Lcivic95

I have a 1995 Honda Civic dx manual trans. I have replaced EVERYTHING in my ac unit. The condensor, condensor fan, compressor, dry vac, pipes and tubing, evaporator and expansion valve, pressure switch and relays as well. But my ac is running when it's morning but when it gets warm or hot outside the ac keeps on shutting off while driving and on idle. It has been vacuumed out multiple times and refilled but still can't figure what's causing the problem it keeps on turning on and off.

Former User

Who recharged the system with oil and refrigerant (R134a)?

Describe the vacuum procedure.

mk378

Condenser fan must run at all times the compressor is engaged.

If the idle speed drops too low (clogged dirty IACV or whatever reason), the ECU will drop out the compressor to prevent stalling. The condenser fan continues to run in that case.

General shutting off without an over pressure / under speed condition existing could be the control panel. The control panel grounds a wire to the thermostat to call for A/C. If the evaporator is not overly cold (to prevent ice up), the thermostat passes the ground to the pressure switch, then the condenser fan relay and the ECU.

Clutch gap too wide (which can happen even on a new compressor) causes intermittent engagement of the clutch especially when the coil is hot.

Lcivic95

yeah they used the right one. I went to Shop to get it done

Former User

So you really don't know what was done. Have you taken the car back to the shop and requested that they fix the problem? Sounds like you've already paid them a lot of money.

Lcivic95

yeah paid a lot of money to replace everything. They connected a vacuum to the high and low pressure and then they vacuumed it for overnight and they recharged it.

Former User

You paid for a working A/C system. Are they refusing to give you what you paid for? If so, file a claim in small claims court. Judges are usually sympathetic to car owners who have been scammed mechanics.

Lcivic95

how would you fix the clutch gap too wide? Yeah they went through a lot of parts replacing the Evap and compressor four times and same with the condensor.

Lcivic95

no they are still trying to figure out what can be wrong with it. They are just confused because everything was replaced with new parts. They even replaced some parts three times. So they don't understand why the ac is going on and off. I took it to Meineke

chrysler kid

It's either your expansion valve or they are over filling the ac system.

If I had to guess, the shop cut a corner and didn't replace your expansion valve. It requires removing the glove box and removing the big black evaporator core.


Your next step is to call the shop and ask for a refund so that you can take it to a shop that will fix the problem for you, since they obviously don't know what they are doing

Of the 4 civics I've had this year, 3 of them had bad expansion valves causing pressure surge and cutting off the compressor like you are describing. FYI I was able to fix all of them with a $23 expansion valve, $16 drier, and about 2 cans of freon. Cost me less than $60 and 3 hours of time

Former User

This is not a technical thread.

It's a bad shop thread...a very bad shop. Become a smarter customer.

It's not your job to figure out the problem. Tell Meineke to fix it. Period. Call a Meineke area supervisor and discuss the problem with him/her. Demand a new, more experienced A/C mechanic be put on the job. You paid a lot of money to have a working A/C system.

If they tell you they can't fix it, demand all of your money back, and return of all the original A/C parts. My guess is that they replaced many parts unnecessarily.

Lcivic95

expansion valve was replaced. I mean everything is brand new. That's why it's so puzzling why it keeps on messing up. Also is it normal in idle that the compressor goes on and off?

Lcivic95

I don't know if it's normal for it to run on and off during idle. It maintaining the coolness of the car but the compressor goes on and off during idling

chrysler kid

It is not normal. The compressor should be running constantly, or only occasional disengagement to keep the evaporator from freezing over

The ac system of a honda civic is really simple. You can research how it works, and we can go into detail, but again the fact is the shop should know how to fix this problem.

The shop isn't going to take a customers advice. Call their store manager and ask for a refund because they are unable to fix the problem. If they offer to fix it again tell them it is the last time you will drop it off, and when you come back for it you want it fixed or a full refund. If their store manager refuses ask for meinekes corporate phone number.

You should not have to pay, or research a problem you paid them to fix, that's the bottom line.

Former User

PM me when you've given the store or area manager an opportunity to respond. When you have his/her response, PM me and I'll re-open your thread so you can give an update.