AC Problem
 

Whats up Peoples. I have been having this problem on the civic for a while now. its a 96 ex. And i decided to get it checked out this summer. "got crazy hot over here" neways. here are the details. AC has no leaks (hoses and all). it don't need freon (had a man check the levels they are toped off). the ac compressor and cultch ingages and stays on and i don't have any bent blades in the ac radiator thing. "think its called the evaporator core".
This is my issue. it works great when its not really hot out side like 75-80 degrees but as soon as noon day come and that florida heat start hitting 90 plus ac quits on me and just blows warm air. i saw a man on this forum that had the problem with his 96 but don't know if he got it fixed. regardless... any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks alot.

RE: AC Problem
 

Wait until it is blowing warm air then pull over and pop the hood (engine still running with A/C on) and look at two things:
A: Is the condenser fan (the "A/C radiator" is properly called the condenser) running?
B: Is the compressor still engaged?

If you have A: Yes and B: No, the compressor clutch gap is probably too wide and needs to be adusted.

RE: AC Problem
 

Yea both of those are a yes. i did it this morning.

RE: AC Problem
 

OK the next thing to check is if the suction line (from the firewall to the compressor, it's the larger one going into the compressor) is cold. Be careful because the other line from the compressor will normally be hot enough to burn you.

If the line is cold, the air inside should be cold too. Usually it is that the heater is reheating the air before it gets to the vents, you'd need to readjust the linkage especially at the water valve. If the line is not cold there is a problem in the refrigeration system and it would be necessary to use a gauge manifold to check BOTH system pressures to diagnose further.

RE: AC Problem
 

Yea the line is kinda warm. thanks you for the help i really apreciated. What can i do now to help me fix this problem?

RE: AC Problem
 

You'd need some special tools now. Not to say you can't do it yourself, but it will require an investment of money and acquiring specialized knowledge. But you have ruled out all the problems that don't require dealing with the refrigerant system so you can be fairly sure that professional help is warranted. I would suggest having a shop check it out. For example, they should be equipped to remove all the refrigerant and then put back the specified amount by weight. This is the only way to know that it is properly charged. Someone just putting a pressure gauge on it and saying it is "topped up" is really just guessing. I know a lot of people do that with success but just putting more gas in can cause trouble if there is another problem.

RE: AC Problem
 

thanks man. your help has been greatly appreciated. i will post a solution when i get it fixed cause i know someone else is encountering the same problem. thanks again.