Air conditioning performance? 94-97 Accord (trying to figure out if I need R134a fill)

I have a 97 Accord with about 180K miles. I had my air conditioning
refilled with R134a two years ago. I almost always run the AC even in
cooler weather. So perhaps its ready for another refil.

I recently headed on a road trip through the Southwest. Its 110 degrees
here in Las Vegas. The air coming out is only slightly cool and the
interior temp is warm and and ranges from slightly uncomfortable to
barely adequate. When the temp cools down to 95 degrees in the evening,
the air from the AC gets quite a bit colder and the interior becomes
pleasant. As a reference, my friend's 2003 Jetta blows cold even at
110.

I am not sure if this problem is due to a fundamental weekness in the
AC in Gen-4 accords, or if I need a refrigerant refil. I honestly don't
remember how my AC performed in these temperatures in years past.

Places around here in vegas want $130 just to even look at it (although
it includes the refil). So I am looking for hear from Gen-4 accord
owners who can verify the performance of the AC, before I go spend any
money on this.

 

It is most likely that your refrigerant charge is low, but that is only a
guess.
A number of other factors can cause your unit to function poorly.

You can get a charge kit, and try to top up your unit yourself. It is an
easy job, and you can get a kit with can tapper, hose, gauge, and a can
of refrigerant for about $20.

IF a can or so of 134A returns your performance, it may last for a couple
of months, or even more, before you have to pay someone to find the leak
and fix it.

And, then, it may not be that at all.

 

Get the recharge kit or just the gauge from Wal Mart or elsewhere and read
the instructions. Check the pressure with the car running, air full on
recycle and make sure the clutch is engaged. Gauge reading is color coded
and idiot proof unless you are color blind.......

 

Perhaps it is, certainly. But not because you run it in cooler
weather. Running it periodically even in cooler weather is good for
it and keeps oil lubricated through the system discouraging corrosion
and dried up "O' rings.

Not at all.

There IS one fundamental weakness you should check yourself.
Frequently the female projecton of the temperature control knob splits
and fails to turn the control all the way to cold. A new $3 know will
make a huge difference.

That's fair if professionaly done.

I'm not an owner but we work on these all the time at my shop in
central Texas where it might not reach 110* but it does reach 110+
frequently with lots of humidity. These AC systems work quite well,
typically blowing 43* out the vents at maximum fan speed minutes after
car starting up the car which has been parked for in direct sunlight
for a few hours.

Don
www.donsautomotive.com

 

You have already received some good responses, but here is another thought
to consider. Put some guages on the AC and see what your low side and
high side are reading. Guages can be had in the $50 price range from
various car shops like Advance. Also, your car is supposed to hold a
maximum of 19 oz of R-134a.
Too much refrigerant is worse than too little. Your pressure readings
should be low side = 24 to 32psi, and high side = 220 to 280. My best
guess would also be that you're low on refigerant. The hose connections
are different sizes for the low and high sides. But, don't put in too much
and remember to bleed the hose with refigerant before you hook up or you
will also be adding air instead of 100 percent refigerant to your system.
Good luck.

 

techman-

I have a 95 accord that I bought new and the AC has always been weak.
I'm in Fl so the AC gets run almost yr round. I had the AC checked the
wk that I bought the car because I thought something was wrong with it.
(I bought it in the summer)

Just last wk I bought one of those DYI kits (gauge and freon) just to
make sure it was OK because it was hot as hell last wk. The gage read
full charge. I mean it was right on the dot.

I've never had to put any freon in since I bought the car. For some
reason the AC's in those cars just aren't that great.

One problem is all of the glass that the car has. After sitting in a hot
driveway or parking lot all day the AC just can't seem to cool the car
off. Compared to pulling it out of a garage or parking it in the shade,
then the AC works MUCH better. Also, the AC works pretty well at highway
speeds, it's in the city that it blows out cool, not cold air.

Get your windows tinted if it's legal where you live this makes a big
difference. I went with the 20% tint, I wish I would have went with 15%.
I would suggest 15% if you get yours done. The 20% is fine for cars with
less glass area and a good AC but for these Accords the 15% is much
better. If you get it done make sure to get a tint strip across the top
of the windshield also.

I have a 99 Mazda Miata that blows ICE COLD air, and a 88 Toyota Supra
(converted over to 134) that also blows ICE COLD air.

So, it's just a weak design by Honda.

