I have a 01 Civic Ex. The A/C seemed to be working fine up until a few days ago. The compressor isn't locking up. Its free wheelin like the a/c is off.

I checked the fuses both under hood and dash. All are ok. I checked the compressor relay. Swapped the relays around and no changes.

The a/c light turns on and the fans kick on like they are supposed to. I did the HVAC self check thing and it didn't have any codes.

I checked the pressure on the low side and it said around 55? It was a cheap gauge so I can't really say how accurate it is.

Any ideas? Thanks

 

Sounds like the compressor clutch is toast. Might want to have a shop look at it, at the bare minimum.

 

maybe low on frion

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by toyomatt84 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Sounds like the compressor clutch is toast. Might want to have a shop look at it, at the bare minimum.</TD></TR></TABLE>

That'd be what i'd do. Sounds like the clutch has had it.

 

Anyway to say for sure that its the clutch? My guess if I take it to a shop they will just say "needs a compressor" and charge 500+ for it.


I had a problem with a compressor on my Prelude years ago where the clutch was grabbing when it was disengaged and was making a strange noise. But other than that I have no idea to say if the clutch is bad.

Is the clutch failure common?

Thanks

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by s13_240sx_92 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Anyway to say for sure that its the clutch? My guess if I take it to a shop they will just say "needs a compressor" and charge 500+ for it.

Is the clutch failure common?

Thanks</TD></TR></TABLE>

Without looking at it, or a picture, its hard to say. As for it being common, i really dont know mate. I'd imagine it does happen but i wouldn't know how regularly. You may not be able to repair the clutch seperately, meaning a full compressor might be in order, or it might just need the magnetic switch replacing.

I'd go to the shop and say that you believe it is the clutch at fault (blag your way through it: just try to sound like you know what you're talking about), and get someone to look at it just to confirm it. If they think you know your stuff, they're less likely to sting you. Give it a try at a couple of different shops.