CORRECTION: 1993 Accord AC Problem

Greetings, I'm trying to figure out if the AC compressor is bad on my Honda with

160,000 miles. Cooling was mediocre & there was foam in the sight glass. Clutch was spinning on the compressor. I had the car in to a Honda dealer in April for an oil change & they reported that the compressor needed to be replaced as it was leaking ($1800). Amused, I told the service manager that the car AC blew ice cold last summer & that the trade-in book value of the car was $1200. His response was that it would not blow cold much longer then. Sure enough, the first time I turned the AC on about a month later it was not cold (50 degrees)& foam in the sight glass. Suspecting foul play I procured some R-12 Freon & hooked a can up to the low pressure port with the engine on & AC at full. Freon would not suck in. Rather the pressure blew Freon (slowly & it was the low pressure port) back out through the hose fitting at the can. I ended up losing more Freon from the system. I double-checked the clutch & it was spinning. When I turned the AC off the clutch was rotating very slowly. Is this significant or just normal momentum. There is an oily residue on the clutch & compressor but not much. Also, while the engine seems to be under load when the AC is turned on, it doesn't cycle on & off. Is there any way I can get Freon into this system or is the compressor bad & not able to suck it in. If so, would there still be some cold air coming out & foam in the sight glass (that goes away when the compressor is off) if the compressor is bad? I'm just trying to figure out if there is a simple way to get Freon into the current system to get it working properly or if I need to find another auto shop to replace a bad compressor & convert to R-134a. Thanks, Rich
Reply to
Rich
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It will not suck in. Even though the low pressure side is called the suction side, there is still pressure there. The more correct term is "Low Pressure Side" or "Return". The can should be pressurized higher than the system to force the R-12 in.

You should be able to replace the shaft seal to solve the leaking problem. To do this the R-12 needs to be properly removed. Then you can convert to R-134.

If you are loosing R-12 into the air while working on the system, you are breaking the law and polluting the atmosphere. If you hook the can to the high pressure side you can be killed.

I wouldn't think the compressor should move at all with the clutch disengaged.

I'd shop around and get estimates from AC shops.

Reply to
Scott Buchanan

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What Mr. Buchanan said...........ditto.

and........

as I am an avid smoke'n asmatic......pleas focus on his second paragraph, first sentence.

~:~ MarshMonster ~wipes on more sunscreen.......damd ozone~ ~:~

Reply to
Marsh Monster

I topped off an R-12 on another car years ago & there were no issues. The can went right in, no problem. When I saw this time that it did not just take the Freon, I realized it was time for a professional. I am in the process of getting a quote now. Thanks for the advice. Rich

Reply to
Rich

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