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AC problems.

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#21 ·
When I owned the original insight, I had this problem. The dealer couldn't figure it out. I did what I would do in the sring to my home A/C unit. I cleaned all around the intake areas and charged the Freon. This seemed to solve the problem for me.
 
#22 ·
Same with my Civic. Just a small dose of refrigerant and the compressor kicked right back on. It's probably the cheapest and easiest first try.
 
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#24 ·
People please do not just add refrigerant to your AC system!

Just because your AC isn't working does not always mean you are low on refrigerant. If too much is added to the system you can destroy your AC compressor. At least get some pressure manifold gauges (designed for automotive AC systems) to see how much pressure is in the system BEFORE adding anything. I just had someone come into the shop I work at grande their AC compressor because they over filled the system and caused the compressor to start taking in liquid instead of gas.

Back to topic.... How did the shim adjustments go?
 
#25 ·
peterpuck1980 said:
I have a 2012 CRZ with 77,000 miles on it. My air quite blowing Friday. It did show signs of not working by cutting in and out for the last week. any advice?
Click to expand...
Check all related fuses, belt and condenser/radiator fan. Turn on the AC (AC on and LO) and see if the compressor turns on and off (you'll see the end of it spin and stop in intervals), check your cabin air filter and change it if dirty or clogged (it's way in the back of the glove box behind a door), and check to make sure your radiator fan is on and blowing a good amount of air.

If the compressor is turning on and off, and the radiator fan is running, and you are getting good air flow out of the vents inside, you could have a stuck/bad blend door motor (changes air flow between the AC evaporator and heater core).

If the compressor is not running then you possibly have a blow fuse (check first) or a refrigerant leak and the refrigerant pressure is below the switching threshold allowed to operate the compressor.

There could be other issues that would require use of a scan tool to read BCM codes and do a full system test, this will most likely have to be done at an automotive dealer, or someone with a very nice $$$ scan tool.

Or it could be that the AC clutch is wearing out like the OP.
 
#26 ·
I had mine diagnosed at the dealership, and per the PDF's i posted.. it seems to be that the AC compressor CLUTCH is out of SPEC. The gap is too wide, and thats why the coil does not have the power to magnetically pull it tightly anymore.

Looks like I'm going to need a new compressor clutch kit, or to re-shim mine and get it back within spec.

You may want to check this out.. as this is what my problem was. Sometimes the AC would come on, other times it wouldnt. Sometimes it would run 5 minutes, then stop. This is because the clearance is not within tolerances anymore.. need a new clutch kit, or to re-shim.

Check out the info I posted above. You may want to check the clearance of your compressor clutch gap and see if its within spec.

Here is a good video to check out. Even though its a ford, the idea is the same, and the problem is the same:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-nMDFvSjFk
 
#29 ·
My a/c just went out today. Worked prior to lunch, quit working after. I took it to the dealer and they said I needed a new a/c clutch and coil. Ouch! Not cheap, but who can live in FL in the summer without a/c? Part had to be ordered and won't be in until Wednesday.
 
#30 ·
They said the same thing about mine (that compressor needed to be replaced). It was actually just the AC clutch gap 'out of spec'.

Mine would turn on and off randomly.. sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didnt. Its easy to test though. Turn the AC on, and if the clutch doesn't engage.. very CAREFULLY poke the front of it. If it snaps on and engages.. chances are your clutch shim spacing is out of spec.

------------MY CAR HAS BEEN FIXED OF THIS ISSUE!!!------------------------------------------!!!

I actually just recently fixed my issue by taking the clutch off the AC compressor, and removing the shim. This closed the gap I spoke of in this thread earlier.

So.. MY AC HAS BEEN FIXED!! The AC now works every time you turn it on. Removing the front of the compressor and the shim honestly took 30 minutes. Took longer to jack the car up and remove the plastic shields! Super easy fix!!

Most of everyone's problems in this thread are most likely the same problem I had, as this seems to be a common issue on these AC compressor clutches. The gap becomes too big, and the magnet can no longer make the AC clutch run!

Ask your honda to check the AC compressor clutch gap spec, and if its out of spec.. remove the shim!
 
#31 ·
d1giPhux said:
They said the same thing about mine (that compressor needed to be replaced). It was actually just the AC clutch gap 'out of spec'.

Mine would turn on and off randomly.. sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didnt. Its easy to test though. Turn the AC on, and if the clutch doesn't engage.. very CAREFULLY poke the front of it. If it snaps on and engages.. chances are your clutch shim spacing is out of spec.

------------MY CAR HAS BEEN FIXED OF THIS ISSUE!!!------------------------------------------!!!

I actually just recently fixed my issue by taking the clutch off the AC compressor, and removing the shim. This closed the gap I spoke of in this thread earlier.

So.. MY AC HAS BEEN FIXED!! The AC now works every time you turn it on. Removing the front of the compressor and the shim honestly took 30 minutes. Took longer to jack the car up and remove the plastic shields! Super easy fix!!

Most of everyone's problems in this thread are most likely the same problem I had, as this seems to be a common issue on these AC compressor clutches. The gap becomes too big, and the magnet can no longer make the AC clutch run!

Ask your honda to check the AC compressor clutch gap spec, and if its out of spec.. remove the shim!
Click to expand...
I need help i tried removing the shim and now the clutch plate isnt spinning, did you gap the clutch plate back to spec after taking out the shim or were you able to just bolt it back on? It still has to be able to rotate correct? And did you have to bolt the plate back to torque spec as well?...
 
