After spending days running through 100+ threads I think I am more confused now that when I started. Just bought a 95 EX, VTEC, Manual and the A/C does not work and she starts to overheat at idle and only at idle. Here is what I know so far:

-Rad Fan(passenger side) turns on only when car shuts off
-Condenser Fan never turns on
-All Fuses are good
-When you hit the A/C button nothing happens except the light on the dash going on.
-Rad fan turns on when I jump the pins at the thermostat switch.
-Rad fan turns on if I use a test light on the condenser fan relay connector(right side of rad)
-Condenser fan blade wobbles back and forth and is not tight like the rad fan is.
-When temp is rising both upper and lower hoses are hot so I believe the thermostat is working fine.
-In 07 the PO had the condenser and the line from condenser to dryer replaced along with a full recharge and performance test.

Any help would be appreciated.

Almost forgot....In all the threads everyone says to test a switch for ground. Exactly how are you doing this with a multimeter? Thank You

 

You should not let the car overheat when diagnosing. That can lead to head gasket failure.

When the engine is cool, open the radiator cap and see if the coolant is filled up to the top of the radiator.

Thermo switch B turns on one of the fans if the temperature is above the set limit when the car is shut off. Sounds like temp sensor B is working fine.

You might have two separate problems for the overheating.

Do any fans turn on when you are at idle and the car is overheating? Your thermoswitch may not be working properly.

The condenser fan should run when you jump that thermoswitch. Jump the thermo switch A like before and test for 12V across the pins going to the condenser fan. If you have 12V, then replace the condenser fan.

I would troubleshoot and repair the overheating at idle part first before moving to the a/c.

As for the A/C. Turn on the a/c and test for 12V on the plug (red wire) that goes to the a/c compressor. If you have 12V, then something is up with the compressor clutch. If you don't have 12V, then you will have to work backwards.

 

Don't sweat the overheating...as soon as it starts to rise past half way and no fan kicks on I shut her down. What is the proper way of filling the coolant to the correct levels if I am a bit low in the overfill and I don't see the coolant at the top of the radiator when it is cold. I just checked a minute ago.

I may have a coolant leak somewhere but I am not sure. The car does not puff any white smoke and I see no green in my garage or driveway. Like I said I just bought this so It could have been low for a while for whatever reason.

 

You should see coolant almost up to the cap when you open the radiator cap.

Proper way would be to open radiator cap. Then loosen bleed valve on top of thermostat housing with a 12mm deep socket. If air is trapped in the system, air will spit out. Close bleed valve when a steady stream of coolant come out.

Top off radiator. Fill overflow bottle somewhere between the two lines.

When my radiator had a crack, I never saw coolant on the ground and no white smoke. I guess that I was only losing coolant when I was driving?

Keep a close eye on the coolant level. Check at radiator cap when cold before driving.

 

WOW she was really low on coolant! Topped her off and filled to just below the max line on the overflow tank. We will see how the drive home goes and I will check for cracks and leaks as well tonight.

Any thoughts on how to diagnose the non working Condenser fan and A/C system?

 

The condenser fan should run when you jump that thermoswitch. Jump the thermo switch A like before and test for 12V across the pins for the electrcial connector going to the condenser fan. If you have 12V, then replace the condenser fan.

 

I will test that when I get home Thank You.

If the condenser fan is bad will it stop the A/C Compressor from turning on? After reading up a bit I see that I can jump a wire from the battery to the single red lead going to the compressor while the car is running. Any issues with doing this just to test and make sure my compressor is working?

 

sounds like you got more than 1 issue here...........first thing i would diagnose is why car is overheating and low on coolant.that could cost big buckes if u let it go . pressure test cooling system to chk for leaks, sounds like the a/c condenser fan motor ( driver's side on a 4 cyl ) is shot ..

Both fans should come on with a/c on and BOTH fans should come on when coolant reaches a set temp ( t-stat opened )

 

I went out and ran it for 10-15 minutes and the temp would not rise enough to flip on the fans where as it did yesterday before putting more coolant in. I guess I will have to wait for a hotter, less windy day to really put the cooling system to the test. As of right now the temps stay around the 1/3 area of the gauge at idle.

Since that seems to be ok for the time being I started testing the A/C system. Nothing would read correctly for me. I know my multimeter is good but not one switch would give me a continuity beep and no switch connector would give me voltage when tested to ground. Maybe I am stupid and am doing something wrong. Very frustrating...