Picartman

Hello everyone, I have a problem with my air conditioning on my 2008 honda civic hybrid. It's not cooling at all, the refrigerant meter says it's charged fine, and the compressor clicks on (and doesn't click off intermittently) when I turn on the air. The other strange part about this is that I hear a strange scraping noise when the compressor is turned on. I can best describe it as two pieces of metal slightly scrapping against each other constantly. There is no purring noise, no clicking, and no hard scraping; there's just this faint whirring metallic sound. I'm the only owner, and I've never heard this noise coming from the air conditioning before. Also the scraping noise remains the same regardless of my travelling speed, air blowing fan power, or if the hybrid is turned on or off while I'm waiting at a stop light.

I really don't know what else it could be, and the dealership is going to try and charge me a ton of money just to see what the problem is. I was hoping that maybe someone here could help me diagnose what the issue could be. Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks for looking.

ezone

Did you add any to the system?

Did you have gauges on both high side and low side?
Is there any change in pressures while the system is operating?
Is there zero change in pressures when you turn the system on?

Could be a clutch issue, bad/broken/burned/damaged....or a compressor problem, or or or .......Do you want to crawl under it to figure out what happened to it?

If the AC system has to be opened up, it's gonna be costly no matter what.

The system uses a hybrid compressor with a belt driven pump AND an electrically driven pump powered by the 158VDC hybrid electrical system, and if the wrong oil is used in the AC system that can cause dangerous voltage leaks. The oil requires special equipment, and contamination with other oils from standard AC service equipment must not occur.

That's gonna look like chump change compared to how much it will cost if you let the wrong people get their hands on the AC in that car.

Dealer ONLY for this hybrid.

If you have a HYBRID SPECIALIST in your area you better call ahead and ask if they have the AC equipment necessary to handle Hondas hybrid AC systems.

Picartman

Thanks for your reply. On the refrigerant gauge, the arrow pointed directly to the middle of the green section. I did not add any, and I did not think about turning on and off the AC while the gauge was connected.

If I crawled under I wouldn't know what to look for, however I know that when this noise first started, I didn't run over anything or hit anything that might have damaged it. If there is damage, I would assume it's from wear and tear, but that's just an assumption.

I was unaware that the hybrid would need a special type of examination due to the electrical components. I will contact the dealer, and also look for areas that might specialize in hybrids. Is there anything else I could look for on my own? Any other clues that might help the diagnosis?

ezone

Watching what the gauge does while the system tries to operate would clue you if the compressor is doing anything at all.
Don't try to add anything though. Most cans of freon you get in a parts store contain some oil for the system, and that oil can ruin yours.

Locate the source of the noise, use a stethoscope.
I'll assume it's coming from the compressor....
Is the noise coming from inside the unit, or the outside (clutch and pulley)?
If it is internal noise, it's probably done...and the next step would be to determine the extent of the damage within the system (debris trail).

You can check if the clutch is receiving power, make sure the HVAC system is actually trying to turn the compressor on (belt driven side) You said it clicks on, so I'd assume you mean the clutch, and it is probably receiving power at that point.
You can check the clutch, see if its hub has broken free from the compressor shaft,
You can check the pulley (remove belt) for play, roughness in the bearing (this usually causes noise all the time the engine is running, probably not your issue)
You can check the air gap between the pulley and clutch plate (0.5 mm is spec..... after the parts wear and gap widens, the electromagnet may not be strong enough to pull the clutch plate against the pulley)


There isn't much of any way for you as a user to check the side of the compressor that is controlled by the IMA system.


Ordinary shops (and consumers) unfamiliar with these cars will all assume this AC system would be just like any other car, which could be an expensive mistake......for you.

I sure hope the tech who gets your car is a good one, not a rookie or a flunky.
Ask for the resident rocket scientist.

Picartman

Thank you for the very detailed post. I'll see what I can find tomorrow, but either way like you said, there's only so much I can do. I'll be sure to look for someone with experience on these types of systems.