Hey everyone. The a/c in my '87 Integra suddenly quit working. One day it worked, although the air was not very cool at all, and the next day when I hit the on/off swith, nothing. Not a sound. I havent yet taken it to the local Honda dealer (no Acura dealers within 50 miles). Does anyone have any (educated) guesses as to what might make the a/c system suddenly stop? could it just be the switch? low/no freon in the system? dead condensor? No signs of leaks that I can see. Just looking for ideas. thanks very much.

 

Try to check if the A/C unit still comes on when you press the buttom. I had the A/C die in my old '85 Accord. Even though it didn't work, if you pressed the A/C button, the revs would still drop and I'd have less power. So in my case I think the A/C compressor went, but it would still be "on" if I pressed the button. You might have a freon leak, that would explain the lack of coolness. But just the same, you said it makes no sound at all? That actually might be good. Perhaps its a simple electrical gremlin that needs to be fixed. Be careful about driving around with broken A/C though. When mine broke I was driving around one day when the A/C compressor caught on fire! Somehow the compressor not working/yet still rotating was enough to burn out the bears inside of it, causing enough friction to catch on fire! And one small piece of advice. You mentioned that there is no Acura dealership within 50 miles of where you live. If I were you, I'd NEVER take it to an Acura dealership unless the problem is very specific. The charge you a crapload of money, way more than a Honda dealership (which isn't cheap either). They mark up parts more, and charge more for labor. The quality of work you get is the same, and usually the Honda dealership can take care of any problem.

 

You may have a slow leak. I am not sure about the TEG but some AC units will not turn on if the freon is low. It is a way of protecting the unit. Any automotive AC place should be able to check a few simple things like the Freon level and overall system functions.

 

thanks, MattG

 

thanks for the advice, Dawsonb