1998 Accord LX - Major A/C Issues...need help!
 

I have a '98 Accord LX sedan (4 cyl.) and in the past few days, started having some A/C issues.

First the AC wouldn't go on, so I figured it needed to have the AC system recharged. As we tried to recharge the system, it won't take any gas into the system via the low pressure side.

We can hear the clutch on the compressor kick on/off but still won't take any gas. Not sure if there is any way to test the compressor itself just in case that's the culprit. The fans work, the high pressure switch works fine, all the relays are working fine as well.

The MAJOR issue now is that the electrical system seems to have reversed itself. Meaning that now for some strange reason, whenever I turn the AC to ON, the system turns OFF, and when I turn the AC to OFF, the AC goes ON!! It's backwards for some reason all the sudden in the past like 3 days.

I'm also getting like a hissing/sucking sound near the passenger side by the glove compartment. Maybe the evaporator core is clogged up or maybe one of the lines is clogged up???

I guess I might be able to live with the AC switch being backwards but still does not explain why the system won't take in any new gas and why I can't get cold air all the sudden.

Any ideas??

Thanks!

I had situations where R-134A systems do not like to be "topped off". My recommendation is to find someone who can install a vacuum pump and gauges and pull down the entire system. Pull a vacuum on the system and when you reach 29-30 mm Mercury then close off the valves on the gauges, turn off the pump and watch the low side pressure gauge for about 20minutes. If you have a leak then it will slowly loose vacuum.

When you evacuate the system, you will need to do so for approximately 45 minutes to be sure you have removed all of the moisture. Charge the system with one can of dye and then complete the balance of the charge with the remaining cans. The label under the hood should tell you how much to add. I would approximate 3-4 cans.

You should be reading 35-40 psig on the low side and approximately 250 on the high side. When reading the gauges be sure the A/C is on, the fan is on high and the recirulation is on for the vent. Open the two front doors and idle the engine high for 6-10 minutes. Or, you can drive the car for a while and then come back can reconnect the gauges. In short, you need to give the system time to balance out to ensure your gauge readings are accurate. Without a lot of solar load the car you should be producing air temperatures off the vents between 50F-55F. When driving it could drop to 42F-45F once you get air across the condensing coil.

The hissing sound you hear is the expansion valve on the evaporator core behind the glove box. It's the gas releasing acroos the valve from high pressure to low pressure. That is normal.

In regard to your electrical issue.....I cannot help.

I was able to resolve this issue. My compressor was bad so I replaced that, vacuumed the system, and recharged it.

Besides my compressor being bad, the electrical issue was basically a short somewhere in the climate control (not the digital climate control system, just manual) so when I pressed the buttons, it would go nuts. I found the entire climate control unit on eBay, swapped it out (took about 5 mins, very easy to do) and it solved that issue.

It's been running fine without any issues.

I'm glad you got it resolved......

http://www.infoocean.info/avatar1.jpgYou should be reading 35-40 psig on the low side and approximately 250 on the high side. When reading the gauges be sure the A/C is on, the fan is on high and the recirulation is on for the vent