[jlsrpierce]

Hi all, I made a few searches but couldn't find thus new thread, please redirect me if already discussed.

We bought our Ody the first day this series came out in Sep 2004, mistake as several teething problems. Anyway last 40k miles it has been great, now at 83k miles.

Early this week my wife said AC went from normal cold to ambient outside air temp & high humidity then after a while went normal cold again then again switched back to warm. Front and rear fans work fine.

I checked the car and indeed everything works, no warning lights, fan strong but no cold. So we left car in garage last 3 days (too hot drive w/o AC), this morning went to drive it to garage and surprise, strong cold AC again!

Appreciate advice as worried that if I take it in they will tell me I need to spend $2000.

PS: We live in Houston TX and the AC has had a fare workout over the last 5.75 years, but when it's working it's nice and cold.

 

[shall36]

Start with the basics. Find a good independent shop to do a performance check on the A/C system and verify that it has an adequate charge.

Other possible culprits (besides low charge) would be some sort of intermittent problem with the compressor clutch or trash in the expansion valve.

 

[jlsrpierce]

Thx shall36!

I will get it checked but I think charge should be good, it's nice and cold and I just measured temp out of dashboard at 54F vs 78F ambient (cold here in Houston this morning as lots of rain as we are on wet side of hurricane Alex).

Good ideas on compressor clutch and trash in expansion valve (no idea what that is), and on finding a shop to trust. Also, there must be an electronic switch that signals that clutch to engage the AC compressor.

 

[shall36]

Clutch engagement requires multiple conditions to be met and involves several sensors and relays.

A low refirgerant charge can actually cause the evaporator core to freeze up, which will give you cold air for a while and then it won't keep up with demand.

The expansion valve regulates the flow of refrigerant from the compressor to the evaporator core. It creates a pressure differential (high on the compressor side and low in the evaporator). This pressure drop is what causes the refirgerant to drop in temperature. The valve is a precisely metered orifice and if trash gets in the system, it can partly block the orifice and keep the system from working. Trash comes from moisture, wear in the compressor, and decomposing rubber hoses.

My guess is that you have a low charge condition. I'm not sure why, but these systems seem prone to leak.

 

[jlsrpierce]

shall36 many thanks again and for the detailed description.

OK got it, the expansion valve is for Joule-Thompson effect.

Looks like there could be several causes all requiring shop. It's working fine right now so I don't think I'll take it in until it's stopped again. I'll also listen to the compressor with AC turned on and off so I can learn the different sounds and next time it stops by itself I'll will listen under the hood to see if it's not engaged.

I will revert back after repaired at shop so others can learn from this thread.

 

[jlsrpierce]

Just remembered, I bought an AC refill kit (adapter, hose, pressure gauge, and charge container) a couple years ago from Wally World and spent it to refill my Galant and daughters 96 Accord (with badly pealing paint shellac), but I kept the adapter-hose-gauge.

So I just plugged it on and off the thick pipe connection with engine off for last 1 hour and got 65 psi, which gauge says between "Alert" & "Danger", not good.

So I fired up engine with AC on and plugged on an off a couple more times and got 37 psi, nicely in the middle of the "Filled" range.

If anyone knows what this means please advise . . . thanks.

 

[shall36]

When the A/C is not running, the pressures between the low and high side equalize. When the system is running, the low side goes low and the high side builds pressure.

The gauge you used is designed to take readings from the low side while the system is running. 37 psi is in the ballpark.

It is important to note though that the proper low side and high side pressures are dependent on ambient conditions and the conditions of the air being pulled into the system.

You cannot determine proper charge using a single gauge. Even using low and high side readings alone is not enough. The FSM has a fairly comprehensive performance check chart that factors in ambient temp, humidity, cabin air temp, and output temp.

 

[jlsrpierce]

shall36, thanks for details!

My wife drove the car with the AC blowing cold then after 10 min it stopped again so I took it in to local Honda dealer, $90 to evaluate, applicable against repair bill. Was told they cannot get it to work and I need a new whole new compressor-clutch for $1000 plus coil and coolant.

Desided to get second opinion, took to my friendly mechanic shop, they worked on it and said that it is the "AC Clutch Solenoid" that is bad, part # 38924-RJGL-A01" but je cannot find the part and when he calls the Honda Dealer they say they only sell the whole compressor unit.

Anyone know where to get this solenoid?

 

[DrD]

Are you sure he doesn't have a typo in the part number - I think he meant 38924-RGL-A01 which is the "Stator Set" and lists for $80 (60+shipping online) - the compressor itself (as a complete assembly) is $614 list ($450 online)

if your local dealer won't order it, then just go to www.bernardi.com or one of the other dealerships which sell parts online.

 

[jlsrpierce]

DrD, many many thanks!

Also found diagram and same part here: http://www.hondapartsnow.com/online...False&pageName=A/C Compressor Air Conditioner

Question the description as you say is "Stator Set", is this the "solenoid" that has failed for me? Thanks!

 

[shall36]

I'm not sure why the mechanic is calling it a solenoid. But in any event, if the independent is saying it's the clutch coil and the dealer was trying to sell you a whole new compressor, those two things point to a bad clutch. Be aware that there is a relay that controls the clutch activation and that could be the culprit. I don't know who did what to check what...

I believe we've had a couple of threads about bad field coils, so I'm wouldn't be surprised if that was the problem here.

On that part detail, you want part #11. What's funny is Rock Auto doesn't show the coil separately. There might not be any aftermarket sources for just the coil which would explain why your mechanic had a hard time finding the part.

