A/C help needed
 

A/C does not work. Blows warm. It is r12, But would rather switch it to r134a Before trying to figure out whats wrong. $35 a can is not worth it. What needs to be done to do a switch over? The pump does kick on when I hit the a/c button. I did notice the "eye" is black.

Does the condenser fan run when you push the A/C button?

What year Civic?

Yes, it does kick on also. It is a 92 Ex

Information at this link may be helpful:

http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread/2334672

first of all, it is not going to cost you less than 35 bucks to switch to r134a.

it's hard to do a conversion without replacing at least the compressor. the old compressor oil won't all come out by draining it or doing an evacuation and the r12 oil in the compressor is different from r134a oil. without replacing the compressor you will have r12 oil stuck in your system which is not compatible with r134a refrigerant. I learned this the hard way. I did the at-home conversion and blew my compressor because of the above facts.

If you are not going to replace the compressor without trying to fill it with r134a first, at least get the system evacuated (they hook a vacuum up to the system and pump all the refrigerant and air out of the system), not drained. and then get it refilled. do not fill the a/c system yourself without a gauge manifold that measures both the L and H pressure sides of the system.

I replaced my compressor ($260 dollars for a remanufactured compressor and doing it myself (no labor costs)) last night and i am taking the car to get it filled with r134a. I shouldn't have problems anymore.

Don't forget to change the drier (accumulator) WHENEVER the system is opened.

before you do a single thing, check your compressor relay. i just spent 600 bucks on my A/C system only to find out that i had a bad relay. the relays are ~$5 and I actually had a spare one in my toolbox, brand new in the packaging.

The OP said the compressor and fan engage, but it does not get cold. See if the line under the hood from the evaporator to the compressor gets cold. If it does it should be cold inside the car too, but the heater control is malfunctioning and the heater is fighting the A/C (heater will always win).

If the line doesn't get cold then there is a refrigeration problem, probably low charge due to a leak. If you can find a good shop that works with R-12, having them find and fix the leak and recharge with R-12 is the best all around. It shouldn't be real expensive as you only need about 18 oz of R-12 for this system.

It can be converted to R-134a without a total overhaul or replacing any parts other than the receiver-drier. But don't use the kit in the box (death kit), there is more to it than that.

Update. OK looked closer into it. It seems that the compressor is turning but not kicking on. I have been told there is a shut off relay(trustdestruction),I think this may be what your talking about. so if the system gets to low it wont burn it up. I checked to see if any pressure was on the high side and there was nothing. Better yet I just found that I have 2 cans of r12 in the garage! Ill get them put in after a vacuum and hope for no leaks. The car had been sitting for about 5 years, and never moved. I hope that's what did it.

How to troubleshoot:

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