Rep Power: 0

Hello everyone. I'm currently in a state of distress and need some sort of glimmer of hope for my car. This will be detailed because I'm hoping that you guys out there know what is going on and can help. As the subject states, this is an a/c problem, but there could be other stuff, hence why I;m asking. See, mechanics can't find the problem or just want to swap out my entire a/c system completely. I need many opinions before I do that.

Ok, enough filler, here's what's up. First, facts, 2002 honda civic ex, standard, 121000 miles. I got it at 45000, so I've been with it for a while. The a/c works. It's just that every now and again, it stops working, and since I live in s. texas, these 105 degree days need an a/c that works all the time.
What happens is that I can be driving along and it will stop working, blowing out nothing but the air from outside, which is HOT!! Along with the a/c not working, when I press the clutch to change gears or slow down, the rpms go up and rev hard for a while. Let's say I hit the clutch at 2.5 rpms, the car will rev up to 3 or even 3.5 for a few seconds, sometimes 10 or 15secs, before it starts dropping down. Now, this over-revving only occurs when the a/c stops working. When the a/c is working properly, this over-revving doesn't happen.
Now on moist days, or mornings, I can hear a squeaking in my car, like a belt that's old. I think this squeaking is correlated, but I don't know which belt it is, or how to go about diagnosing the problems. Is it possible that a belt needs to be replaced? Which one could it be? Can the belt be the answer, or is my a/c f'ed? I figure this since I know one of the belts is wrapped around the a/c thing. Please help!!! Thank you all!

 
Rep Power: 811

well im guessing the a/c belt is causing the noises. and its possible the compressor clutch is bad and not properly kicking on and off like it should. that can cause more drag on the motor and eventually shred off the belt if the compressor locks up. i would prolly start with the clutch. then go from there. the problem with a/c repair is there are way too many components to troubleshoot. at least check the obvious, like does the compressor click on when you press the ac button, and do both fans turn on.

 
Rep Power: 233

Also check deflection on the belt as a loose one will do the same thing. Deflection should be 1/8 inch. It does sound like a bad compressor clutch though.

 
Rep Power: 187

It could be a loose belt. But, it sounds like either the clutch itself is going bad, or the mechanism's that control the clutch are going bad. If the expansion valve (or whatever you system has to control freon flow) is bad, high pressure could be causing the clutch to disengage as precaution to prevent over pressurizing.

Some cars have a specific mechanism to turn up the idle when the a/c is one. I don't know how it works in your car.

Find a shop that specializes in a/c, they may be able to locate the problem quickly. Maybe your mechanic doesn't want to spend 3 or 4 hours trouble shooting to end up replacing a $20 part.

 
Rep Power: 0

Ok, thanks. I'll start with the AC guy. I wanted it to be something I could do. Any ideas on cost?