In the last week or so, my A/C decided to stop working. The car is 93 EX 2 dr, with 295k on it, with, I believe, the original A/C compressor. The A/C has never been great in this car, but it has always worked. I started noticing the A/C belt slipping on Christmas eve, going down the interstate in the rain. It finally stopped working at some point between that day and yesterday.

I started doing some troubleshooting yesterday with my multimeter and Helms manual. I established that all the related fuses were OK, the condenser fan was working, and that the thermostat on the evaporator was working fine. I ran into some problems testing the condenser fan and compressor clutch relays and due to some errors in my helms pdf manual (wire colors were labeled wrong). I skipped those, but figured out which wires to jump to force the compressor to kick on. It did kick in, but nearly stopped the engine doing so. It also made a horrible screeching sound.

Is it possible the clutch could have went out, and not the compressor? Is there a way to check this? I'd much rather replace the clutch than the compressor and all that does along with it.

 

Try turning the outer-most plate on the compressor by hand. If it turns smoothly the compressor is probably not seized.
I opted to change the entire clutch/compressor unit when my belt started slipping/sqealing, but then you have to open the system and recharge, which opens up a whole new set of challenges.
The thing with changing the clutch is you need some special tools that are pricey and not the easiest to find (to do it right). The clutch itself can be pricey, and then you have a nice new clutch on a ~20 year old compressor that "has never been great". Plus if the compressor does totally let go, your entire system can become contaminated.
I changed my compressor/clutch, receiver drier, and condenser and charged the system with the correct amount of oil and refrigerant by weight, and my A/C is ice freakin' cold.

 

From a past experience (multiple experiences) when that happens the system is overcharged (doesn't seem like that in this case) or the compressor is bad. If the clutch was bad it would slip like an dog on an ice rink. When the compressor goes out you need to replace the receiver drier and either clean the condenser or replace it (easier to replace) and i know that from my refrigeration experience. After twenty years it's time to replace.


Posted from Honda-tech.com App for Android

 

Forgot to mention this, there is no refrigerant left in the system at all. Nothing came out of either service port when I pushed down on the valve.

Can a compressor fail dramatically enough that it releases all the freon from the system?

 

This^ together with the fact that system has no refrigerant in it suggest that the compressor has seized internally. If so, the fix is to replace the compressor after flushing the system of metal debris and replacing the receiver/dryer.

 

You don't think I killed the compressor by jumping the terminals and forcing it to start, do you? I'm gonna be super pissed at myself if that's the case.

I figured that, at the bare minimum, I'd have to replace those two. What about the expansion valve?

 

I think the compressor just failed, not user error.

Good idea. Also consider replacing the condenser.