jess_95red

Hey all,

My name is Jess and I am new here. Also, I am completely car illiterate. Just thought I would throw that out there.

I drive a '95 Honda Civic DX. The AC was working fine a few weeks ago but I thought the air seemed like it could be cooler and it was taking a long time to get cold.

So my friend offered to have her dad "charge" it for me.
He hooked up a can of freon, said "oh the gauge is telling me that you are actually almost full, I will top it off". So he "topped it off". It didn't really make a difference, AC was still working fine but taking a little while to get nice and cold. Which was fine, I was happy--as long as it was working. I live in Northern Cali and it gets HOT up here!

Anyway, I drove it up to this last Saturday and the AC was working fine. But yesterday on my way home from work it was not blowing any cold air whatsoever, just the air from outside.

Few details:

+For the last year or so there has been a belt that squeals when I turn my AC on. I've just dealt with it, no biggie. But yesterday I did not hear that belt squeal at all.

+Also, everyone keeps telling me I must have a leak. If I had a leak how would my AC have worked for 3 weeks and now it's suddenly malfunctioning?

+When I hit the "AC" Button in my car I DO hear the "click" and the fan kick on or whatever that noise is. So all of that seems to be working just fine.

Thank you in advance for your help! It's hard being a knowledge-less girl when it comes to cars. It also doesn't help that my dad and boyfriend cannot help. They are about as car-savvy as I am!

I REALLY appreciate it

Former User

It's dangerous to just add refrigerant to an A/C system without knowing how to determine whether the refrigerant charge is fine. It's not a simple thing to do.

Have you checked whether the A/C belt has broken?

Does the condenser fan run?

Are the condenser and evaporator fins clogged with debris?

jess_95red

Hi, thanks for the reply!

The A/C belt appears to be operational.

I'm fairly certain the condenser fan runs. Like I said, I'm pretty clueless but I know that all belts/fans/etc seem to be going. When I hit the "AC" button on the dash it makes a very distinct "click" sound and the fan turns on. But it is simply blowing the air from outside.

I, however, am not sure if the condenser/evap fins are clogged with debris.

I just called a local AC guy up the street and he is going to take a look at it and give me an estimate at 2:30 so I will post an update

azzazel_9

sounds like you might be missing a a/c belt. Mine is starting to make some noise time to time so its about time to replace it. I would start with checking the A/C belt to ensure its still there at all.

Former User

Check whether the compressor clutch engages. Step 4 here:

https://honda-tech.com/forums/showpo...70&postcount=8

jess_95red

I just went to my AC guy, very knowledgeable, he only had a few minutes to look over it and said that everything seems to be in working order but I am going to need to bring it in tomorrow so he can break out the gauges and check the pressure. He rubbed his finger over the fan and there was some oily condensation and he said that could be a sign of a leak.

He also said that since my friends dad charged my AC when it was already close to full that it could have caused something to blow and that's what could have possibly caused the leak in the first place.

I'm just wondering, how much do you guys think it will cost to diagnose and repair a leak if that is indeed the issue? I don't know any car savvy people that can help so I am left with the unfavorable option of paying someone to do it.

Thanks!

Former User

Ask him what the cost estimate is before you allow him to do the work. Get it in writing. Post the estimate.

Based on what you are saying, the mechanic needs to leak test the system and pinpoint the leak site. He then needs to recover the refrigerant, fix/replace the leaking component(s), replace the receiver/dryer, evacuate, and recharge with oil and refrigerant.

jess_95red

Ok, will do Ron. Thank you!

jess_95red

Ok.

So, not good nor bad news really but I'm hoping you guys can provide me with some insight.

I brought my car to the AC guy this morning. He just called me and told me "well, you were completely out of Freon and I filled you up. I'm hoping there was some kind of hiccup when that guy topped you off but I have a feeling your compressor might have a leak because it's really dirty in that area which can be a sign of leakage. But I will cross my fingers that is not the case because that could be a $700-$800 fix. Come see me if you start blowing warm again".

NOOOO! Now I'm going to stress out non-stop. I'm really worried about this. It's not even worth it to fix it if that's the case...

Former User

I'm confused. Did the mechanic recharge the system without doing a simple leak test? There's no need to guess.

jess_95red

Yeah, I don't think he did the leak test...

Former User

He's a bad A/C mechanic - sees all the signs of a refrigerant leak yet does not test for one.

Any competent A/C guy owns a very sensitive electronic probe that can detect a refrigerant leak in a matter of seconds. Take your car to a better A/C shop and have them probe for a refrigerant leak. Tell the shop what has occurred up to that point.

jess_95red

Ok. What a bummer. I will take my car to a different AC shop.

I'm wondering though, Ron, in your opinion--it must be a leak, am I right? Or is there anything else that could have caused my Freon to be empty? Is it possible that the gentleman who "topped me off" a few weeks ago may have left something open or done something that may have caused this? The mechanic said that may have been the case but at this point I don't really trust him.

Former User

Almost surely.

In addition, if the system was truly empty, then the mechanic should have first pulled a deep vacuum to remove air and moisture, which would have entered the system after the refrigerant leaked out. This must be done prior to adding the proper weight of refrigerant and volume of oil because air/moisture is bad for the A/C system.

It's really not worth guessing at this point. Start by taking your car to a competent A/C shop and having the system leak tested and possibly performance tested.