Replaced my condenser fan motor and recharged the system now the compressor is turning on & off every few seconds. Also the engine is surging with the compressor. When I had the refill gauge on the lp side I filled the system to 50-55 psi. 100 deg outside this was the recommendation on the can. When the compressor surges the gauge reads well over 55 psi. Did I over fill the system? Any help would be appreciated. It's a '99 EX.

 

Your best bet is to take it to a certified shop that does A/C work, it sounds to me that you actually dont have enough freon in the system therefor, I would have them do a leak test on it and see if your losing freon. There are many reasons why your low but the end result is that you have a leak some where in the system it might be a strader valve thats gone bad or a hole in the condenser or a line but it should always be done with the right equipment. I dont like the cans bc they arent always that accurate the gauge could be faulty and you would never know it bc you can only go by what that gauge is reading. Also when talking Freon amounts in the cars systems they usually either go by Oz. or Lbs and 55 psi on the low side is not a very accurate way of filling the system IMHO

 

After work that involves opening the lines (though condenser fan can be replaced without opening the lines), you must pull the air out with a vacuum pump before recharging. If you didn't do that you have to start over as the mixture of air and refrigerant is not going to work properly.

Always charge an empty system by weight, not pressure. When trying to "top up" by pressure, the high side pressure is much more informative to avoid overcharging. Watching only the low side with a cheap gauge is useless. Why were you adding refrigerant at all if the problem was a bad condenser fan?

On Civics, the condenser fan should always start immediately with the compressor.

 

Thanks for the info! I will get the system vacuumed & recharged at a a/c shop.