'95 Honda Accord. Old as all get out. Very reliable, other than A/C no issues.

Not cooling during the day. No leaks, dye tested, r-134a evacuated and vacuum pulled for 1hr.

If I recall the pressures were 100 and 240 at 80 degrees outside temperature.

High side pressure is crazy high (over 240kPa), low side is also kinda high. Line to condenser is abnormally hot.

Didn't replace receiver/drier when testing was done (I believe that is std. procedure, but I didn't have time).

AFAIK the orifice tube isn't clogged since the compressor isn't stalling and squealing the belt.

Stuck expansion valve?

Any suggestions? It's an old car, so if the A/C only works when it's cool, so be it.

I want to fix it, but I'm not gonna spend $1500. The estimate included a new compressor, receiver/drier, orifice tube, and flushing/evac/refill.

The only useful thing I learned by taking it to merchants was that the compressor over time sheds metal particles that eventually clog stuff up. So the lines have to be flushed, but after that I don't have any idea.

[Edited on June 13, 2008 at 12:37 PM. Reason : g]

6/13/2008 12:11:42 PM

its gonna be a plugged orifice tube or its over charged, what are the high and low side pressures?

6/13/2008 1:35:46 PM

Quote :

"If I recall the pressures were 100 and 240 at 80 degrees outside temperature."

6/13/2008 3:00:08 PM

its overcharged

6/13/2008 3:01:16 PM

i hope it's not overcharged. I evacuated the system and refilled it with 23.5 ounces of 134. it had that much in there before i drained and replaced.

the pressures are the same before and after I drained and refilled.

i want it to work again. i want the metal shavings gone. what can i do to diagnose this so I don't get reamed at the service place? i'd like to do it myself, but I have no idea what could be wrong.

if it's a clogged orifice tube, the compressor should squeal the belt.
if it's the expansion valve acting up, it should be freezing one day and tepid the next.

wtf.

[Edited on June 14, 2008 at 12:34 AM. Reason : d]

6/14/2008 12:31:46 AM

Quote :

"i want the metal shavings gone."

If there is debris in there, there is a very good chance the orifice tube is clogged. You need to get that shit out before it will work. You cannot compress metal and blow it though a tiny hole. Also, your belt will not squeal if something is clogged in your a/c.

6/14/2008 12:51:21 AM

What is the factory sticker say the weight of the freon is suppose to be?

6/14/2008 1:00:09 AM

zxappeal is the go-to guy for car AC.

6/14/2008 1:04:32 AM

pm bbr or opt. or buttfuck. they might can tell you a step by step. for serious

6/14/2008 1:30:38 AM

ok, for starter you dont have an orifice tube, you have an expansion valve and thats it, so rule out the orifice tube being clogged.

secondly are you measuring in Kpa, or in PSI? because 240 Kpa is only 34.8psi and 100 is 14.5psi, so basically youve got low pressure on both sides if those are your measurements.

the line to the condenser is always going to be hot and unless youve measured it before there is no abnormally hot, its just hot. period.

so i think you need to hook your gauges back up and make sure of your measurements because those numbers are way to low across the board to be a stuck expansion valve(open or closed), or anything clogged. and if those areally are your numbers then id start looking at a dead compressor since you say youve got no leaks and all.

now if you did measure in psi and not kpa then id go with buttseks and say youre probably overcharged.

6/14/2008 9:16:29 AM

good, b/c i couldn't find an orifice tube for my car.

i only mentioned metal shavings b/c of the age of the compressor and hearsay.

would the line to the condenser be hot enough to burn you?

the guy i took it to stated that the pressures were abnormally high, so i'm gonna go out on a limb and say it's PSI. it's been a while since i've worked on it, as it's been too hot to drive without a/c.

the thing is, how could i be overcharged if i've never serviced the system and it's just been cooling less and less every year (only noticeable in the last few years)?

so i take it to a shop and evacuate it again, does it pull out the oil too? or is that something i'd have to remove and drain the compressor for?

thanks for all the advice, i really appreciate it. even though i know almost nothing about it.

[Edited on June 14, 2008 at 12:01 PM. Reason : g]

[Edited on June 14, 2008 at 12:01 PM. Reason : b]

6/14/2008 11:59:36 AM

Quote :

"so i take it to a shop and evacuate it again, does it pull out the oil too? or is that something i'd have to remove and drain the compressor for?"

pretty sure whatever shop you take it to will know the answer so its not really something you need to worry about

but if my understanding is correct you won't have put in more oil

6/14/2008 2:12:55 PM

If your car's electrical fans arent working like they should, it will be putting a lot of strain on your compressor having to work way harder than it should.

