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04 Accord EX 4 cyl - A/C Suddenly Died

2K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  chris918 
#1 ·
My kid's AC suddenly died. Apparently, it was going in and out of cooling and then finally gave up the ghost on Wednesday. Checked all the fuses, all are OK. When I put the AC on, the engine lugs like the compressor is coming on. Thoughts? The car is now six hours away with her at college, so it's not something I can tackle easily.
 
#2 ·
Check the AC compressor relay. It's in the fuse box under the hood. Have her swap it with the identical fan relay to see if it works. Buy aftermarket relay at any auto parts store for ten bucks. This is how it looks...

If it works when you swap, it's the relay, but don't leave them swapped. Your fan will quit and overheat the car.
 
#3 ·
Building on what Drew said- since she is a newbie, make sure she swaps them with the engine off and key out of the ignition. Then start the car and check if the A/C works.

Don't let the car run more than three minutes while she is seeing if the A/C is working blowing cold air.

Confirm yes/no, then shut off the engine, key out of the ignition, and swap the relays back to their original slots.

I have found that Facetime (and Skype) are excellent tools to walk a newbie through something....

Good luck!

EDIT: Just wanted to add that if THAT does not work, to have her check the grill opening at the front of the car to make sure some large rock did not pierce the condenser.....that would be a bad day.
 
#7 ·
Uh if the engine runs without screeching the belt, but you can't spin the compressor by the 10mm bolt on the shaft, you've got a problem with the compressor, not clutch.
 
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#6 ·
I think the clutch can be replaced without disconnecting the lines or evacuating the system. That would make it a lot cheaper.
 
#10 ·
Well, the kid came back from college, and no go with swapping the relays. Dealership says the compressor is bad. Quoted $1000 to repair. Ouch.
 
#11 ·
Go to an AC shop, have them evacuate the system. Then, pull the high pressure line off the compressor. Swab a Q tip around and if there's no black that shows up, unbolt the compressor, install the new one, then take it back to the AC shop and have them refill it. You'll spend less than $300.
 
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