91 Accord EX

AC blows cold for about 5 minutes, then gradually warms up. If I shut it down for about 30 minutes and restart, it will blow cold for another 5 minutes before warming up.

Any ideas on what the problem is?

 

I would just retrofit the A/C with r134a all that means go to the parts store buy a conversion kit for like 30 bucks get all of the all coolant out of the system either pay a shop to do it or do it the easy way and recharge it.

 

Sounds to me like you're low on freon. Being low can cause it to kick on and off. I would suggest evacuating & recharging first.. while they're doing it, have to put dye in also.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 90accorddx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I would just retrofit the A/C with r134a all that means go to the parts store buy a conversion kit for like 30 bucks get all of the all coolant out of the system either pay a shop to do it or do it the easy way and recharge it.</TD></TR></TABLE>

after the A/C has been retrofitted... does it still work as good as if it had R12? Also what does it involve to retrofit?

 

Yea it sounds as if you need to recharge it. It is really simple to do a retro fit first you have to find the low pressure and high pressure pipes in your engine. Usally they have a cap on them a red and blue one with a L or H on them. You buy the kit and figure out which one screws onto the old cap and then check the pressure of freion in there. (when you buy a kit there should be a PSI gauge with it , use that) now you need to get the old stuff out, thats is the hard part. You can either push the pin down and hope it all comes out (this is not recomend. becuase this old frieon is bad for the air and stuff =/) Other way is rent a vaccum pump from some auto store or whom ever you know has one. When you get that down the rest is easy. Screw then can onto the device and open the value. (NOTE: YOU NEED TO START THE CAR AT THIS POINT!) When you start the car the freion can flow and you will get the right PSI reading. I believe the PSI is suppose to between 20 - 30 PSI but double check the instructions. You will probaly need about 3 cans or so after that thou put on the new cap and go turn on your icy cold A/C. It should be fine and all ready to go! Hope that helped ya

 

Accords hold 1.43 lbs of freon.

How cold your a/c is will be directly related to how close you can get the amount of freon in your system to 1.43lbs

FYI, some gagues are more accurate than others.

As far as retrofitting R-12 to R-134a, the only difference is the price at $19 a pound as opposed to $89 a pound for R-12. Also, the fittings are a different size. That is why you have to buy an adapter kit that basically converts your old fittings to the new kind. Other than that, everything else is the same. They perform equally.

 

There are two possible problems w/ your AC. If it cools well for 5 minutes, recharging may not help.

Presumably when it stops cooling, the clutch of the AC compressor is no longer engaging. Check and confirm.

First and most likely problem is clutch. Clutch coil is either intermittent or clutch gap is too large. Take a stick and rap the face of the clutch (CAREFUL). If the clutch engages and AC begins to cool, then clutch gap must be reduced by removing a shim from behind clutch plate. If clutch does not kick in, then clutch coil may have an intermittent fault that allows the coil to open as it warms. When AC compressor stops disengage the connector to the clutch coil and check resistance. It should be ~4 ohms or so w/ precision VOM. If infinite, the coil has opened and a new clutch coil is needed.

Second possible problem is faulty temperature sensor that is allowing the AC to run continuously until the evaporator freezes solid. If you get misty, wet air and reduced air flow just before cooling stops altogether, then freezeup is likely.

good luck

 

Thanks for the responses.

I'm having other problems with it (engine, suspension, etc.). It's going into the shop next week for a complete inspection.

 

Get freon! I have the some problem right now. Or don't use you AC.

 

If a recharge is required you have a leak in the system.