Hey Guys,

I recently replaced my heavily bent condenser thinking it was the issue for my A/C problems. Now that there is a new condenser, fully charged, I have found out that the condenser was not my issue.

The A/C does work when travelling on the freeway with good airflow and when the outside temperature is rather cool (75F and under). When it is a pretty warm day and I am on the streets or stop-and-go traffic, the A/C compressor will completely stop working. When I hop on the freeway, the A/C will eventually kick in as long as the outside temperature isn't too hot.

Due to the issues above, I thought that maybe the condenser was too damaged (bent pins everywhere) and that it was not cooling off the Freon, causing the system to overheat. Recently, I had replaced my condenser and had the system pressurized properly but I am still experiencing the same issues. Anybody have any idea what might be the cause?

Is it possible that the A/C compressor is faulty? Or is it most likely shutting off due to other reasons?

- Condenser fan kicks on when A/C is turned on
- There are no leaks
- There are no moisture in the lines
- A/C will usually work when car is first started but will fail after a few mins
- After failing, not using the A/C for about 10 mins will bring it back to life

Pictures are of the damaged condenser vs new

 

Sounds like its overcharged, what are your pressures?

 

I have pretty much the exact same problem. AC works great for the first 5-10 min, then stops cooling. If the temp is low enough it may keep on working. I've had is looked at many times. The system was just recharged and checked for leaks, so I don't think overcharging is the issue. The mechanic now thinks the compressor may be over heating. He verified that 12V was getting to the compressor, but the clutch wasn't engaging. He didn't seem to know if there is some sort of thermoswitch built into the compressor.

 

Sounds like the clutch air gap is too wide. Remove a shim to decrease clearance if possible.

 

Well I'm not sure about the clutch air gap. The compressor engages when cold, never makes any noise or seems to slip. Would a miss adjusted air gap work when cold but fail when warm?

 

Absolutely.

Spec for the gap between outer plate and pulley is only 0.5 millimeter.
If the gap LOOKS like it's a full millimeter or more it's probably too much.

If the thing quits and you leave it running, use a dowel or long screwdriver to push the plate against the pulley...if that gets it to click in the gap is too wide.

 

I didn't know about the air gap. Thanks for the information. I would love to look into that.

I'm guessing what you are talking about is this?





The shop manual reads that the clearance must be: 0.5±0.15 mm (0.020±0.006 in.) In case Skerge or anybody else wants to check.

 

I checked my car today and this is what I was able to figure out. My gap measured was 1.168mm but I'm not sure if I measured the correct spot. The gap I measured is marked in the photo below:






I combined two of the feeler gauges together to figure out my gap and that was the biggest gap I was able to go.

I would like to see if eliminating this gap would actually fix my issue. The question is:

1. Would I have to remove the refrigerant inside the system in order to do this?

2. Would I have to remove the compressor to do this?

3. Would I need a special tool to do this?

Thanks in advance.

 

If you can remove the clutch plate with the compressor in place, there's no need to discharge freon or remove the compressor. (There are some cars have no room to do this, in that case compressor can usually be unbolted and moved around a bit without needing to disconnect hoses)

Simply remove nut, remove clutch plate, remove shims. Assemble and try it out.


I put a pic of a Civic AC clutch shim in this thread a while back: https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/1st-generation-gd-01-08/93563-c-problems.html#post1347891

 

Ezone,
Wow you nailed this one! I never would have thought of the air gap.
So, I ran the A/C until it stopped working, which took about 10 minutes, I verified that the compressor wasn't turning, took a long rod and pushed the plate towards the clutch/compressor and it engaged right away and the A/C quickly started blowing out cold air again. After a minute it was still working, I turned the A/C off waited and then turned it back on again and the clutch re-engaged, waited a few minutes and repeated and it still worked.
So thank you for that suggestion! You probably just saved me over $1000.
I haven't actually tried measuring the air gap yet, let alone trying to adjust it, but at least I know the compressor works and the fix should be relatively minor.

 

Someone had been posting on another forum that they had ground down the end of the clutch hub but its way too easy to grind too much.

 

I just finished removing the shim and reassembling everything. I will be driving out in about 1 hour so I'll know then if it fixed the issue or not. The gap is now about 0.66mm which is still a little off from factory specs but hopefully it does it.

The armature plate is held in by the 1 nut and sits on a grooved stud. It was a little difficult removing it but eventually got it out. Here are some pictures below for reference if anybody else is willing to give it a shot.

I removed my front passenger wheel to get easier access.




armature plate




armature plate 2




Thanks for the advice ezone!!

 

Spec range is .35-.65mm so you're close enough for government work. And that's as close as you can get it with just taking out the shims. Should work for quite a while, until it wears a bunch more.

 

Well I hope it works for you. I'll be working on it tomorrow.
So it looks like all I need to is:
1) Remove the center nut(Right hand thread?)
2) Pull off the clutch plate.(Hopefully no gear puller needed)
3) Remove shims until the .35-.66mm (or close enough) is attained.
4) Replace plate and nut.
5) Enjoy a cool summer!
6) Not pay a mechanic $1000+

 

Correct
You may need to figure a way to hold the plate still while removing and installing the nut. Large Channellocks, a square-shank screwdriver, spanner, etc.

Plate slides right off after nut is removed.

 

So it's been close to a week and during that time, I drove in the hot weather, in traffic, out of traffic, etc. The A/C has not troubled me yet so I believe that the issue is fixed. Before, the A/C would turn off in hot weather if I get stuck in traffic.

ezone, thanks for all your help!!

As for removing the plate, I just wiggled it and it came off. I used a impact drill to remove the nut to prevent the plate from spinning while trying to remove it.

 

Just an update.......
It works!
I followed ezone's advice and followed in kurobaxkaito's footsteps and it really works.
Taking the right front tire off and disconnecting part of the plastic engine shield and the compressor was right there.
I spent the most time fabricating a tool to hold the clutch plate and keep it from turning. Once that was done it was quick and easy.
I was lucky, the nut came off with a ratchet and socket.
The plate slide right off.
There was only one shim so that made it easy, I removed it.
put it back together and it works.
Several hot days later and it has been working as good as it ever did.

So thank you both.

I still can't believe that the shop was going to charge me over $1000 to fix it and it took me an hour or so after work, and no cost in parts at all.

 

wow i have the same symptoms with my A/C ... you guys think this trick would work for GD1's as well? My A/C only works on a cold soak for 5 mins or 10 max and just normal air after that...

 

If your problem is caused by too large an air gap, and your compressor has a shim that can be removed, then yes.

You need to be sure that's the actual problem though.


Kinda like having a bad stomach ache and telling the doc to remove your appendix. Don't you think he's gonna do some more checking before just cutting you open?

 

I have referred to the PDF someone pointed here http://www.sanden.com/objects/SANDEN...OSIS_CHART.pdf but reading this thread I wanted to see if his solution would work for me?
Is there a way to inspect the clearance visually as my tech was just like, “Replace the compressor” and told me it wasn’t operating at all despite it always operating under cold start conditions…