The compressor on my Civic Si was noisy and didn't cool very well and so I decided to replace it. I also replaced the condenser and accumulator, flushed the rest of the system, dried it thoroughly with air. I assembled everything, fresh o-rings, vacuumed it for an hour. It held vacuum, no leaks.

Honda is a little confusing about adding oil to the system. Except for the compressor which came filled with three oz of oil there was no oil left in the system after the flush. The manual doesn't specify the total amount of oil in the system, only components except the compressor. So, adding all the components, I get two oz of oil, plus the three oz in the compressor, which comes to five oz total. After I installed everything, I added 1 1/2 oz of oil through the low side port and 1/2 oz through the high side.

I charged the system (idling, a/c on) to 40 psi low side, 200 psi high side. For a while, fifteen minutes or so, everything looked good then there was a loud pop and the a/c quit, the clutch disengaged. I haven't tested it yet but looks like the compressor clutch gave out. No oil leaks, and it still has pressure in the system.

I have no idea what I did wrong, but I assume something.

If anyone has suggestions on how to add oil to a Civic a/c system after a flush, I'd appreciate any advice you can offer. Or any assistance at all. At this point, I assume the compressor clutch is bad, and I'll need to return it. I plan to reflush the system and start over, but if I've done this incorrectly, I don't want to make the same mistakes again.

Thanks in advance for any assistance anyone can offer.