Rep Power: 0

My 98 Civic's AC hasn't worked for 4 years now and the extra heat this Summer has really made it painful to drive so I am trying to narrow down the cause of the failure. I am aware that the terms I use might not be correct so I appologize for any confusion and for any stupid questions I might ask.


What I have done so far:

1. The last time I went to a mechanic they said I didn't need coolant but couldn't tell me what I did need since and said they needed to charge $200 to search for the cause.
2. If I push the AC button on the dash it lights up and I can hear the sound of the engine (or something in that compartment) increase.
3. If I lift the hood and then push the AC button the fan at the front behind the coolant tank spins up fine.
4. The cooling grill in front of the fan doesn't seem to have any major obstructions
5. The "cabin filter" compartment that is meant to be empty in my model behind the glove compartment had some leaves in it but I cleaned that out.
6. The heat works fine and if I push the temperature lever on the dash to the right hot(ter) air comes out of the vents.
7. I have checked the three fuses associated with the AC under the hood and the one in the cabin fuse box and all looked good.

I've looked at the black and white "blower" behind the glove box but can't tell if it is on or off.

I'd like to fix the issue or at least narrow down the culpret so I can limit the cost at the mechanic if it comes to that so any ideas would be appreciated.

 
Rep Power: 211

Well if the AC spins up fine and blows air but it's not cold than the mechanic was probably wrong, all you need is a recharge.

 
Rep Power: 313

A recharge may not be the only thing wrong with it. Is your compressor clutch engaging when it's supposed to? Have you checked the pressure in the low pressure AC line? What is it reading? If the radiator fans are coming on chances are the system is full or refridgerant and something else is amiss. However the first step is to measure line pressure with an R134a gauge.