BTW, I bought the kit (gage and can of freon) from Auto Zone for $25. I
hooked up the gage and everything was OK so I took it back and got a
refund. It takes less than 60 seconds to check it once you've read the
directions. Give that a try. It *might* be low, but I doubt it. It just
seems like every summer I forget how weak the AC is and think something
is wrong. LOL

 

I doubt it. I had an '88 Accord LXi that had a new compressor and
R134 installed. It had ice cold air even with the original condensor
and evaporator. My '99 Accord EX had ice cold air. My '03 EX has ice
cold air. BTW, I live in Arizona. I can't believe that only the
'94's had a lousy A/C. Quit messing with it and take it to a good A/C
shop.

 

Did you happen to read the entire post? I took it back to the dealer
the 1st wk I bought it - NEW - back in 95 because I didn't think the AC
was all that great. They said it was fine. I had it checked again in
2001 and they said it was fine. I checked the freon level last wk, it
was spot on.

So what exactly I'm I supposed to stop "messing with"?

My 88 Supra is ice cold with 134 and ALL original eqt, my 99 Mazda is
ice cold with 134, my 95 Honda with 134 isn't ice cold and never has
been since I bought the car brand new. So you tell me what the problem
is.

BTW, It's a lot more humid in Florida than it is in Arizona and that
also makes a difference.

 

And after further review this thread makes perfectly good sense why the
94-97 have AC problems, and not your 88, 99, or 03. Completely
different beasts. And come to think of it, I a had company car (Ford)
in 95 with a lousy AC. It's apparent some of the manufacturers didn't
have the whole R-134 thing figured out at first.

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.autos.makers.honda/browse_frm/thread/4f3cbf588c9951bf/df9ddc6e177c8098?q=94-97+accord+weak+AC&rnum=2#df9ddc6e177c8098

 

I bought a new Jeep Grand Cherokee in 1993. When I started having
trouble with the A/C, I naturally returned it to the dealer. It went
back several more times to the dealer. Then to a dealer in another
city. In desperation, I finally took it to an A/C shop that does
nothing but A/C. Not a sideline. They fixed it right away. That's
why I don't think just taking it back to the dealer is going to fix
the problem. Take it to someone who does nothing else for a living.

Dick

 

A lot of very good discussion going on here. Some additional thoughts to
consider: Please purchase an inexpensive temp guage you can put in the
center ducts so you can repot actual temps vs. not cool enough. Next,
your Accord could have been purchased with a compressor not operating at
100 percent. It was working however, so the dealer let it get by. Next,
if there is too much R-134a in your system, cooling will be reduced a lot.
So you need to have someone put guages on it. You can also feel the
connections coming out and going into the compressor. One should be very
hot and the other super cold. I know your running your AC on the
recirculation mode right? Any chance your heater air is warming the cool
AC air?

 

It doesn't have a problem, except for being a bad design. Honda started
using 134 in 94 and it's obvious they were behind the curve and didn't
resolve the problem until the next generation of Accords. The added
glass area to the 94-97's didn't help the matter either.

 

Don, I brought it in to a trusted mechanic and he actually found that
at high temperatures, the AC fan didn't spin which was causing my
engine coolant temp to rise in heavy traffic and to inhibit the cooling
capacity of the AC.
I had the fan replaced and things seem much better.
Although, I am still not sure if it also needs a refrigerant refil. At
high oudoor temperatures, the AC still seems to strain to keep the car
cool enough.
So I bought a small thermometer to attach to the AC vents.
At 104 degrees outside, and with maximum blowing speed, I get only
about 50 degrees sitting at idle or driving slowly in traffic. It does
indeed cool down to 43 degrees when I am driving on the freeway (which
makes the interior nice and comfortable). It goes back up to 50 degrees
when again at idle. Would a refrigerant refil help keep the AC cooler
at idle? Thanks again for your help.

 

-----------------------------

When it's 104 outside . . . Take a siesta.

Keep in mind that if your refrigerant was too low (or too high) the
compressor wouldn't cut in at all, due to the limit switch. If you could
actually clean ALL the dirt and leaves and debris out of your AC system
(on an older Honda) you could probably get better efficiency from it.
That's part of the reason for the introduction of the 'cabin filter'
which keeps those cooling fins cleaner longer.

'Curly'

 

Running the A/C year around is likely to reduce leakage rather than
increase it since it keeps the rubber seals lubricated. It's people
who don't touch the A/C for 6 months in a row who are more likely to
need their systems recharged.

Try feeling the evaporator's inlet and outlet pipes, which pass through
the firewall. After the A/C has run for at least 5-10 minutes in
recirculation mode with all the doors and windows closed, both pipes
should feel equally cold, about 32F, when the engine is run at about
2500 RPM.