 

[jarrald]

likely AC stator/solenoid

much detailed info on this thread from me and chumbie a few weeks back including tests and diagnosis. sound EXACTLY like the AC clutch solenoid. you ONLY need that part ($80msrp, $60online) but the dealer will remove the entire compressor and require new clutch plate as well. then, often the dealer will break the compressor shaft and you'll have to buy a whole new compressor anyway. need to find someone that really cares and enjoys a challenge. the solenoid CAN be replaced without removing the compressor but it aint an easy job pulling the pulley off while installed but this would save you $ in vacuuming and recharging the AC system.

http://www.odyclub.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=578382#post578382

 

[jlsrpierce]

shall36, DrD, & jarrald

Many thanks for you your advice, just to close off this thread for other readers (sorry for 2 week delay):
1) I printer out this thread and other linked one and gave to my mechanic's shop with relevant parts highlighted.
2) Indeed they had the wrong part # from local Honda dealership and it could be ordered online for ~$80.
3) All in bill was $464, paid $400 cash . Way better than $1000+++ from dealership.
4) My guy said he had to take the compressor out to repair but that he had a machine that vacuumed out and reused the coolant.

AC is again very cold, thanks again for advice all . . . John!

 

[spearhead]

new to the site - also have ac issues. 2005 ex odyssey 75k, ac stopped working days ago, fairly quick failure-within 3-5 days. had local shop check refrigerant, pressure, blower fans, etc. they say the compressor isn't coming on, everything else looks as it should. i've seen a lot of info on the condenser without protection and prone to leaks - if the system is holding pressure, wouldn't this rule out a leak? Also have seen info regarding interior fans running only in high setting - all lights, fan settings, auto, sync modes running as normal, just no cool air.
seen posts showing this related to the transistor, but not sure since all settings are working properly.
Any comments to help pinpoint problem would be appreciated

 

[klau3434]

no A/C

I have 2007 Ody EX-L. I also had problem with the A/C, I brought my car new from dealer and now has about 75K miles.

The A/C only fails when the outside temperature is above 90+ degree and that when I am idling(either stop at the curb side waiting or a bad traffic jam). This happen ever since about 25K miles. I notice that the A/C blowing only fan but not A/C when I idling for about a minute or two. I tried shutting off the air and turn it back on but still has no A/C. But when I start to drive then the A/C just came right back.

I took it to dealer but the damn thing just keep blowing cold air. I guess the day that I took back to dealer is not hot enough. The dealer mechanic has no clue on what happen and said he can only fix and identify problem when it really happens....

Well, I did buy extended warranty til 80K. I am gonna take it back to dealer when the weather turn hot this summer. It's weird that L.A. is not really that hot this summer.

Anyone has experience this problem??

p.s. The extended warranty was worth it, the dealer detect the transmission leak at 25K miles and they replace the entire transmission system that cost $3K just for the parts.

 

[shall36]

Verify that both radiator fans are running when this problem happens. If one or both are not running at idle, you will see a rise in AC vent temps.

 

[klau3434]

dealer found the problem

Finally waited a hot day at L.A. and drove to Nelson Honda dealer and talked to service rep Joaquin Cuellar. He was nice and helpful as usual, last time he saw me may be about one year ago and he recognize me by my name. Amazing.

Well, I explained my A/C problem to him and surely enough he remembers from last yr about what was wrong with the A/C (Stop blowing A/C when outside temperture is above 95 degree when idle for about a min or two)

He did a check and found the following that he put on the service record;

A/C Diode in underhood fusebox inop.
A/C condensoer fan not working due to diode. Which than can cause overheating of compressor which than ****s off.

Special order Diode for $14.49, parts # 32146-SH3-003

Well, I've purchased the extended warranty to 80,000. My current odo reading is 76,200. So warranty covers parts and labor. Parts will arrive next week, hope and trusted it will work!

Thanks for the great service Joaquin

 

[rwall10597]

I called a dealer service center and lucked out and got someone who was willing to speculate a little with me. After describing the whole deal to him he figured it was probably just a relay since a lot of the time it works without issue. I'm into a relay for $6.70, part number 39794-SDA-A03. I figured thats worth a shot before I shell out the money even for them to diagnose it. The dealer was really nice, and even pointed out that they could have it for a day or two, and not end up being able to replicate the problem. Anyway, I stuck the relay in, and my wife left with the kids two minutes later. The AC was working when she left, we'll see what happens over the next few days.

 

[rwall10597]

On my 2006, my AC was intermittent. When it worked, it worked great, when it didn't it didn't at all. I'm pretty certain the fan worked at all speeds front and back. I bought an AC relay from my dealer, it was under seven bucks and about as hard to change as an Atari cartridge. Open the hood, there is a small electrical box closest to the glove compartment, the diagram is on the bottom of the cover. They all look a little different, so you can also just swap it with the one that looks just like the one you bought, I found the diagram hard to read. I'm two weeks in, and the AC has worked perfectly ever since.

 

[brightdog]

So I had a similar problem to klau3434 above where when sitting idle for a couple of minutes in hot weather the AC performance would significantly decrease.

Taking a look under the hood I could see that when idling with the AC on full blast with a hot engine and hot weather the Condenser Fan (the one behind the radiator on the Passenger side) was not turning on.

I took at look at the service manual to follow the schematics to see what would cause the condenser fan to turn on/off. It made reference to the AC Diode which lives in the under hood fuse box. I took a look into the fuse box and low and behold the Diode was Gone!

I don't know where it went, or if it was ever there in the first place (this van is new to me just over a year ago). So I ordered it from BernardiParts.com and put it into place this week (Part# 32146-SH3-003 ) ... Condenser fan runs now when the AC turns on.

The weather this week hasn't been especially hot so I'm not 100% sure the problem is resolved, but I feel very confident that it will be now that the fan runs.