Shannon233001

A/C Problems
I drive a 2008 honda civic...lately i have had not major issues from what i know of but I am a woman and have no idea about cars really and most places try to take advantage of the fact that I am a woman...so heres my problem;

A/C is not blowing as hard as it used to is one problem....secondly when i turn ac on there is a noise cant exactly explain it but it sounds like something is stuck in blower??? any ideas on what this could be, at times when i come to a stop and car is not in motion the ac is not as cold as it is when it is in motion??? Thank you so much any help is greatly appreicated

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

im not sure what you mean by "not blowing as hard" do you mean the air is not as cold or the amount of air coming thru the vents isnt as powerful. the a/c not being as cold at idle is normal. the way the a/c works is that there is a compressor that is driven by the engine with a belt. the faster the engine is going (higher rpms), the better it works. the condensor (a radiator for the a/c system) gets much better cooling airflow when the car is moving. ideally for the best cooling, you want to be cruising on the highway at a steady speed around 55-65mph. i think you are fine. and remember that the compressor kicks on and off every 10 seconds or so. depending on when you feel the air, it might be very cold or just warm. keep your hand in front of the vent and you will feel the change as the compressor turns off and on.

now if the fan speed is not fast/powerful enough, you may have clogged cabin filters. these are behind the glove box and filter the air before it comes out the vents. usually they should be changed every year. so im guessing yours have never been changed and are so clogged that air has a tough time getting thru. if you do not have serious allergy or asthma, i recommend removing the two filters completely for max airflow and then you never have to worry about changing them. by removing the filter, you will get more airflow than even a new filter. its fairly easy to get to and the owners manual should have info. basically you have to pop out the glove box by removing the side tabs, then pull it down and look for a filter cover box. pretty easy to do yourself.

anhkhoi84

You might need to check both of your air filter. And yes, if you take it to dealership to have your cabin air filter replaced, it would be around $75. This is ridiculous after i found out how easy it is to do it yourself. Just search for "replace cabin air filter" on you tube and go to auto zone to get it.
I would not recommend you to remove your air filters because they are there for a reason. Good luck.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

btw, all cars before 2001 (hondas at least) did not have cabin filters. i could get into a whole book about why they were invented, but lets just say its another useless convenience feature that is taking over newer cars. sure makes a lot of money for dealers and parts guys selling and replacing em tho. i would personally rather have more air coming thru the vents. its a car not a sealed room with purified air lol. the only situation where it might possibly be useful is if you live in hi dust areas and you have asthma and you never open the windows. even then, the filters only block some kinds of dust and pollen. many things, including odors, still come thru.

Jonty25254

Top 5 Air Conditioning problems
1.Faulty wiring
Shotty, haphazard or uncertified A/C wiring is risky and a possible fire hazard. Bad wiring can prevent the system from getting power or can trip the circuit breaker.

2. Low refrigerant
Refrigerant (also known as Freon) is the chemical that cools the air within your air conditioning system. Reduced levels of refrigerant could imply a leak or problem with the refrigerant system. If your air conditioning system needs to be recharged with refrigerant, 90% of the time that suggests there is a leak. All refrigerant leaks should be located and repaired. To read about the phase out of R-22 refrigerant in the United States, we highly recommend you to visit the U.S. EPA website.

3. Outside fan is not working
The outside fan is responsible for conveying the heat from your your city home to the outside air. If the fan on the outside unit doesn’t perform correctly, proper heat transfer cannot take place and the air conditioning compressor may overheat and trip the safety overload. Worse yet, it may cause internal damage to the compressor.

4. Outside unit not functional
This usually indicates a lack of power, contactor problems or even a faulty thermostat.

5. The coil is frozen
A frozen coil often indicates an issue with the airflow, such as restrictions caused by filthy air filters or obstructed return air ductwork. Frozen indoor coils could also be the result of low refrigerant.