A/C had been taking longer to cool the car. Last week it stopped putting out any cool air.

I did no investigating, hoping for a Freon issue. I took it to a local repair shop who troubleshot and then changed the compressor clutch fuse (adding zero Freon). It now works great, and I’d say better except it’s doubtful a fuse change would provide more cooling.

The shop however noted the tested amp draw on the compressor at 27.3 peak and 19.2 constant which they noted as way too high. Also they said the relay gets very hot. They predicted the fuse would therefore blow again VERY SOON, after which I would need the “whole A/C works “ replaced.

In 2006 with 82,000 miles a Honda dealer replaced the compressor, condenser, relays, clutch assembly and evacuated and recharged the system for $581. The car now has 135,000 miles – all driven in Las Vegas.

After researching on the Internet it appears that the 2002 CR-V has a long history of A/C issues, and my problems fit the usual scenario. At least I now have more confidence in the local diagnosis.

The local shop wants $1400 for the works and says Honda will charge me $7000. I assume ocally I’ll get a refurbed non-Honda Compressor and a one year warranty.

Any comments on this scenario? Anything else to investigate? Do I really need the works if I can get individual repairs made before an A/C failure? Comments on getting a rebuilt non-Honda unit? Comments on pricing?

 

honda will charge you 7k LOL
what a load of ****...with all the ac issues the 2nd gen crv has if it really cost that much there would have been a class action lawsuit against honda.
just for reference my 03 crv has 130k and i have never had to touch the ac unit

 

For $7000, you could buy another used CRV!

It would help if you ask for line item charges, ask what's exactly causing the issue. If they don't explain to you the real cause, you might end up with unnecessary repairs.

 

I wish I hadn't included the part about the $7K estimate. A quick trip to the dealer would have corrected that. Also I now have 165K so if my AC is pending failure I'll have gotten 85k out of each. Not that I'm happy about it but given it's the only money besides preventive maintenance that I've ever sunk into the car I feel good.

But back to the AC: can anyone help with my other questions?

 

although im a mechanic, i dont have a lot of experience with AC units. The fact that its drawing so much power means that a part is worn out. Im assuming its the compressor. Replacing that one part will likely fix the entire issue. Prior to replacing anything get the line pressure tested and make sure there is proper pressure. Too much is worse than too little.

 

THanks, everyone!

 

He's probably right about it being just the compressor. I've had way too many problems with re-man compressors, I would buy a new one. Also, you should have the dryer bottle changed when you crack the system open, cheap preventative maintenance.