Parkerson 1234

I have a 2010 Civic and I have been having problems with my air. I'm not a mechanic so I don't really know where to start looking. A few months back I got my freon tested and everything was fine. Sometimes my air will cut on and sometimes it will not. I can be riding or sitting idle and it will come on for a minute and it might stay on or go off. When it comes on sometimes it is so cold that I have to turn it off. About a month ago I turned it on and heard a small knock. After that for about a month I had no problems at all with it. Now it is back to the on and off problem. Sometimes I can be riding down the road and hit a bump and it will either come on or go off. It is really annoying. I would really like some help on the problem because it is getting warmer and soon it will be summer.

Please help!!

ezone

Check the small 3 wire connector that sits on top of the alternator. Is it fully clicked together, no damage, not hacked apart, no bare wires showing?



If that's not the problem area.....you will need to be able to make specific observations and probably do pointed electrical testing WHILE it's not working. Got DVOM? Got diagrams? Feel up to DIY diagnosis?

Are you able to visually discern when the compressor clutch is engaged and disengaged?

Whenever the clutch is engaged, both of the radiator fans are supposed to run.
Do the fans continue to run constantly after the compressor quits engaging?


You say it may stop or may resume working when you hit a bump. Have you attempted wiggling wires in the engine compartment, and smacking your hand around the dash controls to see if you can make it quit or start working again?

Parkerson 1234

Thanks for the bit of information. I Initially had this forum saved to my cell phone and I had to wipe my phone so I lost my link. After a little searching I have finally found it again. First off though I haven't had any problems with my air for a week or so but now it is back to the same thing. I'm going to try testing the current when I get a chance. Both fans do continue running and I have attempted moving wires and beating dash with no luck. When I get off from work I'm going to try a few other things.

ezone

Ok then it's isolated to the compressor clutch and its control circuits......

I'd go to the clutch relay in the engine compartment fuse box and tap on it a few times first (while broken, check with engine running and AC still turned on), see if the compressor clutch engages when you tap on the relay


If no response then I'd next be checking electrical inputs and outputs from the relay socket to determine what to do next
How many miles on the car?

Parkerson 1234

Thanks I will try that. The car has a little over 116,000 miles on it.

Parkerson 1234

Well after continuous troubleshooting I found out that my compressor clutch was bad. It is replaced now. Now I have another problem. My car will crank but it will not start. I'm thinking that a fuse or relay might have gotten damaged or went bad.

Does anyone have any recommendations on what could be wrong? I never had any problems until the day the a/c compressor was changed.

ezone

Did you drive the car home after the AC repairs?
Did it drive OK at that time?

Parkerson 1234

No as soon as the compressor was changed the car wouldn't start again. It tries to but never starts.

ezone

So.....if it's still at the shop, why haven't they addressed the issue?

How in the hell did they charge the system and verify it actually works after repair?

Parkerson 1234

That's the problem. They can't figure out what is wrong so they haven't been able to charge the system either. The guy has 30 years mechanic experience and can't track down the problem. He has also been talking to a certified Honda mechanic trying to trouble shoot it. It's just really strange.

ezone

Not really.
I know lots of mechanics like that.

However.....
If I stray too deep into a brand of car I'm not intimately familiar with and don't have the right equipment to deal with, I could easily be in the same boat. Another reason I try hard to stick to the cars I'm equipped to deal with.


Has the car been in his possession, broken, for a whole month now?

Maybe it's time for him to send it to someone who can diagnose it and fix it. If it's something he is responsible for or caused, he foots the bill.


Speculation: Maybe your entire problem was just a bad compressor clutch relay (quite common), maybe he swapped that bad relay into a different position in the fusebox which caused the car to not run.

FWIW, I won't do this at work save for a select few people/shops/friends. If you want me to fix it and I don't know you personally, tow it to the shop.

Parkerson 1234

Thanks for the help. I'm gonna go by there and if he can't figure it out by Tuesday someone else is gonna have to figure it out for him. I'm ready to have my car back.