Flatland2D

'98 Honda Civic EX.

Over a year ago a mechanic told my wife her compressor was going bad so they unplugged it. Lately it's been over 100 degrees and we really need that A/C working again. She bought a used Sanden compressor off eBay and I changed it out today.

I get the system vacuumed out and recharged, only to find it squeels unbearably loud, mostly at idle. It's also not producing any cold air. First thought was that I got screwed buying this crappy compressor, but maybe there is something I'm doing wrong. The engine doesn't really bog down too much when switching the A/C on, so I'm inclined to think that this noise isn't from the belt slipping, but I did not visually confirm this. This only happens when the A/C is switched on.

What I'm wondering is if I overcharged the system and if that could cause the problems I'm having. I put in a can of R-134A (12oz) that included oil (3oz). The A/C tag on the car said it holds 22 oz so I just put the whole can in and didn't worry too much about what the pressure read. It's from one of those do-it-yourself kits and I am suspect of it's accuracy, but it did read higher than it should have. One reason I don't trust this gauge is that I just fixed the A/C in my car and the gauge showed a full charge in just a couple of seconds of adding refrigerant at a slow rate. It wasn't even enough for the compressor to kick in.

Any suggestions? Should I trust the gauge and let out a little refrigerant down to a "normal" pressure. Or, is the used Sanden a piece of junk? Would there be any problem in putting the old compressor back in and using it until it fails? Would it damage anything if it does fail, or would it be okay to just let it go and replace it when it's time. Reason is I don't trust mechanics and don't know what this guy was looking at when he decided it was going out. He said it was robbing maybe 50hp (from an engine only producing around (130hp). I drove it around previously with the old compressor in and operating and it didn't feel like it was bogging down much.

Please help!

needforvtec

damn hondas.... I was a victim myself. I bought a civic CX 97 last year and the onwner told me that the ac clutch was bad when he took it in to a local shop. The AC clutch would only kick in whenever it wanted to. So when I bought it, I bought a used sanden ac compressor of EBAY and swapped it out. AFter i swapped out the compressors the problem was still there. I cound't take the summer heat so I just recently sold the car a few weeks ago.

The sqeaking might come from the belt...you might of have tighten too much. Also,
What you should do is test the compressor to see if its at fault. Run a wire to the connector of your ac compressor and touch the other end of the line to the positive side of the battery wiht the compressor grounded. If you hear a click then the AC clutc his fine and its not ur ac clutch.

about charging the system...I wouldnt trust the DIY kits. I would take in to a shop to make sure everything is done rite. good luck.

Hondaman56

Tough break man. The squeeling is the belt becuase the replacement compressor is seizing. The motor should not bog down at all or idle roughly. Those are the biggest signs of a compressor dying. I'm wondering how you drew and held a vacume for 30 minutes to test for system leaks. If you did in fact do this then there would be nothing left in the system as the evac removes everything. Therefore your one can and 3 oz of oil are nowhere near enough. If the system was discharged leaving residual oil and refrigerant in the system and you did not have it evacuated and vacume tested then there is no way to know how much PAg oil and refigerant is in the system and how much you need to add. AC systems are very particular, like women, they want and need to be handled in a certain manner or you get nothing out of them.
Never buy a used compressor. One can take a chance of getting a good one if you get a return warranty. At least get a good remanufactured one with a 1 year warranty. With a used one its a total unknown and you still go through all that work and its ends up being a waste of time and money for you. 90% of the time AC system failure is caused by the compressor failing. Its really the only mechanical part in the system besides a switch or two (thermal and pressure). They (compressors) have to be properly primed with PAG oil and once the system is opened up, you really should replace the dryer at the very least. If the old compressor was failing and sent debris into the system, the system must be flush cleaned to remove the contaminants, or your setting yourself up for failure.

Flatland2D

Thanks for the good info. The vacuum pump was borrowed from a friend. It reached pretty close to a vacuum in about a minute but I left it running for about 50 minutes as recommended.

I realize buying the used compressor was a bad idea. I'm going to try and get my money back (hopefully PayPal will pull through) and I'll kick a little more money towards a brand new compressor. I didn't replace the dryer but will do that when I get the new compressor in.

So it sounds like I'd really be taking a chance using the old, possibly bad, compressor. Would it be possible to test it out when I take off this crappy, used eBay one, and put the original one back on without charging it with refrigerant (too expensive just to find out it really is going out)? Couldn't I just run the A/C for a couple seconds to see if the engine bogs down at all, or is that not going to give me an accurate diagnosis?

What does a flush usually consist of? Since I have access to a vacuum pump, is this something I could do myself?

Thanks for the help. I appreciate it.

Hondaman56

Look into the old original compressor. If it is black or dark gray in there it was low on oil and was self destructing. Try to spin the pulley (core) and see if it spins easily. If the pulley spins and turns the guts OK without drag you may be able to flush it out and refill. Just make sure you evacuate the system completely and add all oil and refigerant so you are sure of getting the right about of both in the system. If you do this change the dryer its about $67.

If the car has a lot of miles on it, you may want to flush the whole system. It will take a Saturday to do, but its not undoable. A decent remanufactured compressor will save you a few bucks. Shops can flush the system all at once with a huge machine. Us DIY folks have to take the system apart and do the individual pieces. I ordered a remanufactured compressor, a new Condensor, new dryer and all new O Rings. Took everything out of the car except the Evaporator. I used non-residue brake cleaner and sprayed it into each of the hoses and blew them out with compressed air. Do this until it blows out clean. The compressor came shipped with a little oil in it, drain it dry. Find out how much PAG oil your system uses and buy that much. As you install each piece back in the car replace any O rings and put a little PAG oil in it. When you install the compressor, put the rest of the PAG oil in it before you install the manifold and give it a few spins to distribute the oil. Draw a vacume and hold for 30 minutes. If no change you have a closed system. Charge it up or have it charged. Just be sure of you take it to a shop for the vacume and charge you tell them you put X ounces of oil in it already not to add oil unless they evacuate. Should run like a charm.

This is what is involved. Go to this link and watch the Power Point presentation I did on my 1994 Accord rebuild. The Civic will not be much different except in parts size and location. The general idea and process is the same:

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/...R.PPS




Modified by Hondaman56 at 1:21 PM 7/26/2006