Hey guys, long time no see!

So, I had A/C problems last year, and took the car to the dealership... They claimed it was the compressor, and replaced it and I *believe* the clutch (iirc, it's one unit on my model? I might be wrong, I honestly can't remember). They also charged me for an evac/recharge at the time. Here I am 13 months later, exactly 1 month out of warranty (of course), and am having A/C issues again. Living in Texas, it's practically unbearable!!!

I had a pretty bad experience with the dealership, and would prefer NOT to go back to them, as they were kinda ****** about everything, and wouldn't tell me exactly what they were doing unless I bugged the hell out of them.

Basically, I need to educate myself about the A/C system so I am not taken advantage of...

I can hear/feel the clutch engage (motor vibration goes up, I can hear a fan kick on, etc etc), so I'm going to assume my compressor is still good - plus it's only been a year.. I have a hard time believing the dealership would put sub-par equipment into my vehicle - even if they are jerks...

Between the time of the compressor replacement, and today, I've been in a pretty nasty accident... ~$14500 worth of damages (for a ~$9000 car), which included my CAI, Eibach+Konis, etc... The process was stupid, and long story short they just did a horrible job at verifying damages, and checking their work (I went back about 20 times over the last 7 months to get them to fix things they missed [fuses were blown, horn wasn't hooked up, a/c fuse was blown, gas-cap cover wouldn't release, both front axles bent, etc etc...].

What I'm unsure of is whether the dealership properly fixed my issue last year, or if the recharge held me over for a while... I try to ride with the windows down as much as I can throughout the year, and just as of the last month have resorted to purely using the A/C... I use it during the winter to defrost the windows, and of course the heater, and at long stops during the summer I'll throw it on to keep it bearable...

Here's the symptoms... In the morning, it seems to cool off within 3-5 minutes, but it doesn't get COLD, just cool... After heat-soaking in the day all day while I work, it seems to never cool off... I have a 1.5hr drive (1-way) and it never gets cool - clearly something is wrong...

Having said that, I believe there is a leak... I've called around, and some places are saying they'll "hook it up to a machine" and test pressure, "and other stuff"... Again, no one is really being specific enough (Firestone, Honda dealership, some guys off Craigslist, etc... wtf!?!?!) for me to feel comfortable leaving it completely in their hands.
I had a few places tell me the next step is to do an evac/recharge... This is what confuses me... If the pressure is low, and not enough freon, wouldn't that immediately indicate a leak!?!?!? And if so, wouldn't an evac/recharge be a waste of money!!!!!????!!!!
A guy on CL said he'd do a dye test for $72, which doesn't seem too bad - Firestone is wanting $119 for the E/R before doing a dye test, which is probably another $120+ knowing my luck...

What's the appropriate methods of testing, and what are the steps? I understand finding a leak can sometimes be an iterative process, and can be a huge pain in the rear - but I can't really afford to be throwing more money at this car.

Thanks guys!

 

Here's good advice for you..Go to AutoZone and pick up a Free A/C how to pamphlet
and while your there ask one of there ASE counterpersons if they will check it out if you buy the kit if needed.
Let us know if you get that help.
Most anyone can check it out with their help..

 

Hey Angelo, thanks for the response!

I'll stop by AutoZone during lunch and get the pamphlet, hopefully they have them available!

What exactly do you mean ask "if they will check it out if you buy the kit if needed." How would they check it out? Pressure test? And what kit would I get? Just a refill kit?

I thought I read on these forums somewhere that you should a) never use those kits, b) never just refill, because it's likely you have a leak and will waste your money... Is this not the case?

 

Ok, so I went to 2 Autozones by my work place... Both were out of the pamphlet... The guy at the 2nd one told me all it does is tell you how to add freon...

BOTH places told me AZ doesn't have any provisions for testing A/C systems; only starters, alternators, batteries, and OBDII codes... Ok, makes sense, but doesn't help me any :S

I have a hard time justifying $40 to test pressure, $120 for evac/recharge, and another $120 for a dye test, and it still hasn't solved the problem... we're lookin at ~$280 to be told "well i found the leak, and it's going to cost another $200"...

 

If your accident was the front end of your Accord then may have done AC repairs.

 

yeah it was the front end... and I told the dealer's body shop to look at the A/C, and of course they said they did... but I seriously doubt it...

It took me going back 6 times and eventually forcing them to prove to me they checked the axles for any bends for them to ACTUALLY check... and of course BOTH were bent..

It's been 8 months since the accident, so going back to them is out of the question.. they'll reject everything at this point.

 

I would start the car with the a/c turned off. The clutch plate should not spin with the a/c pulley. When you turn on the a/c, that clutch plate should spin with the pulley. Also make sure both fans turn on.

Leaks are hard to identify, because the R134a evaporates immediately, but the oil in the system will stay. Inspect all connections of the lines starting from the compressor for significant oil/dirt buildup.

The only way to verify a low charge is to have the system pressure tested. The easiest way to find a leak is to add R134a with a UV dye to locate the leaks.

BTW, where was the car hit, what parts were replaced on the car, and were any of the a/c components replaced?

 

PAHonda, thanks for the info...

I can verify the clutch is engaging and the plate spins; you can also feel/hear it from inside the car. I'll have to verify that BOTH fans are engaging as well.

I'll take a look and see if I can see any buildup... I seem to recall seeing some near one of the (I probably have the naming convention wrong) fill valves (where you put in the freon), but at the time I chalked it up to some over spray when it was recharged last.

As for the accident, a guy jumped out in front of me, and i swerved and still managed to t-bone him with my front left (driver's side) fender, and then spun around and slapped my entire driver's side against his car.

As for the parts... The majority of the cost was body work and associated labor; but here's a list of what I can remember of the mechanical parts replaced:
(Aside from body work, all work was on the driver's side unless stated otherwise)
- upper and lower control arm
- strut/spring
- rim
- wheel bearings
- tire
- radiator
- radiator "holder" (can't think of proper name, but it retains the radiator to the body)
- CAI, and filter
- both front axles
- horn

I know there was more, but I can't remember any more, it's been 9 months now. All I know is they did a shoddy job identifying the damages, and was way more stress than I wish on my mortal enemies.

 

they DO NOT need to do a evac and recharge,, just ask a shop to add some dye in a/c system,( they can do this while car is running and a/c on,just hook up the syringe to low side and add dye) and just chk for a leak,, it does not sound to be a big leak or freon would have leaked all out faster,, drive car for a few days, go back and have shop chk for leak with ultra-violet light .........total job should take no longer that 20 minutes...

 

That's what I was thinking... Seems like an evac/recharge would be a waste of money.

What is a decent price for adding the dye? A local, one-man shop guy on Craigslist said he'd charge me $72 to add the dye; seems reasonable, but what do I know?