Having some issues with the ac in my 98 civic HX. I tried recharging the system the other day and the compressor clutch isnt even kicking on so i start troubleshooting...

The 20amp "condensor fan" blade fuse in the engine bay was blown so i replaced it. When I turn on the ac nothing happens, the button lights up and all but the ac compressor clutch doesnt kick on and neither does either fan (ac condensor or radiator) what could cause this? Bad relay?

thanks for any help! its friggin hot!

 

civics have a very bad ac system. I had a ek with the same problem and thats one main reason i sold it LOL..its the one on my avatar actually.

u can test the ac compressor to see if the clutch is working. first u have to unplug the ac compressor from the harness. Run a long eletric wire to the plug on the ac comressor plug and make the other end of the wire touch the positve post on the battery. If the ac clutch is good it should engage and make a CLAT sound. If u dont hear nething then ur ac compressor is bad

 

could be a bad pressure switch. check to see if the compressor is getting power, if not check the pressure switch to see if its getting power. if it is most likely its bad or theres a short between the switch and comp.

 

ok ill try these ideas tomorrow, can i get a new pressure switch by itself? would advance auto parts have that or is that more of a honda-dealership only part?

 

advance should have it. but youll have to evacuate the system to install the switch. just unplug the switch and jump it with a paper clip to see if the compressor comes on, if it does you know its the switch, if it doesnt you can diagnose further.

 

ok it was the switch, so the ac is workin but its leaking from somewhere... i think its leaking from the ac radiator thing itself... is that possible?

Wil a 92-95 civic ac radiator swap into a 98 civic? or are the fittings in diff locations? and yea... can the ac radiator itself leak? or should i investigate further and check the lines?

the hissing [leaking sound] is coming from the front of the car on the lower right side, its either the ac radiator itself or the line that runs right in front of it...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by turbotime &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">ok it was the switch, so the ac is workin but its leaking from somewhere... i think its leaking from the ac radiator thing itself... is that possible?

Wil a 92-95 civic ac radiator swap into a 98 civic? or are the fittings in diff locations? and yea... can the ac radiator itself leak? or should i investigate further and check the lines?

the hissing [leaking sound] is coming from the front of the car on the lower right side, its either the ac radiator itself or the line that runs right in front of it...</TD></TR></TABLE>

Glad you got it to come on turbotime.
Yes I'm sure the condenser could be at fault. But the hardlines also have "O" rings in them that can dry out and cause a leak as well. I'd check the lines and the "O" rings & make sure the connections are tight beings your system is empty atm (I Think)?

You might get lucky enough and run across the culprit as easy as I did. (See Pic).



My IC pipe rubbed a hole right through a hardline. I got a new line from Honda for $45.00 and I know I could have gotten it cheaper but I didn't want to wait for an online mail order and we don't have any junkyards around here worth a crap to find one there. Like ya said. "It's Hot" so the sooner I got it going the better

As far as the 92-95 condenser fitting. I don't know about that one.

Good Luck on fixing the A/C