#32 ·
CR_JV18 said:
I need help i tried removing the shim and now the clutch plate isnt spinning, did you gap the clutch plate back to spec after taking out the shim or were you able to just bolt it back on? It still has to be able to rotate correct? And did you have to bolt the plate back to torque spec as well?...
Click to expand...
So you removed the shim? Did you check the gap after? Was it between the specs?

When I put my clutch plate back on, I just used a 12v electric impact (only goes up to 20 ft/lbs).. so yeah, within spec. No need to torque anything down proper. I couldn't even fit a torque in there anyways.

If the clutch plate isnt moving still, and the gap is within spec.. your magnet (coil) may not be working at all.

You can try to turn the ac on, and then hit the face of the clutch plate with something to see if it 'connects' to the magnet. Just be careful, don't get injured!! If the coil is working, it will connect (magnetic) and start spinning.

The pulley behind the clutch plate is spinning correct? Just the clutch is not being connected to it via the coil (magnet) right?

Have you also checked your relays and such before doing this? Is all you did remove the clutch plate, then the shim, then put everything back together (belt, etc)?
 
#33 ·
Also,

Always start with the easy stuff first.

What was the gap spec when you checked it? Was it out of spec?

Did you check the relay, or try bypassing the relay to test? Here are the relay locations:

Image


Was the back of the clutch plate clean and free of rust debris? A little rust is okay, but a lot of rust can cause a bad connection between the 2 metal faces. Always a good idea to clean it off. I never did it on mine, and the magnet (coil) was still strong enough to connect them.

To me, it sounds like you either have an electrical relay problem, or possibly your coil itself is going bad. Hopefully we can help you in figuring this out.

How did you go about determining it was the gap that was too large, as opposed to the coil, relay, or anything else?
 
#34 ·
d1giPhux said:
Also,

Always start with the easy stuff first.

What was the gap spec when you checked it? Was it out of spec?

Did you check the relay, or try bypassing the relay to test? Here are the relay locations:

Image


Was the back of the clutch plate clean and free of rust debris? A little rust is okay, but a lot of rust can cause a bad connection between the 2 metal faces. Always a good idea to clean it off. I never did it on mine, and the magnet (coil) was still strong enough to connect them.

To me, it sounds like you either have an electrical relay problem, or possibly your coil itself is going bad. Hopefully we can help you in figuring this out.

How did you go about determining it was the gap that was too large, as opposed to the coil, relay, or anything else?
Click to expand...
Not sure i guess i just went ahead and did the shim removal based on peoples descriptions on the forums, didn't check the relay....i just purchased this car about a month ago & kind of working with the dealership to get this resolved...but kinda went ahead and tried to fix it myself because it was taking too long, im going to try one more time after checking the relays and re-gap the plate, if worst comes to worst & its still not working ill just have them do it...really appreciate your help. :cheers:
 
#35 ·
CR_JV18 said:
Not sure i guess i just went ahead and did the shim removal based on peoples descriptions on the forums, didn't check the relay....i just purchased this car about a month ago & kind of working with the dealership to get this resolved...but kinda went ahead and tried to fix it myself because it was taking too long, im going to try one more time after checking the relays and re-gap the plate, if worst comes to worst & its still not working ill just have them do it...really appreciate your help. :cheers:
Click to expand...
Definitely pick up some feeler gauges and check the gap size. If its within spec, you should be good to go. Since you removed the shim, it should be within spec, or smaller than spec. Meaning.. if the gap is TOO small, the AC would never turn off. But, since that isn't the problem, I would assume that either your coil is bad, or a relay is bad.

I would check the relays next, then the the coil.

While the car is running, and the AC is on try and push the clutch plate so that it magnetically sticks to the pulley turning behind it. Be careful while doing this!!

It SHOULD stick. If it does not, your relay is either junk, or the coil (magnet) is junk.

Good luck! Report back what you find!

Here is how to check the spec (as posted earlier in this thread):

Image
 
#36 ·
My ac compressor will turn on when the engine is cold, and stay on. If it turns off (or was never on) when the engine is warm, it doesn't come on. Sounds like a bad sensor somewhere but i dont know which one. I checked the thermal protection sensor on the compressor itself and it was ok.

any suggestions?
 
#38 ·
I can almost guarantee that your AC compressor needs to be re-shimmed (remove the shims on the ac compressor clutch).

Problem is, your ac compressor clutch gap is getting too large, and the magnet (coil) can no longer make the clutch stick to it and spin.

Check this thread out. it will pretty much answer all of your questions. The fix is very easy. Hardest part is taking all the plastic off:

http://www.crzforum.com/forum/general-discussion/11278-ac-problems.html
 
#40 ·
d1giPhux said:
I can almost guarantee that your AC compressor needs to be re-shimmed (remove the shims on the ac compressor clutch).

Problem is, your ac compressor clutch gap is getting too large, and the magnet (coil) can no longer make the clutch stick to it and spin.

Check this thread out. it will pretty much answer all of your questions. The fix is very easy. Hardest part is taking all the plastic off:

http://www.crzforum.com/forum/general-discussion/11278-ac-problems.html
Click to expand...
Cool. Now i have to find someone near me to do it. Is it possible to do without remove all of the lines to the compressor?
 
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