AP2 AC cooling system
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 28
Likes: 2
From: Memphis, TN
Mine runs at 55-65 degrees at idle. It ran 40-43 degrees at idle until 2 months ago on an 11 year old system. The coils have been cleaned every 6 months.. The fan is working. The belt is new in December and the clutch and pulleys are in spec. I'm just mystified.
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,729
Likes: 631
How often do you use the ac? Do you use it every day for your entire trip which has you sitting in stop and go traffic? Is it regularly over 94 degrees with high humidity where you live? Mind you it's like this pretty much year round, and I put about 12k miles a year on my car and the ac is on at least half the time.
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Registered User
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 137
Likes: 1
I only got this car for two months and the weather started to get hot in the past two weeks so I've only been using the AC for the past two weeks . Anyways , this is the noise I mentioned in the first post . It came out from the passenger side ( when you're driving ) ,
http://youtu.be/aP4_8ao0OPU
I feel like something is stuck or dried out ? Expansion valve or evaporator perhaps ? I'm not an expert on the Colling system but you definitely can hear it from my video above . This is very annoying when you are accelerate and slow down ...sometime it's happened at the traffic light too .
http://youtu.be/aP4_8ao0OPU
I feel like something is stuck or dried out ? Expansion valve or evaporator perhaps ? I'm not an expert on the Colling system but you definitely can hear it from my video above . This is very annoying when you are accelerate and slow down ...sometime it's happened at the traffic light too .
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 1,370
Likes: 138
From: Cali
To the ones with high mileage S2k's: Have you ever gotten a worn/bad/noisy AC clutch bearing and/or changed out the bearing?
Just curious and wanting to learn about preventative maintenance and possible repairs it may need in the distant future. Changing out the AC clutch bearing looks pretty easy (from YT videos) and the bearing is highly available too. You can even change the bearing while the compressor is still on the car (no need to worry about lines and disposing/discharging contents).
Just curious and wanting to learn about preventative maintenance and possible repairs it may need in the distant future. Changing out the AC clutch bearing looks pretty easy (from YT videos) and the bearing is highly available too. You can even change the bearing while the compressor is still on the car (no need to worry about lines and disposing/discharging contents).
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 7,889
Likes: 3,431
From: Foothills East of Sacramento
Originally Posted by Slowcrash_101' timestamp='1433680170' post='23639116
It's 'normal', Honda's keihin ac compressors are garbage they leak slowly, don't cool very efficiently at idle, and are known to unexpectedly take a dump. Every Honda I've ever owned has had a leaking compressor even the Si I got with 0 miles.
OP, your car is completely normal. Driving the car increases compressor speed and condenser cooling, making it colder.
My 04 MDX, 04 TL, 06 Accord, 09 S2000 have never had a single issue with the a/c, never had to even recharge. It gets to 105-110 in the summer here in Sacramento.
My 02 Tacoma also has been bullet proof.
Ford:
My 94 TBird needs a charge every year. Soon to be formerly owned Ford/Merc Sable has had 2 compressors disintegrate and leaks like crazy.
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 41
Likes: 0
From: Louisville, KY
there's so many factors when it comes to why your AC is colder or not.
First of all Ambient temperatures and relative humidity have a lot to play in your AC's performance. The AC system can only cool the air so much. essentially what it does is take hot temps from inside the car and transfers that heat to in front of the radiator.
the fans on hondas are pretty weak and the compressors aren't the best either. Almost every honda has noticeably colder AC when you're moving vs sitting idle. there's more power for the compressor when you're moving and airflow over the condenser is helping the heat exchange.
now you're saying the low side is colder than the high side, it's doing a heat exchange here. It's taking the heat from inside the car and putting it outside in a way. so the condenser area will be hotter than the evaporator by design. it's the same concept that the return line of your radiator is colder than the line flowing to the radiator. it's taking the heat from inside the motor and putting it through the radiator.
think of a refrigerator at home. that big metal thing behind it is always hotter than inside the fridge. that's because the heat it's displacing from inside the fridge is going to the back of it and outside of it. this same thing is happening in car AC systems, essentially you are inside the fridge when you're in your car with the AC running.
the best way to tell if your ac system is working as it should is to get a thermometer in your center vent and drive the car with your ac on and the other vents closed.
follow a performance chart like this and see what you're getting you can google for ac performance charts there's some out there that will show you ranges vs your current humidity/temps. https://i.imgur.com/ZIlFWbu.jpg
I'm not sure what sound you recorded but if you hear a hissing type of sound periodically from the passenger side it's the valves on the evaporator opening.
First of all Ambient temperatures and relative humidity have a lot to play in your AC's performance. The AC system can only cool the air so much. essentially what it does is take hot temps from inside the car and transfers that heat to in front of the radiator.
the fans on hondas are pretty weak and the compressors aren't the best either. Almost every honda has noticeably colder AC when you're moving vs sitting idle. there's more power for the compressor when you're moving and airflow over the condenser is helping the heat exchange.
now you're saying the low side is colder than the high side, it's doing a heat exchange here. It's taking the heat from inside the car and putting it outside in a way. so the condenser area will be hotter than the evaporator by design. it's the same concept that the return line of your radiator is colder than the line flowing to the radiator. it's taking the heat from inside the motor and putting it through the radiator.
think of a refrigerator at home. that big metal thing behind it is always hotter than inside the fridge. that's because the heat it's displacing from inside the fridge is going to the back of it and outside of it. this same thing is happening in car AC systems, essentially you are inside the fridge when you're in your car with the AC running.
the best way to tell if your ac system is working as it should is to get a thermometer in your center vent and drive the car with your ac on and the other vents closed.
follow a performance chart like this and see what you're getting you can google for ac performance charts there's some out there that will show you ranges vs your current humidity/temps. https://i.imgur.com/ZIlFWbu.jpg
I'm not sure what sound you recorded but if you hear a hissing type of sound periodically from the passenger side it's the valves on the evaporator opening.
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
From: Palm Harbor, FL
All I heard on your video is the compressor kicking on-and-off and the condenser fans doing the same. The compressor will cycle when the evaporator is cold enough. The condenser fans cycle with the compressor. The higher you turn up your blower fan (inside the car) the less it should cycle as you are putting more heat into the evaporator. Sounds normal to me.