David Civic

Hi, thanks in advance for your help

Over the past few months a propeller like sound was coming from the engine area whenever my A/C was turned on. A mechanic diagnosed it to be the air compressor on its way out. During the diagnosis the mechanic replaced the 3 belts on my car. I had him leave the A/C alone.

Yesterday my A/C stopped working. The fan still blows, but cold air no longer comes out of the vents. I also hear a crackling, propeller like sound coming from the engine area even when the A/C is completely off. I'm concerned that the A/C compressor or whichever part is failing, is loose and knocking against other components in the engine. Does this sound about right?

The mechanic quoted me $1000 to replace the A/C system and I can't afford that now. How can I remove the A/C compressor myself? Is it a difficult task? Will this have any adverse effect on my car? The weather is cooling off so I don't necessarily need to replace it right away. I would still like to use my fan if possible??

I did some research and to replace the A/C I need to (1) recover the refrigerant (can I do this or do I need to?) (2) disconnect suction and discharge lines from the compressor (3) remove the condenser (4) remove the A/C compressor belt (5) remove the compressor.

A lengthy set of steps, but again I just plan to remove the compressor and go without A/C for awhile. Any advice on this process that honda-tech users can provide would be awesome. Thanks a bunch!

-David

Former User

You first should verify that the compressor is bad. Start by pinpointing the noise. Open the hood with the engine idling and post a picture of what seems to be producing the noise. In addition, you could remove the A/C belt to see whether the noise is eliminated.

driftpasucks

the clutch on the ac pump might have exploded.... take the belt off and see if you can rotate the pump freely. and check the clutch by spinning the pulley while holding the center. it should be able to move.

David Civic

The noise was coming from the compressor. It seems the cap at the end of the compressor is loose. It rotates freely. See the images attached. The arrow points to the loose part and then I have a close-up picture. This all took place when the A/C was off.

When I turned the A/C on, it got a bit noisier and I noticed a new squeaking sound.. Let me know what you think. Thanks for your help

David Civic

Thanks for your reply. Where would I find the A/C pump?

Former User

A/C pump = the compressor

Former User

Is the A/C refrigerant level still full? Do you see any oil or refrigerant leaking from the compressor? Use the illustration to tell us exactly what is loose on the compressor. When you rotate the pulley versus clutch, which is loose and makes noise? You may need to remove the A/C belt for this inspection.

Depending on your answers, it's possible that only the armature plate and/or coil needs to be replaced. Is the center nut loose? This work can be done without removing the entire compressor.

David Civic

The refrigerant levels are full and I don't see any evidence of leaking. The Armature plate is definitely loose. It rotates freely when I move it with my hand. I checked the center nut and it is tightly fastened. I also noticed that the rotor pulley (and field coil? - I'm not sure if that lies within or outside the rotor pulley) seems slightly loose and will become ajar if you put a little pressure on it in the direction of away from the compressor.

I don't have the proper tools to take the A/C compressor belt off now, and I was not able to rotate the pulley with it on. I'll pick up those tools tomorrow.

Is it safe to drive my car in the mean time? From my observation, when the A/C is off it's just loose compressor pieces, but I don't want to risk any damage to my engine.

Another question... I'm a newbie mechanic What parts are safe to move in order to get better access to the a/c compressor area?

Former User

Because the compressor makes noise even with the A/C off, you probably should remove the A/C belt before driving the car. This may prevent further damage to the compressor.

Former User

If you are lucky, the compressor itself is fine and only certain parts of the clutch mechanism will need to be replaced. If so, it should be possible to complete the repair without disconnecting the compressor refrigerant lines. Note that the latter would avoid the need to drain the refrigerant, replace the receiver/dryer, evacuate, and recharge the system.

I think you have a Sanden compressor. This should help:

driftpasucks

NICE!!!!!!!! this is what is called what should happen on a forum! i wish i saw things like this more often online. i dont mean the pics (which are wonderful for him) i just mean the fact that you took the time to post all of that for him instead of say "use the search butten". good job man and high 5

Weifast

I commend you RonJ on your willingness to help. If only there were more people like this in the world, it be a greater place, rather then all the e-arguing and flaming on honda-tech nowadays -_-

hondamark35

a 12mm or 14mm wrench and a 10mm socket w/ and extension should get the belt off of the pulleys without needing to remove anything else. then, like you can see in the PDF image (first page, under #7) you need to remove the two 14mm bolts holding the torque mount to the bottom of the frame rail so you can slide the belt off in one peice.

if it helps, you can pull down the splash shield on the driver's side when you're getting the mount loose. just a few plastic clips...

you can move the p/s pump... but i wouldn't waste my time doing that. just loosen and remove the P/S belt so you can get the A/C belt past it on the crank pulley.

if it were an old belt, i'd say just cut it off... but i think you said it was brand new. that's worth keeping

Vindicator9000

Just remove the belt. That will stop the compressor from turning, and you won't have to vent any refrigerant to the atmosphere... and it will save you money for when you eventually get the compressor replaced, because they can reuse it.

Really though, it just sounds like you need a clutch kit. About $100 from majestic honda, and you don't have to remove any refrigerant or anything. That replaces the coil, snap rings, shims, pulley, and armature plate. Or, do what I did, and snag an armature plate from a junkyard for $2. You don't have to replace the rest if it's not in bad shape.

Also, it's possible to get the armature plate off without the clutch holder... just very difficult... I know, I took one off in a junkyard while it was off the car. If you have air tools, it's pretty easy to spin off with an impact.

jwm4

Kudos to RonJ@HT for his outstanding contributions (detailed diagrams, instructions and observations), as well as the OP for his photos and detailed description of problems, what worked, what did not, etc. As another noted, this is a model for how all "solutions" should be posted, whether on forums, blogs, websites or anywhere else. Thank you very much!