I have a 94 NSX with just over 20K miles. Recently, the A/C will suddenly quit and not restart until I shut off the motor and restart. It is intermittent. I have checked all fuses--not a problem. I don't know if this is a relay starting to fail or not. The Acura dealer isn't able to provide any experience or advice on thsi one.

Anyone have any aideas?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsx_guy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The Acura dealer isn't able to provide any experience or advice on thsi one.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Niello Acura, where I assume you are having your car serviced, has tons of NSX service experience. If they can't figure it out - and if they tried asking the Techline service at Acura HQ - I doubt that anyone else is going to be able to help (although it never hurts to ask).

I hate those damn intermittent electrical problems. They often turn out to be a worn or shorted wire somewhere that's next to impossible to trace...

 

nsxtasy’s advice is good, as usual. However, if you want to try to fix the problem yourself, I’ve had a similar problem and might be able to help point you in the right direction. I need to know...

1) When you say “the A/C will suddenly quit,” I assume you mean the air quits blowing, not necessarily that the A/C compressor is not doing it’s job. Is this correct?

2) Does this occur even when you have fan speed set to the fastest setting?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ojas &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">2) Does this occur even when you have fan speed set to the fastest setting?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Good question to ask. The reason ojas is asking is that there is a known problem (TSB 92-007) in which the A/C only works when the fan is on high. If you haven't tried that, and you find that it still works with the fan on high, then you can go to the TSB for assistance in fixing it.

 

It tends to work like this.
I will start the car and either turn on the A/C or just the fan for air flow. After a few minutes, sometimes very few, sometimes 20 minutes, the whole climate control part of the console goes dead. No LED lights, no fan, nothing. After I stop and restart, the climate control starts up perfectly and then repeats the drill.

The radio continues to work. No other symptoms.

I did open the relay box under the hood, but can't determine which relay is associated. Checked for wet (the car has never seen rain) but gets washed frequently. Nothing unusual.

Any hints would be appreciated.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The reason ojas is asking...</TD></TR></TABLE>

Actually, this is a 94 NSX so the TSB should not apply. However, you’re right: I was just trying to isolate the cause of the problem. The same symptom described in the TSB (Vents Only Blow On High) is often caused by failure on the climate control board or a relay. If this was the cause of the problem, I would check the relay, then check the board, and have it repaired (around $100) instead of replaced (around $650), if needed.

Since this appears to be a different problem:

There’s a pretty complete troubleshooting procedure in the service manual. You can download a copy here. For future reference, you can find it by following the link in the NSX FAQ sticky at the top of this forum, then click Reference, and then 1991 NSX Service Manual.

In your case, I would start with the procedure on 22-38, but be sure to check the general troubleshooting chart on page 22-14. Since you are having an intermittent problem (one that might be related to an intermittent short), it’s going to be harder to determine the cause since you need basically need to open up the center console and disconnect the climate control unit when you are experiencing the problem.

Another option, would be to rule out the climate control unit by temporarily substituting your climate control unit (or just the board that’s in the black box part of the climate control unit) for a good one. If that solves your problem, have it replaced or repaired.

I don’t think a problem with a relay would cause the control unit to go out, but you might want to check the relays under the hood (look on page 22-40).


Modified by ojas at 11:03 AM 6/9/2004

 

Thank you very much. I will give this a try this weekend.

 

my ac lines are leaking all over the place. it blows hot air. summer is here and dang its hot. how much u think the ac lines goes for?

 

I am not the one to ask on this. I would suggest calling an Acura dealer or contacting some reliable after-market suppliers for input. Niello here is Sacramento is highly regarded and tend to treat us well for NSX work.

 

just pull the AC out and call it a day

 

Your symptoms are exactly the same as I experienced last year on my '91. But
the intervals between "normal" operation grew longer over time.

In my case it was the climate-control circuit board. When I had it pulled, there
was obvious capacitor leakage (lots of dark staining on the circuit board beneath three or four capacitors). I had mine rebuilt locally for $75 instead of buying a replacement from the dealer (don't even think of asking how much they want!).

As I recall, all 13 (15) caps were replaced. It's worked fine ever since.

Jeff

 

Thanks a lot. That is my kind of fix. These things are so reliable, I am kind of surprised at this but good to know there may be some relief on these 100 degree days.

 

I did not realize the failure of the capacitors can result in the symptom nsx_guy described (in addition to the A/C blows only on high, I described). If the capacitors are the cause of the problem, as jkbrand says, I would follow jkbrand's advice and have the capacitors replaced for $75-$100. Garhard Langguth can repair it for $100. He was very fair with me: I paid $50 up front, then the remaining $50 when I got it back and confirmed it's working correctly.

Here's some info that might be relevant, even though you are experiencing a different problem:

Climate cntrl fan only blows on high! - contact information for Gerhard Langguth is listed here.
PICS of A/C fix do it!
Problem: AC turns off and stays off even if restart
Air Conditioning
OMG my car is HOT (no ac)
Climate Control expenses
Opening Up and Fixing The Dash-Mounted A/C Control Unit???
replacing climate control unit
Climate Control Unit problems

There are even more threads, just do a search on NSX Prime. Good luck.

 

If it is just caps why not fix it yourself? Buy the caps from digikey.