have to make noise to be bad. I've had a bad field coil that's burned fuses instantly. I've had out-of-spec clutches that disengage when warm. I've had clutches with worn plates that never engage. A/C clutches, that is.
in our mobile sauna.
