wilmer007

hi everyone. i just took my 2001 Civic EX to an A/C specialist (they are ASE certified) to have the A/C checked out and they told me it was the compressor and they quoted me at $890.


i want to make sure that it is indeed the compressor before i actually go ahead and spend so much money.


however i don't see how a compressor would be the reason or how they were able to quickly determine that it was the compressor just by looking really quick.


the last time the UV test was done i was told that the leak still couldn't be found and to start with the condensor as that was the cheapest to replace. but that doesn't exactly give me a defintive answer nor any guarantee that would fix the issue either.


so i hear two different answers and i don't know which is right. what should i do.

Poopies

iTrader: (4)

Sounds like you have a bad leak...

wilmer007

yeah i went to a local garage and they told me that it could be anything that is causing the problem and that without the UV test it's hard to figure out where the leak is.


i also went to the local advance auto parts and bought a super seal and 2 freon cans and nothing changed and spent like $50-$60 for nothing. i think the freon quickly leaked out the second it went in because the hose was marking less than 15 after 2 cans and the A/C was still blowing hot.

ezone

Doesn't mean much. I've seen some that couldn't diagnose their way out of a wet paper bag
Second/third/fourth opinions?

GusBuz

Did they check the evaporator inside with the dye? That could be the source of the leak if nothing was found on the outside.

I hate how lazy mechanics just want to start throwing parts at cars without being sure whats wrong

wilmer007

nope today all they did was look around with the flashlights (i assume UV flashlights), look around for a few mins, used a big machine to check the pressure levels then said "need to change the compressor, hoses, flush, etc...". i think he said some other minor parts too but once he said compressor my jaw dropped cuz i knew the compressor alone was over $500.



then i went to goodyear and a local garage and they both want to change me $140+ to do the UV test when that was already done a while back.

GusBuz

Well since you already have the dye in the system, you could just go out and get a cheap uv light and some of those yellow glasses and check it yourself.
You can check to see if your car has the dye by pressing one of the valves just a tiny bit to let some gas out, then you will see the dye on the valve and know what to look for on the rest of the lines.

$140 seems high for a leak test, but then again since I do all my work on my cars ANY price is high for me haha

wilmer007

the dye was put in like 7-8 years ago but since they couldn't give me a definite answer back then i did not follow up on it. i doubt the dye will still be there after 7-8 years.

GusBuz

My understanding is they place a sticker somewhere under the hood when they use the dye so future shops know it has been used and they do not add more. The dye should be in the system still regardless of how long ago it was put in.

ezone

and the groovy blacklight posters too man!

If one has a real, true blacklight I don't think you would need the glasses except to protect your eyes.
The LED type UV lights are not normally true UV, they are usually "near UV" so the yellow shades help highlight the color.


Do the dye searching in a dark garage or at night.
If there is dye in the system he would likely be able to see the color without pressing the valve. Just remove the plastic caps and shine the blacklight in there to see.


Tell them it's already got the dye in it, you just want to know where it came out at.
It stays in there unless the system is emptied and flushed internally with solvent.


"Should" and "usually" put a sticker on. It doesn't always happen.
You ever forget anything in your life? I know I forget stuff.
Sometimes even we run out of stickers or something. Agreed

7TH Gen JDM

The O-rings are actually the cheapest to replace. And the most likely to fail.
I was once quoted $330 from the Acura dealer to "fix the leak". They made the mistake of telling me where the leak was. I replaced them myself for $0.10

There are 2 sets of O-rings. One set on the compressor, the second on the condenser.

Second most likely is the condenser. About $100 from Amazon/RockAuto.
The condenser is the first line of impact if a rock comes sailing thru your grill.

Third most likely is the shaft seal on the compressor. I don't see how they could diagnose a shaft seal leak with their machine.
You replace a compressor for 3 reasons. #1 The electric clutch is bad. (not worth the effort to replace just the clutch). #2 The shaft seal is shot. (Not too likely) #3 It's old and ain't compressing any more. You can diagnose this yourself. If it's low on charge you get one of those little bottles or 134 from the parts store. After adding a little shot of refrigerant, does the needle on the gauge drop relatively quickly? About as fast as the second hand on a clock (running backwards)
If you have a full charge, on a humid day does the suction line (the big one) sweat all the way back to the compressor? That's a good sign.
What's the temperature of the air coming out of the vents? On a warm day, the air at the vents should be around 20 degrees Fahrenheit colder than the air on the floor of the car.

