So my air conditioning in my 01 Accord V6 Coupe isnt working. I swapped the relay and that didnt work. I took my meter and went from the first verticle prong spot in fuse block which I was told is the 12V source for the compressor when you hit the a/c button on the dash. I turned the a/c on in the car and went out and used the meter to check voltage and got nothing. I also noticed that when I hit the button on the dash that the fans do not come on but after sitting there idling for a while they will both kick on to cool down the motor and then shut off. Any ideas?

 

The fact that the cooling fans do not come on when the A/C is pressed normally points to a refrigerant level that is very low or zero. The pressure switches inhibit the compressor and the fan from operating.

I would check your refrigerant level with a manifold gauge or a refrigerant recovery machine, along with any leaks that may exist.

When did this problem start, and when was the last time the system worked?

 

The a/c hasn't worked for about 4 years now and I've just dealt with it. I've finally decided to fix it while I'm putting money elsewhere into the car because in the winter it's really hard to defrost the windows. When I opened one of the ports I pushed down on the straitor valve and heard a pssstt. Not sure if it's air or refrigerant. Okay I'll go to the store and grab some and try to put it in. I believe a few years back I tried this and if I remember correctly I couldn't get any into the system. I'll let you know how I made out! Thank you!

 

So I went to advance auto and put the entire can of 134a in the low port of the a/c and the car blows cold and it's working fine...I'm assuming that since it was completely empty that I have leak and before it all leaks out that I need to search for the leak. Is there a UV light that I need to buy or anything? Thank you for your input

 

You would need to put some dye into the system first. So if you want you can have a shop evacuate the system. Then add some dye to the system with a full charge and buy some goggles to look for the leak. If you're lucky the leak is visible. Then evacuate again, fix the leak and pull a vacuum to see if it holds vacuum.

 

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The most common points of failure on V6 Accords are the high pressure port near the hood latch, and the condenser fittings on the front of the vehicle along with the condenser unit itself (due to road impact damage). Still, you should use a dye tracer to identify the leak. Replacing the valve core caps, and the valve cores in both the high and low pressure sides would be a good idea given the age of the vehicle, as these are by far and away the most common place for refrigerant to leak. The compressor shaft seal would be a close second.