froggystyle

98 civic lx 4dr auto, 250k bone stock.

we have had the car for 5 months and 2 months ago the CEL came on so i tested it. it was the TCC code. so we have been taking it easy. well, last week the a/c stopped blowing cold air. 2 days later we start smelling a burnt metal smell. got home and heard the a/c compressor making noise so i just cut the belt and the noise and smell stopped. drove it for a couple of a days like that until i could put a new compressor on. well the check engine light went away by it self and the car started shifting great with no problems. WOW, a bad a/c compressor threw a torque converter circuit control CEL.. hmmmmmmm i thought i was getting lucky. got the new compressor and put it on, charged it properly, new belt and with in a hour the CEL came back on, the same TCC code. And the a/c is not cold at all. i need some help. this is the car for my wife and kids and i need the a/c working and tranny shifting properly. HELP!!!!!!!!!

froggystyle

the heater valve cable is just fine, a/c clutch kicks on and off like it should, a/c condensor fan works propperly

B18C5-EH2

A TCC code P0740 is for an internal problem with the torque converter and automatic transmission - it is merely coincidental that the check engine light is coming on in conjunction with A/C function. The only correlation I can imagine is the slightest bit of extra load on the engine that the A/C provides is possibly causing an extra load on the transmission/torque converter, which triggers the TCC P0740 code more easily.

A P0740 code is a strange code in that some cars throwing it are 100% asymptomatic, meaning they drive just fine, while others throwing the code do not pull at all or drive like total crap.

As far as your a/c not blowing cold that's going to to be next to impossible to diagnose:

- Over the internet

- Without a proper a/c machine that evacuates and puts the proper amount of charge in the system

Also if the compressor took a total dump then it's likely the receiver drier and/or the expansion valve were compromised by metal from the compressor circulating through the system. I'd also be concerned about the rubber suction and discharge hoses.

How did you have the a/c recharged after the compressor job?

froggystyle

i bought a recharge kit from autozone. my lil gauge says 36-40 on the low side. i can understand the code being thrown cause of the bad compreessor but with a new one??

froggystyle

so i should also check/replace the reciever/dryer?? i can not picture where the expansion valve is. can you help

B18C5-EH2

You might have a blockage in the system somewhere, which could cause an extremely high pressure on the high side, and low pressure (or even a vacuum being pulled) on the low side.

You might have to pay a shop to hook up a real a/c machine and see what's going on with those pressures.

...and again man I cannot see an actual correlation between a/c compressor and TCC malfunction. Either way I think you'll be buying a replacement transmission and torque converter sooner rather than later if a bit of strain from the a/c system is enough to strain the system to trigger that code.

B18C5-EH2

The expansion valve is inside the dashboard of the vehicle behind the glovebox, on the casing for the evaporator core. I'll be back with an exploded diagram showing what I'm talking about...

froggystyle

well my dad has the correct a/c machine to use, hes is just on the road so i might have to wait until he gets home.

i can see a blockage cause the compressor went belly up with metals sounds so i might look at that route. as for the expansion valve.. where is that at

B18C5-EH2

Receiver dryer acts as a "filter" in many ways when a compressor takes a dive - the drier is #12 seen in this pic:



Link to the pic and parts with prices is HERE <--- clickable

I'm trying to track down a pic of the expansion valve, but Honda's way of listing parts in their parts diagrams is screwy...I'll be back.

B18C5-EH2

Found it - expansion valve is #12 in this pic:



...and the clickable link to price the stuff out is HERE - shows the expansion valve to cost $49.67 from Majestic Honda. I'd get the Genuine Honda expansion valve as aftermarket ones don't always fit.

Most of the crap shown in this diagram must be accessed by removing the glovebox in the dash, and digging in from there. Unfortunately you'll want to evacuate the system before removing the evap box to get to the expansion valve. It's probably a good idea to flush out the evaporator core too to rid it of potential contaminants from the fried compressor.

froggystyle

thanks for the help. i will attempt this week and let you know