Now, the dealer says it's the condenser, where at first they said it was a bad relay which had killed power to one of the radiator fans. They did a diagnostic and found no leaks. I'm not paying these people at Bill Page Honda another penny.

I'm not convinced it is the condenser, but not smart enough to prove that it isn't. I don't see any debris on the condenser. One hose going into the compressor is very hot, another is very cold. I'm thinking there could be a problem with the evaporator? Or possibly something is not letting the air blow over the evaporator correctly? The car blows cold cold only if the outside ambient air temp is relatively cool. On a very hot day it takes about 45 minutes to get the car to something around 75, maybe 70. The air is just not very very cold, not nearly as cold as the pipe going into the compressor. Any ideas?

Bob
at
bobcov
d o t
com

 

you might just need a recharge, but im not very good with AC so i could be wrong

 

The big pipe at the fire wall coming from the evap is the low side and it should be cold.
Try clamping off the heater hose at the fire wall to shut off flow, if the A/C blows cold you have a heater control/air mix problem.
The heater control **** isn't broken is it? There is also a service bulletin that tells of the heater control gears jumping teeth, and not shutting down the heater control valve.

 

my honda was the same way. If it is like 90 outside and your car has been sitting and you got no tints then you can almost forget about cooling down the car. first you should go to auto zone and get a recharge kit. it is only like $20.00, you hook the gauge up to the low side and see how much freon you have. It could be over or under charged. I hate to say it but dealerships do scam people. if it is overcharged or under charged it won't work like it is suppose to. If you are nicely charged then it just might be too hot to cool down that car. if it is 90- 95 degrees outside and your car has been sitting in the sun ten unles your gonna be in the car taking a long trip you wont fel any change in temp really. the car is problay 110 degrees at that outside temp. if your lines are cold and hot going to your condenser then everything seems ok but like the reply mentioned above check the bulletin, Cause if that is the problem and the bulletin isn't old the honda shop will fix that for free.

 

I work at Bell Honda in Phoenix, AZ. I have my 95 accord doing a similar thing as well. Assuming there are no leaks, a way your condenser could not be as efficient is the fins being folded or clogged with debris. If you have too many bent or folded down then air cannot pass through. Start with inspecting the fins, maybe power wash the deris out and see if that helps. An aftermarket condenser runs about $40 - $50 so personally I would start with that when cleaning out the condenser doesn't work.

Another thing is your compressor could be loosing efficiency given age, wear, etc. If you cycle your AC on and off you should make sure you are hearing your compressor engaging and disengaging. You you do not, check your AC clutch relay for sticking on or off. After everything has been checked, maybe it's time for a new compressor.

Personally I am replacing the condenser and compressor at the same time because the fins on my condenser are all bent down and my compressor is origional from 25 years ago. I hope this helped, years later or people looking for answers in present day.

 

Why would anyone take a 26 year old car to the dealer for anything? Your best bet is to find a mom and pop A/C radiator shop in your area.

 

well when I work at a dealer it makes it easy. Not to mention the prices is actually very similar to a 3rd party shop. Dealers don't install just OEM parts, they will use aftermarket if that is what you want or what is available ( if a part is discontinued).

For example. Here in AZ there is a small 3rd party shop down the street that pays $120 per labor hour, which in AZ that is pretty normal. The dealer pays $140 per labor hour. Even though it is $20 more per hour, you are getting the assurance that it will be diagnosed correctly and done correctly (since we specialize in that manufacture). If the problem is not fixed or not done right, then the work will be fixed at no cost to you, unlike the 3rd party shop will put the blame on another thing and make you pay for the fix again.

Dealers are really not all bad as everyone says they are. Given, i cannot speak for all dealers, but going through UTI for school and working at a small handful of dealerships, its been pretty consistent with that.