Rep Power: 0

I have a 2008 Honda Civic LX automatic transmission with 144,499 miles. Last night I replaced the passenger side cv axle. I decided to try to loosen then tighten the steering rack bolts, since my car has had the popping/clunking sound. I checked the TSB 09-028


https://static.oemdtc.com/TSB/A09-028.pdf


I figured I could reach some of the bolts from under and with the wheel off and cv axle out. I was able to loosen and tighten the two bolts on the passenger side, but the others I couldn’t access for the bottom. I’ll try to tighten then from the top another day.


BUT NOW MY AC BLOWS HOT AS FIRE. What did I do??! Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 
Rep Power: 224

I would guess it's a coincidence. Is the compressor actually turning on?

 
Rep Power: 0

I do think my issue is NOT related to anything I did. Probably a coincidence. I'm thinking it's my AC Clutch plate.

Now that winter is over, I'm in need of air conditioning. It seems that when my car heats up, the ac compressor clutch does NOT engage. I have a few gauges that you connect to R-134A canisters, so I tried them on the low port. Earlier today, it was around 80 degrees and my car was hot and the clutch would not engage. I tried the gauges, but I don't think I'll get PSI readings when the ac clutch is not engaged. So then I waited a few hours and came out in the dark when it was 65 degrees. My air conditioning turned right on. I had the AC on Max, coldest setting, and recirculate. The AC clutch was engaged and I got readings from three different gauges: 22psi, 27psi, and 7psi. Not sure why they all gave different numbers. They were all low. But the AC seemed to be blowing cold. I assume I should add more refrigerant? Will adding R-134A to the low line help the AC clutch engage?

I was thinking I should add refrigerant AND try to remove a shim from behind the ac clutch plate. I swapped the relays and nothing happened. I have watched videos on youtube, and it looks like I need to remove a 14 mm nut from the clutch plate, then remove a shim, then put the ac clutch plate back on.

Any tips and incite would be appreciated. I don't really know much about ac compressors, but I have watched a few YouTube videos to get an idea of the air conditioning system. Thanks

 
Rep Power: 0

Last night I removed one of the shim washers from behind the clutch plate. When it's hot again, I'll let you know if the compressor engages. When the compressor wasn't engaging, it felt like warm air (not super hot) was coming from the vents. But the hotter it is outside, the hotter the air seems to be. Hopefully removing a shim fixed my issue. It's supposed to be cooler and rain all week, so I'll try to send an update next week. Thanks!

 
Rep Power: 0

Following up...

My ac clutch was not engaging.

On May 12 I removed a shim from the ac clutch. I sanded down the ac clutch to clean off the rust. The AC clutch now engages. I also added some refrigerant. I used the gauge attached to the can to see how much to add. I used ac gauges May 20th and when it was 66 degrees outside, my low was around 33psi and high was around 157psi.

My ac hadn't been feeling cool enough, so I added more refrigerant making sure I didn't overfill (I kept an eye on the gauge attached to the can of refrigerant.)

Everything has seemed fine, but the ac seemed to work best when driving long distances on the highway. The ac temperature would fluctuate a little at idle. However, today was in the high 90s, and my ac clutch would only intermittently engage. It was awful. Seemed like the hotter it got, the worse it engaged, and I had no cold AC. Tonight, I checked the refrigerant levels with a set of gauges. I was able to let my car cool down for a few hours, then right when I started the car, I checked the levels before the AC clutch had a chance to stop engaging. At 86 degrees, my low side read around 53psi. The high side read around 400-450psi. My low side seems good, but my high side seems really high.

I switched relays, and nothing changed. Both fans are running, but they do stop sometimes, then turn back on. I have read it could be the condenser, the thermal switch/protector, or ac clutch. I'm sure there are other possibilities also.

Any help is appreciated!

 
Rep Power: 222

Overfilled would be my guess

 
Rep Power: 0

I believe it was overfilled. I took some out and it was much colder. Unfortunately, now it's not blowing very cold again. Worked for about two months, but maybe it's leaking out? It's getting cooler now, so I won't need it, but I'd like to fix it before next summer.