Hey, so thanks again for the replies. I was able to check the car out this morning. I couldn't rotate the clutch by hand, but I'm guessing you are talking about actually removing the clutch and trying to move it, right? I got some more info about it, and basically per the owner, the AC does not put out cold air, and when she turns it on, it drops the engine RPMs heavily. Could that mean the clutch is also bad?

I imagine people probably post this stuff periodically, but perhaps someone could let me know if this is a bad deal. The car blue books at $2500 (with functional AC of course), and she's willing to sell for $2300 because of the broken AC and missing stereo. I was thinking mentally I wouldn't pay any more than $2000, but I don't want to lowball her since she's a classmate of mine. I realize no one can make a decision for me, but I'd be interested to know how much one would guess this AC issue depreciates the value from blue book.

Thanks so much for any advice.

 

Sounds like the compressor is seized. It will need to be replaced.

When looking at book price, count non-functioning A/C the same as no A/C.

 

So I ended up bargaining and getting a good deal on the car. The classmate I purchased it from is the first owner and has a complete history of every service ever performed, which is pretty convenient. So I'm trying to figure out where to begin with the AC issue. I know there are plenty of guides on replacing various AC components, but I am not exactly sure which components I need to replace. I turned on the AC while idling and I definitely hear a loud click upon starting it, and it does actually blow some cool air. Additionally, I didn't notice the RPMs drop at all. Per the detailed history I was given, the AC compressor and accumulator was replaced in 2010, about 20k miles ago. Then the AC was recharged in 2011. Then it says AC condensor replaced in 1/12, followed by an AC compressor replacement in 8/12. There's no way the condensor could have been replaced 2 times, as recent as less than a year ago, and need replacement again, is there?

Anyways, any thoughts would be amazing. I plan to work on this car over my upcoming break from school and plan to purchase the right parts and tools in the meantime. Thanks so much for any help!

 

Hey there. I'm finally on break from school and had a chance to hook up an AC gauge and thermometer. It's about 95 degrees today with about 60% humidity. The readings were taken in the shade following the directions in the Honda service manual. I took readings on both my 98 Civic (the one that I recently purchased where the previous owner said "the compressor needs replacement"), as well as my 99 Civic just for comparison. Here are the readings:

98 Civic
- Temp: 60 degrees F
- High pressure: 205
- Low pressure: 34

99 Civic
- Temp: 45 degrees F
- High pressure: 200
- Low pressure: 27

Do these readings indicate anything in particular? I'm having a difficult time wrapping my head around the Honda AC charts, but if I understand correctly, the 99 Civic may soon need a little extra R134a, but I don't know what the readings from the 98 Civic could mean. I will say that the air coming from the vent in the 98 Civic seems a little humid and has an interesting smell... possibly a leak? Any advice would be extremely helpful... thanks!