So is your system loosing charge or just not getting cold?

If it's not cold enough, it may be the compressor. Would I give someone $890 to replace it? NO, NO a thousand times no! I buy entire 7th gen Civics for less!
But if you get a used one be sure it's from a sealed system. One that still has some pressure in it. Not one that's been left open to the elements and may be full of rain water. And put rubber plugs in the ports when it's taken off.

If it's loosing charge it's probably O-rings or condenser.
I never put much faith in those leak detection systems. For one thing it's so hard to see down inside a Civic. Plus you already have leak detection. It's the compressor oil. If your O-ring ports are oily they're leaking. If they're dry' they're not. It's tougher on the condenser because rain wind & water blow away the evidence. So you look for holes. Not too hard to see where a rock hit it. Though you have to pull off the rubber bumper cover to look at it.

dsm482

HAHA ASE comment by EZONE...)

I seen some idiots out there... I also know surgeons that are butchers for money pretty much also..

Look for skilled quality work.. it applies in all fields of life..

VtecYo2002

This is probably a similar issue, but I'm not entirely sure...

I have an 2002 Civic with about 175,000 (I say this because I know its older and has seen better days), and recently the A/C will cut out after 20 minutes of running then will "purge" or come back after another 10 minutes (or longer) and then cycles through like so throughout the car ride. I've been told, and have confirmed for myself, that the "fins" of the condenser or evaporator are bent but am weary to believe this is fully the problem. I know this can become a costly fix so if anyone else can point me into a direction I'd appreciate it.

ezone

The condition of the condensor is typical of anything with high mileage (fin damage from road debris), but is probably not the cause of your symptom description.

I'd want to make some observations about what is or isn't running while the AC quits cooling........maybe monitor power to the compressor clutch just to see if it quits engaging but still has power applied to it.
Wear of the clutch parts causes excessive clearance (air gap), and the electromagnet isn't strong enough to pull the plate in the extra distance when the unit gets hot.

7TH Gen JDM

There are fin combs to straighten the fins on condensers. They're plastic so they don't tear up your fins. So use a tiny screwdriver to straighten the really badly bent ones so the condenser don't tear up the comb.
Amazon has them for as little as $11

jdmshawn

Guys check out my video i made on the ac compressor cutting out I fixed mine for free its the clutch cutting out after driving the car for a min or so and the clutch it wore down causing it to disengage

VtecYo2002

When you used that impact driver, it looks a million times easier than just a ratchet set. I've struggled for 30 minutes getting nowhere lol... However, I do believe this is the problem I'm having, I just can't get the nut off for my life because the whole clutch spins with it :/

jdmshawn

You can try to stick a screwdriver in it and hold it or use a large pair of channellock pliers to hold it. I also believe auto zone loans a compressor clutch tool that holds it. That impact I used I bought at home Depot or lowes for like 89 bucks best tool I own.

ezone

You have to use other tools to hold it still.

I have a set of huge channel-locks I use for this.
Some other designs allow use of a large screwdriver wedged to hold it still.

VtecYo2002

Thanks guys, I ended up just going to grab my dad's impact driver.

I got the whole thing off no problem, grinded down the step and put it back together however since I was a noob (I know, I know... I've been struggling...) I stripped the bolt head AFTER I got it back on the car.

It was then that I realized sure enough I shaved too much down so I'm going to end up running the compressor all the time (it's "permanently" engaged this way). I know power and gas mileage is gonna go the sh*t but whatever. At least now I will always have A/C lmfao...

Anyways, thank you so much for the help and for the informational video jdmshawn!

p.s. your accent leads me to think that you'd get a lot of crap for driving foreign in your area

ezone

For about 15 minutes. Once the system says it was supposed to cycle off and the compressor can't, it will overpressurize and vent the excess pressure (loss of freon), which will lead to poor cooling.... if any at all.
If it doesn't burp freon out then it can freeze the evaporator core solid.


Hack repair is hack.

You should cobble up some shims to space the clutch hub the right distance now.

VtecYo2002

Nooooooo! Awe man this is becoming more of a pain. When I had the p1457 code it was much easier to fix (and I've read stories of people having nightmares with that). Well it looks like I'll be figuring out how to take it apart again -__-

NitroBurner9

Is there a part number for just the clutch that he took off?

Ive been having the same issue. Don't know if its clutch or a relay.

NitroBurner9

Possible fix too: