xsRevelation

i spent the last two days reading almost everything i could find on a/c problems and tests. Now i came to the conclusion that maybe the ecu is not grounding the a/c relays. Has this happened to anyone else or am i just going crazy? Is there a way to test this?

Former User

What tests have you done so far?

Does the condenser fan run? Does the compressor clutch engage?

xsRevelation

Just the man i've been looking for lol. Ok heres a list of what ive done so far using your info from other posts. Oh and both fan and compressor not operating with the a/c button on.

1st: I manually engaged the clutch with the car off and it clicked

2nd: I manually engaged the clutch to test the freon level and im good there. I used a a/c psi gauge for that n it was within operating ranges

3rd: I checked both condenser fan and clutch relays and both tested good.

4th: I took the clutch relat out and made a jumper wire and clutch engaged and ran

5th: Did the same for the fan and ran as well

6th: I put a jumper on the pressure switch (i guess thats what u call it Blu/white and Blu/Red) nothing happened. once i grounded out the blu/red the clutch engaged and ran

xsRevelation

i dont know if this matters with the a/c or not but i just purchased this car sunday and the cel was on. took it to autozone and they said #1 miss fire #2 miss fire #3 miss fire #4 miss fire and all cylenders miss fire. i came to the conclusion it was the distributer cap and rotor causing the problem replaced them both and now it runs perfect w no hesitation. i reset the cel light n now im waiting to see if the cell will come back or not. i do know that it is encoded in the ecu now so i'll what happens n ill go from there

Former User

^You may want to replace the plug wires and plugs as well.

The ECU is fine.

If you ground the Blu/Red wire at the rear of the heater control panel, does the condenser fan run and the compressor clutch engage?

xsRevelation

i did a full tune up on it today. plugs, wires, distributer, rotor, oil (mobil 1 10W 30), everthing else looked good.


And no i havent tried that test yet. will do first thing tomorrow. Is the 14P located on the ECU?

Former User

It plugs into the rear of the heater control panel:

xsRevelation

but what i did do was gound out i belive the blu/red conection at the clutch relay port n wedged the relay back in and both the fan and clutch engaged. im not sure if that is the same kinda test your talking about

xsRevelation

but no havent done that yet guess i get to tear some stuff up tomorrow

Former User

Your test^ clearly showed that the A/C system and ECU are fine. The test I am suggesting is attempting to determine whether a faulty A/C thermostat or heater control panel is causing the problem.

xsRevelation

right on man i really apriciate the help

xsRevelation

^now do i do this test wit the a/c button on or off? or does it matter?

Former User

Just engine running.

Unplugging the heater control panel disables the A/C switch, which then becomes irrelevant. Grounding the Blu/Red wire in the 14P connector should be the same as pushing the A/C button on. If the A/C thermostat is fine, then the A/C will blow cold when the wire is grounded. If so, the heater control panel is bad. If not, it's time to test the A/C thermostat and some wires.

xsRevelation

alright im bout to do this in about 2 sec n ill letu know

xsRevelation

Alright stuck a #18 or so solid wire in the green connecter (pretty far in) when the blu/red w silver dots was n grounded it out n no change

xsRevelation

*where not when

xsRevelation

Alright i did this next:

right behind the glove box there was a three pin connector (blu/red blu/wht black/yel) i took the blu/red and blu/wht and made a jumper and the a/c kicked on (HELL YA!!) so if im not mistaken the thermostat is bad.

Former User

Good job. One more test is needed ---> If the Blk/Yel wire in the thermostat connector has battery voltage with the key in ON(II), then replace the thermostat.

If you are feeling ambitious, you could even directly show that the thermostat is bad:

xsRevelation

oh yeah meant to pu that in there yes the blk/yel has 12+v when the key is onII. is there a diagram on here on how to get to the thermostat? and is it ok to run it with the blu/red and blu/wht jumped. honda wants $113 for a new thermostat and i wont have it till next week

xsRevelation

and what book are these diagrams from? Is it a service manual?

Former User

The OEM thermostat costs about $20 at Majestic Honda, not including shipping and handling.

You should be able to replace the thermostat without removing the evaporator (see diagram from service manual).

You really don't want to run the A/C without a working thermostat. The A/C will run continuously, which will lead to the evaporator becoming encased in a block of ice. This will prevent the A/C from working and could damage the evaporator.

xsRevelation

I'm voting you for the next super hero movie

xsRevelation

replaced the thermostat and now everything runs perfectly. thanks RonJ@HT

Former User

Because I live in Houston, my life revolves around A/C, so I can guess how happy you must be.

xsRevelation

I'm in Dallas so i know exactally how it is when it comes to a/c. A/C is better than gold on those 100+ degree days