Sthavorn did a thread on the same topic, however I feel I may need to start my own so I can describe mycar's symptoms, even although they are virtually the same as his. This is on a 95 Accord V6. Just like Sthavorn's thread,myA/C will work fine for a few minutes, then it will not blow cold for a few minutes, then it will start blowing cold again, etc..
I can hearachangein the sound (kind of like a click)when itstops blowing cold. Then the sound changes againwhen it starts blowing cold again. The sound the A/C makes when it runs (either cold or not)is also a lot louder than the A/C in my 00 Accord I4.
TexasHonda suggested Sthavorn's may be an A/C clutch problem.I have read before that if the A/C clutch is clicking on and off, the problem usually means the system needs a refrigerant charge.Should I add some refrigerant firstto see if itjust needs a charge befor I do anything else?

 

That's not a bad guess, but you're better off not just blindly adding refrigerant. Get an ACkit with pressure gauges & read it's instructions. Don't add refrigerant unless you measure the pressure & find that it's low.

ps...
Probably good to have your own thread. Right at the beginning, he had already verified that his pressures are OK. So maybe yours will turn out to be a completely different problem.

 

there is most likley a leak and just adding a charge will only temporarily fix the problem.

 

If the AC is off for over 2 minutes w/o any cooling and finally engages and begins to cool quickly, the system charge is probably OK.

A low charge w/ a thermistor-controlled system may cause less cycling but lower cooling, and finally faster cycling as the level of refrigerant becomes low enough that low side pressure drops below the cut-off pressure and low-pressure cut-out switch disables compressor clutch coil. Pressure will rise rapidly and clutch willengage again shortly.

Don't charge in the blind under any circumstances, as there is a good chance you have adequate charge.

If the system is staying off for several minutes before re-engaging and quickly beginning to cool, the clutch gap may be too low and you may want to try to "rap the clutch face" test to see if this cause immediate engagement of compressor.

good luck

 

ok guys A/c 101..

.......if when the compressor is engaged and the a/c cools well upper 30s ,,low 40s then the problem IS NOT low on freon,, if it were low on freon a/c would not cool that good........( low on freon = warmer a/c output ..), do not just add freon ,
if you overcharge a system you could cause compressor damage ,,So if a/c cools well , forget about the freon ,that is not the problem ..
if the a/c cools well and compressor shuts off for a few minutes there is most likely an electrical problem , which needs to be diagnosed when compressor is not engaging when it is suppose to be.. could be a relay, thermostatic switch,bad coil, poor wiring connection or too wide of a clutch gap ,,So the first thing you need to do when compressor does not engage when it is suppose to and you know that there is enough freon , . is to chk to see if there is power at the red wire going into the compressor ..

 

if your system is cycling on and off and you get cold air when it is on, it would lead one to believe that the system is over charged and you are getting the high pressure cut off switch activating.

you need to do a vaccum test on the system and make sure that it is able to hold a vaccum for at least 8 hours. if it does, then recharge with the proper amt of r134a refrigerant and pag oil. A vaccum test is performed by evacuating the system and holding it on a vaccum.

If the system cannot hold a vaccum, you willneed to charge the system with r134a and oil and a uv dye to find the leaks and repair them. once all the leaks are repaired. repeat the test and recharge the system.

 

Thanks for the quick replies guys. I drove it last night for a while and I am convinced it is not low on refrigerant. I had just read the remark about the clicking clutchona "basic A/C repair and maintenance" site when I googled A/Cproblems.
It ran for a good 15 minutes blowing super cold so I know there is no way it could be low on refrigetant. While it blows cold, it makes a lot of hissing noises and a lot of the time you can see the cold air coming out (Like when you can see your breath when it's cold outside.) The whole time it is running, it is constantly clickingthenhissing, stopping hissing, then clicking and hissing again.Any suggestions on why it would be making all of that noise?
I am going to print out the above responses and try the suggestions. I willkeep you updated.
Thanksagain

 

The AC system is supposed to cycle on & off. That part's normal. Think of the furnace or AC in your house. If it ran continuously, it would overheat or overcool the house. Same with the car.

The fact that you can actually hear it cycling isn't very unusual either. Maybe if one of us heard it firsthand, we'd say that's normal. If it was an Escalade with 800 pounds of soundproofing, it would be more quiet.

 

The reason I say I can hear it is because it is a very loud hissing sound. I can hear the compressor turn on and off in my other accord and I know there is nothing wrong with it becuase it sounds normal. I wish I could figure out a better way to describe it or post a sound clip. I know it did not always sound like this. The hissing sound sounds like it is coming from the inside of the car almost. The it sounds like the hissing is coming out of the vents, not from under the hood. I know what the compressor sounds like when it cuts on and off and this is not the same sound.
Sorry if this post is confusing

 

Partly plugged expansion valve??

AC background information...
The high-pressure liquid refrigerant goes into the evaporator. Here, inside the dashboard, it sprays out thru a nozzle ('expansion valve')and evaporates. That makes a noise, but apparently this is too loud.

Maybe there's something wrong with that nozzle? Over the years if you get moisture in the system this is the place for it to freeze. (Normally it's trapped by the receiver/dryer) Debris from a failing receiver/dryer?

If something (anything) is plugging the expansion valve,a couplethings can happen...
Noise (sometimes, not always).
High pressure is too high while low pressure is too low.
(This can trigger one of the sensors to shut off the system)