I have a 2009 Honda Fit and the AC clutch is not engaging. I want to rule out that it is not a relay causing the issue before I go further but I cannot find anything that labels the relays in a 2009 fit.

There are multiple relays with the fuses under the steering wheel and 3 relays in a small box under the left headlight

There are other posts with pictures of a triangular relay box in the Fit but I believe this is only the older Fit/Jazz models.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Most common reason for AC clutch not engaging is low or no refrigerant, that would be the first thing I would check.

 

Thanks vegajf. I had the refrigerant level checked this morning at Midas and was told it was normal.

 

Do both radiator and condenser fans come on and cycle with AC on?

If so check the No. 43 (7.5 A) and the No. 10 (7.5 A) fuses in the under-dash fuse/relay box

If the condenser fan doesn't come on then its most likely a pressure switch issue not sensing it has refrigerant in the system.

 

The clutch relay has been an extremely common failure on various models.
The failure prone brand is Omron, it's improved replacement brand is Mitsuba (but I have seen those fail too)

The clutch relay is usually only labeled with a simple snowflake symbol....

the 09 should have the AC clutch relay located in a small relay box, engine compartment, drivers side, box will be approximately 2x3 inches and have 3 relays inside it. One for the clutch, and the other two relays are for the two radiator fans.

Copied from another thread in this forum: https://picasaweb.google.com/117483682412793776771/ACTroubleshooting?authkey=Gv1sRgCOGivIykuOnt2wE&fe at=directlink

Googles:

 

I had the same issue of not being able to find the clutch relay on my 08 Fit. The reason was because it doesn't say AC or Clutch. It just shows a symbol that looks like an octagon with arrows pointing at the center. It was the relay closest to the front of the vehicle. The next one in is for the condenser fan. If the condenser fan kicks on when you turn on the AC, swap the two relays and see if the compressor then kicks on. If it does, your clutch relay is bad. If it doesnt work, it doesnt necessairly mean the relay is bad or good, it just means yiu dont know yet if its bad. Next, run wiring between the terminals on the relay and the battery terminals. If the relay is working you will hear a click sound when it engages (you can check for continuity/resistance but the click will be obvious). Make sure you are connecting the correct two terminals or you won't hear the click. If the relay is working, next check to make sure you have power coming to the relay. Switch your multimeter to volts and put both leads into the power terminals where the relay goes (whole the relay is out of course). These will be the same two you connected to hear the relay click (furthest toward passenger side on 08). If you get around 13-14 volts with the car running and AC on, you are getting power correctly. This more than likely means you are low on refrigerant and will need to refill. Prior to refilling, you'll need to jumper the low pressure switch that keeps the compressor from running while you're low. On my 08, this was in the front passenger side between the compressor and the condenser and it taps off the high pressure side of the AC refrigerant loop (outlet of compressor). Just follow the line and you should find it. I haven't yet, but I'm about to jumper mine using a paper clip (I did once years ago on a Hyundai accent), to fool the compressor into running, so I can put refrigerant in. That's where I am in my troubleshooting, but I haven't found my problem yet. When I read this and saw the post was relatively fresh, I thought I'd try to help for once instead of just always reading. Good luck!

 

ezone...thanks for your post it solved my problem with the AC compressor clutch not engaging...BTW how common is this problem...why would the dealership mechanic not jump right on this?? I kept hearing how they had 45 years experience from the service manager......

 

VERY common across the brand, but not real common on Fits IMO.

I have loads of guesses.
#1, the wrong person was assigned to your car.

What did they tell you needed to be replaced? Wait, let me guess



Skill sets vary greatly.
It's not limited to dealers, by any means. All shops, dealer or independent, or chain can be affected.

Just about any mechanic can replace parts......and if you leave it up to them they might eventually replace the correct part.....because many mechanics are just plain lost when it comes to diagnosing problems, so they resort to guessing.....and usually guess big so they have a good chance of hitting the target on the first try (parts cannon approach). Also, the more parts they replace the more money they can make.
Bean counters love this guy because the revenue generated looks great on paper.....but they fail to see beyond column A.


Electricity is like 'the final frontier' of auto mechanic skills. Probably 75% in the trade never get to be any good it, and it's only getting worse IMO.
Many are baffled by a simple light bulb not working once it becomes apparent the bulb is not the problem.


Meaningless without context.
Hell, I can claim that number by myself....and I am far from perfect.


How many rookies with 1 year of experience does it take to make 45?

If a guy has been slamming out nothing but brake jobs for the last 45 years, is he likely to figure out why your AC doesn't work? Or why the tail lights don't work?

Consider mental capacity:
A mechanic with 30 years experience, vs. another mechanic with 1 year of experience 30 times.......
Can you tell the difference?

 

nice thoughtful post. thanks ezone. BTW here are reviews to the relay


this is when I got annoyed seems like a very common Honda problem that I cannot believe could not be known

 

The Honda part number 39794-SDA-A05 is correct for the updated relay.
The brand name of the updated relay is Mitsuba.
Make sure that's what you actually received.