Wow!! Good info. I am/was going to take my Fit to the stealership this Friday. I had them check the A/C at my last oil change, they said it was fine. I haven't noticed any compressor over-cycling, it just doesn't cool enough while driving slow or when stopped. They may not "find anything" but at least it will be on record for warranty purposes.

 

Mclaren Honda..You Need To File Complaint With American Honda..Have Vin # Available..Tell Them The Dealership You Want To Use..They Will Contact Dealership Service Dept & Have Them Run The EXTENSIVE A/C Test to find the problem!!

That's the ONLY Way Dealership Can Find The Problem!

 

39 degrees after the dealer fixed a bad o-ring that caused the freon to leak out

 

I replaced my 2008 Fit battery at about 30k in 2010. And it was the most expensive battery I ever purchased (funny size) including marine batteries.
I think it is starter version of the battery just like the Dunlop tires only lasted 20k before needing to be replaced (like driving on ice).

 

@Macfleetwood

That is the exact problem we had on vacation. We traveled from the Austin area to Bowling Green KY and our AC almost quit blowing. It was around 100 deg in Little rock when we we noticed it. I realized what was going on and turned the AC off for a few minutes and that took care of it for a few hours. Every couple of hours we have to turn off the AC or switch off of recirc to clear the coil. Had the dealer in Bowling Green check it and also in Killeen Tx when we got back and both said everything was in spec. Maybe its time to give Honda a call. Great car exept for this and touchy steering on the highway. We have had it two months. Wife was driving an Expedition and we couldn't stand the gas prices any more.

Bill

 

I think the small size of the ducts contribute to the evaporator freezing up... When working under the dash on the passenger side I had to drive the car a few times before putting things back together and the piece of ducting that directs air through the ducts to the console had fallen lose... That made a huge difference in cooling the car without it freezing up... I've yet to re install it or the panel under the glove box because I enjoy actually being cool and comfortable so much when driving this summer that has had daily high temperatures of over 100 degrees for close to a month straight..... I went from a van and pickup to the Fit and it was difficult not driving like a drunk weaving back and forth on roads that driving at required speeds above 50 MPH. You'll get used to it in time, I rest my right forearm on thigh and use my wrist to steer without darting from side to side when on the highway.. I also switch to doing the same with the other hand.

 

Freezing up is not normal on any car.

There is a thermistor that senses the temperature of the evaporator coil and turns off the A/C compressor when it gets below a certain temperature.

It's part number 80560-TA0-A01 (#18 on this call-out for an 09 Fit).

The service dept should be able to test this and replace under warranty. It's a $15 part, but probably 3 hours labor.

 

An A/C freezing up on cars and trucks has been an uncommon occurrence that I recall happening to most all of the vehicles I've owned, driven or ridden in... It happen more frequently in smaller cars... It is just a matter of turning the fan setting to a higher position or setting the temperature to a slightly warmer setting... I suppose that if it is annoying to person that their A/C freezes up when the humidity is high they should do something about it... I figure that when the humidity is low and the temperature is very high I am going to be better off with a colder evaporator and colder air coming out of the ducts....

 

Only car I've had freeze up was a 1990 Isuzu Trooper out in Colorado. Drove me nuts. It'd freeze up after driving for about 90 minutes. Dealer wouldn't fix it either as they couldn't recreate it.

 

Living in the Southeast like you do, I would think it would be common for the evaporators to freeze up.... Since I never have passengers in the back seat of my car and have removed it I am considering getting a replacement duct from under the dash to the console and taking the one that is on it now, cutting it to where I can put a flex hose on it redirecting air toward the floor on the drivers side.... My wife has to wear a jacket even in the summer when I have to cool the car to the level that I am comfortable with... Just removing the panel under the glove compartment and removing the duct to the console has made a great deal of difference.. No freeze ups and the inside of the car has been extremely cool... Today is the first time that the temperature hasn't reached 100, It was 108.5 here yesterday.

 

Our Fit's A/C vent temps were 50-52*F before we recharged it a little bit, about 4-6 oz. of R134a. After that the vent temps dropped to 39-42*F. It looks like our Fit was under-charged from the factory since it had always had weak A/C. It's much better now.

 

One of the causes of A/C evaporator freezing up is said to be not having enough freon in the system, or so I just read after doing a search... I have heard that before though.

 

Had a '95 Chevy truck that froze up and was low on freon. May check the pressure on the Fit myself. Ours seems like it is short cycling also, blowing warm air every once in a while. For those that have added freon to their system, what was the before and after pressures you saw?
Got up to 104 deg today. Starting to get used to this weather.

Bill

 

Short compressor cycles are normal on the Fit. It seems to be designed in permanent economy mode. The Civic has a switchable economy mode on its A/C.

However it does well on recycle I think. This summer has been sweltering and I've been comfortable. But I've got covered parking at work the Fit is garaged at home.

 

Just found out, we are looking at the hottest week ever recorded here. The Fit's a/c is adequate at best in these temps, but if you park in the shade, or garage it - you can stay ahead of it a little bit. Let it get super hot in there, and good luck getting back down to temp if you are driving around in traffic, like during an end of the day commute. I've been driving around an SUV for work occasionally and there is no comparison. Those get ice cold.

I just roll the windows down, rock out, and deal with it. Try 104 degrees plus a/c and a full tank. Dangerously slow in the "worst traffic in the country."

 

At the risk of causing a singularity, go to this link earlier in this thread.

It discusses a modification (and gives this link to the "howto") to the evaporator temp control thermistor to provide for full advantage of the Fit's A/C. It's definitely inhibited to provide maximum economy. If I had uncovered parking I'd be doing it.

However the issue of freezing evaporator coils is best addressed by a trip to Honda and replacing the thermistor (after checking for adequate refrigerant and expansion valve function).

aaaak black-hole thooooop

 

This is absolutely true and the cause almost 100% of the time.

Add some freon and prove it to yourself. Just a small amount though.

You can overcharge the system easily.... I have done it.

Too much freon is as bad as not enough. It has to be in the middle to work properly. Max 250 psi on the high pressure gage while idling.