I have a 92' Prelude type S and whenever I turn on the a/c my car makes a sound like the gears are grinding for a brief second. Also,my a/c sometimes turns off after only a couple of minutes of running it with and without the recirculate button on. I'm kinda freaked out by it, so I rarely run it.
I just had my a/c recharged last summer. Anyone know what's up?

 

the compressor might be going out have it checked out before it blows up internally if it does the whole system will need flushed and more parts will need replace because if the compressor is going out it might throw metal carp through the system.

 

it could also be that you use it too much and as soon as you hop in the car you turn the a/c on and then floor the accelerator, well most prelude ecm's (ECU)'s are supposed to automatically turn off the a/c compressor when the engine is being driven hard, basically that way you dont end up frying your engine because the a/c is an extra load that causes your engine to turn much harder than it should have to. And maybe your belt is going bad that runs from the alternator - to the a/c compressor - to the carnk pulley. otherwards ya i would say its your compressor going bad if my thoughts aren't correct.

 

Might have too much or too little R12/R22 (??you are at the cutover point so not sure what you use??) in it. The sound you describe sounds like the compressor does not have enough oil and/or it might be in the twilight of it's life.

Remember that if you go to get it looked at and it's leaking ANY refrigerant you will get a repair estimate that involves fixing ALL the leaks... EPA This may or may not relate to the specific problem you are having.


I think only the VTEC 'ludes had this "feature"... it cuts off the compressor temporarily under full throttle acceleration and/or above a certain RPM.

 

honda compressors will not run if they are low on refrigerant. but if it runs for a couple of minutes and shuts off then you probably have impurities in the system (moisture) and it is freezing up, then the comp turns it off. if it is grinding and shit then you need a new compressor. it might also not have the proper amount of lubricant in the system. the ac oil amount is critical. compressor will go shitty with improper amount. good luck