Rep Power: 0

With fall coming on, this is going to be less important, but maybe I can diagnose and repair this before winter so I don't need to worry about it next spring/sumer. Had a couple of times this summer where the AC on my '02 Civic seemed to randomly just "shut off". A couple of weeks ago, it cut off right before I got home, so I was able to check a few things before it kicked back on.

First thing was to open the hood and see if the compressor is running at all. No, the compressor is not running.
Hook up my pressure gauge to the low side, and it looks normal for a non-running AC system (forget the exact pressure it read, but it was around 100 psi).
The pressure looks like it should be high enough for the compressor to come on, so I start poking around the relays. A quick switch of the AC relay with one of the other relays in the box (horn), changes nothing. The horn works with both relays, but the AC stays off with both relays.
The fans are both running as it idles, so I don't suspect something wrong with the fans, but I pull the condenser fan relay just for kicks and giggles. Upon pulling that relay, the condenser fan kicks off, but the AC compressor immediately kicks on. Put the fan relay back in and the fan kicks on, while the AC compressor continues to run. Give it a few minutes and the AC is blowing cold and otherwise working normally.
I guess the obvious question is why would pulling the condenser fan relay wake up the AC system (or was it just luck)?
I have the Haynes wiring diagram for the AC system (assuming it is reasonably accurate).
In many ways, it reminds of when the AC would intermittently cut out on my '98 Suburban -- which I tracked down to the dash switch not sending the 12 V AC command signal to the main computer.

It feels like a loose electrical connection somewhere, but not sure where to focus my diagnosis. Any suggestions where to poke around next time it cuts out to see if I can figure out what is going on?

 
Rep Power: 224

Usually when the A/C works for a while and then quits it is because the compressor clutch is slipping. This causes the thermal protection to trip the clutch off after a while. You can check the gap on the clutch and compare to the service manual. It's a simple fix, all you have to do is pull the compressor clutch off, remove a washer, then reinstall.

 
Rep Power: 518

Step 2: Observe if both radiator fans were still running. (Yes/No)


I'll guess the air gap on the clutch is too wide.