6/14/2008 5:45:38 PM

with the pressures being that messed up i doubt that's an issue at the moment

6/14/2008 5:49:30 PM

^actually ^^ makes a good point, but if the aux fan isnt running it wont strain the compressor it will just make the pressures skyrocket like that since the condensor relies heavily on air moving across it to release the heat that the refrigerant picks up in the evaporator.

with that being said: does the air blow any cooler when youre driving and then just go hot while youre sitting still? make sure the fan comes on when you switch on the AC. does the compressor even click on when you hit the button?

look under the hood of the car and make damn sure you put in the right amount of refrigerant, you put in 23.5oz and that seems like a lot for a honda system, at almost 2lbs thats more like american car charge amounts.

but since you say the cooling has slowly been diminishing and the pressures like this, although im still a little stumped it sounds like it could be a stuck expansion valve, you said the line to the condensor is hot(and yes it can get hot enough to burn ya), but is there a lot of frost on any of the lines to the evaporator that you can see forming after the system is on for a while?

6/16/2008 8:52:48 PM

A valve that is stuck open will be indicated by both the high and low pressures rising to unusually high readings, seeming to move toward equal readings on the gauges.

Seems to be my problem. DAMN IT. Stupid thing is located inside the evap. housing (DASH . Gonna be expensive as hell to replace. The part is only $40-80.



part # 11.

anyone have any labor estimates? what else should i replace when the system is apart?



what is std. procedure?

wash out the lines, condenser, replace the drier, etc...?

[Edited on June 17, 2008 at 12:35 AM. Reason : g]

6/17/2008 12:19:32 AM

some of the later hondas the whole heater box/blower dropped right out of the right side of the dash, simply removing the glovebox and the panel under the dash would give you enough space to get to the whole assembly so you might be lucky there.


as far as replacing anything, if anything at all maybe the receiver drier since its just going to be old as it is...


just try and find the repair instructions for the expansion valve and see what all is involved with the R&R before you spend the money at a shop to have them do that for you...

6/17/2008 11:25:04 PM

is the car really worth it?

6/20/2008 11:56:24 AM

Quote :

"is the car really worth it?"

yes. sentimental value at least. plus it runs great otherwise.

Quote :

"just try and find the repair instructions for the expansion valve and see what all is involved "

repair place said its easy enough to tackle myself (1 hour labor for them) and after i replace - i should bring it in for a recharge and spend less than $100, instead of $400. that's good service.

sounds like a plan. i just need to pick up a receiver/dryer/expansion valve, replacement o-rings, and some PAG oil. i don't need to flush out the lines do i?

6/22/2008 12:01:23 PM

hell, while you got it apart why not?

6/22/2008 12:35:34 PM

personally i wouldnt bother flushing the lines but you can if you want to since it will all be apart.

6/22/2008 1:39:16 PM

i prob. won't bother flushing the lines, since i gots no time.

6/24/2008 1:45:50 AM

got another accord, second cooling fan doesn't turn on. compressor runs, cool air comes out on low speed, charge level is good.

blend door is working.

switched fan relay under the hood with a known good one beside of it.

fan spins without drag, haven't tested the voltage on the connectors though.

what could it be. fan motor? low pressure switch stuck? bad relay?

a/c works great on highway, but in traffic, not so good.

7/15/2008 6:24:07 PM

fan motor.

need to

Quote :

"haven't tested the voltage on the connectors though"

7/15/2008 10:22:23 PM

voltage at connector is .4 volts DC, dunno why it's that low.

tested the battery ~14v

checked fuses.

i forgot to check the relay, but it couldn't have died could it? it should work or not right?

[Edited on July 17, 2008 at 10:08 PM. Reason : could be relay, could be motor. who will win?]

7/17/2008 9:41:49 PM

if you apply current to the motor, supply a ground, it will become pretty fuckin obvious if it is dead or not.

7/18/2008 8:30:30 AM

you're right jumped the fan with 12VDC from the battery and it works fine.

no fuses are dead.

gotta test the condenser fan relays next (2 of them).

if the relays are indeed the problem, where is the cheapest place to get them?

7/18/2008 4:25:15 PM

orifice tube was clogged in my truck and it never squealed the belt but the compressor would only stay on for about 30 sec and then cut off. AC works perfectly fine now after we replaced it.


[Edited on July 18, 2008 at 6:19 PM. Reason : ]

7/18/2008 6:18:20 PM

Radiator fan comes on when A/C is on. Condenser fan motor does not run at all. Everything else checks out, relays, all of it.

Stupid $150 condenser fan motor.

[Edited on July 20, 2008 at 9:36 AM. Reason : I thought the radiator fan was the condenser fan b/c it came on with a/c.]

7/20/2008 9:35:36 AM

sweet new condenser fan in and working. got a $50 discount too.

life is good.

7/20/2008 6:46:03 PM