Greetings all......

2001 Honda Civic LX, South Coast Oregon with an Air Conditioning problem.

Summary:
AC does not work properly when outside temp is below 40 deg F. and seems to work fine when outside temp is warmer. (Honda told me the AC, in the defrost mode, should work at any temp)

Details:
A few weeks ago it got cold (31 degs F) and there was ice on my windshield when I left work in the morning. There was also condensation on the inside of my windshield. I turned on the defroster, the AC light came on but the compressor/condenser fan did not come on for about 30 seconds. When it did come on it would only run for about 3-5 seconds. It would take another 30 seconds before compressor/condenser fan would cycle on again for another 3-5 seconds and the cycle continued. All it did was deposit a thick layer of condensation on the inside of the wind shield. The AC did not run long enough to clear the inside of the windshield. I had the temp selector to low heat to melt the ice.

A few days later, when it was warmer (above 40 deg F), I replaced the compressor relay and it seemed to work properly for a few days until it got cold again (below 40 deg F), then the same problem continued.
I took the car to Honda, they told me it was probably low on Freon (R134), hooked it up to their machine, drained and recharged the system. They told me it had only 8oz of refrig. and needed 1lb. They added a dye, charged me $120 and it seemed to work normally BUT...the outside temps were in the 50's for several days.

Then last night, it was cold (38 deg F) and the original problem persisted. No ice, but there was condensation on the inside of the window and would not clear when I turned on the defroster.

I do not want to take it back to Honda yet or they will nickel and dime me to death trying to figure it out. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance…..

 

It's not supposed to work below 40 F.

This is for two reasons, the evaporator temperature sensor won't let it and also the pressure switch opens below 50 psi. In cold weather the refrigerant all condenses in the lines, and the pressure drops no matter how much you have. The vapor pressure of R-134a is about 45 psi(g) at 40 F.

 

Is that model specific? All the other vehicles i have access to do not have that problem (2009 civic, 2006 F-150 and 2011 Toyota Tacoma).