1988 Accord LX A/C Problem

I have a 1988 Honda Accord LX 5spd. 206k miles on the clock. The car has
been an excellent vehicle. Bought it used in 1991 w/ 88k mi. My problem is
with the A/C.Can't get it to come on. The blower works but that's
it.Shouldn't one of the rad fans come on when the blower switch is on? I
can't get the compressor to come on either.I bought one of those refill kits
from Wal-Mart, it took 3/4 of the first can and now the guage says it's over
charged. PLEASE HELP. I'M BURNING UP HERE IN S.C.

 

Your system is (or was) R12 based. Was the recharge kit R12 compatible or
R134A compatible? You can't put R134a into an R12 system unless the refill
is specifically compatible with both.

There's probably a dual (Lo/Hi) pressure switch somewhere that enables the
compressor clutch. Look on the pipes for some sort of sensor (two wires).
Pull the connector and check it with a meter. You may have to release a bit
of gas pressure.

Look at the compressor: there's a wire that controls the clutch. When you
turn on the a/c, you should get +12V on this wire. It's controlled by a
relay somewhere, plus a fuse. To check if the compressor clutch is OK, apply
+12v directly to the control wire. You should hear a click. Try it with the
engine running next, and the rpm should reduce as the compressor loads the
engine. If the clutch is faulty, this can be changed without replacing the
compressor.

Stewart DIBBS