A/C just went out... possible leak? Recharge suggestions?
 

We have a 2003 Honda Civic LX.

I just took it in for its major service. The dealer noted the AC did not work. They wanted to replace the piping and a few other odds and ends w/o doing a leak check. It was their determination that the freon had leaked out. I had not noticed a problem to that point and after just being laid off I was not willing to go on a $700.00 "random hunting/ parts replacing till problem fixed trip" right now.

I took the car and found the car was indeed not blowing cold. It had been when we dropped it off. Our AC button had a bad LED and I thought maybe they did not realize it. Sure enough I hit the button and had cold AC again.

Well, 4 days later, there was no more cold AC.

Again since I just got laid off, I'm afraid to go crazy with the repair right now. The plan is to just get us through the summer and save the money for the real repair down the road before next summer.

Any ideas where to check first to see if it is in fact a leak? Is there a leak detector that I can use at home to check. Is it possible to get a freon recharge kit at the parts store? I seem to remember you can buy one that uses a refrigerant that is not harmful to the environment that can be done at home to top off or replace lost freon.

Thanks for you help!

Sounds electrical if, when the A/C blows warm, the A/C button light does not illuminate. Is this correct? In addition, does the A/C condenser fan fail to run and the compressor clutch fail to engage?

The light on the AC button has never worked, even when the AC was working. We got the car used. We just had to play with it. We always got air blowing properly (engaged according to the dial). We pressed the button till it blew cold and assumed that the button was in the "ON" position. Press the button again and there was no more cold air, so the button was working. The LED in the button was not working.

Now however, it does not matter, you can press the button all you want and there is no cold air. The air is still blowing properly, just not cold. I will check the Compressor clutch for engagement in the morning. Where do I look for the AC condenser fan to check for its proper operation or do I just listen for a change in sound somewhere when the button is pressed on/off?

The condenser fan is located behind the condenser. Open the hood when the engine is idling. When the A/C button is pressed, look for the condenser fan to run and listen for the compressor clutch to engage.

like ronj said check the condeser with the civic on and the ac botton pressed and listen or look for the compressor clutch to engage(compresser may be tough to see in a 2003 civics if you know what the compressor clutch looks like your good)
if the condenser fan does work and compressor doesnt there may be barely any freeon(this ones Ronj's call)

if it comes to the case of rechargin it make sure you know what your doing. Always the Low pressure pipe with the cap "L" on it . wear glove because sometimes the tube breaks or has a little hole in it and you dont want to end up with frost bites.

to add freeon turn your car on
put the fan at the highest and put it to the coldest with the ac botton on(you have to assume since your LED doesnt work or you can get it replaced your call)
Connect the the freeon kit to the suction line(low pressure) and begin to charge it(Correct me if im wrong but i think you have to do this before you start the car)
have a buddy sit in the car and feel if the air is gettin colder or not.

if you compressor clutch doesnt engage or the condenser fan doesnt run it wont work.
good luck

Sounds like you have a bad switch. Ohm it out.

Report!
 

So I was doing some testing...

Turned the car on. Again I don't know if the switch is on or off due to a bad LED in the switch. I checked the car with the AC temp all the way to cold and the blower knob turned to full blast. No matter what we do to the switch the Compressor clutch will not engage. I don't hear it even trying. I have checked the fans neither of which are coming on either. (I have only had 80s GMs so I'm used to the same fan being used for everything. The Rad fan would either kick on or kick on a higher speed when the AC was engaged.) So I see two fans in the Civic. Neither kick on. I assume one is just for the car and the other is for AC. Which one is for the AC?

Ok so I checked for a fuse issue. I could only find a fuse for the condenser fan. It is good. Checked the inside and engine bay fuse blocks. Could not find a fuse marked for the AC. I did see a small black box that showed in the fuse diagram to have a snow flake by it. Is this a relay for the AC? Where is the fuse for the AC?

I then went to check the wiring. I found a wire bundle that came off the back of the AC unit.

http://www.motortopia.com/files/cars...Thumbnail1.jpg

On the unit side of the weather pack (in line plug) it had 3 red wires.

https://www.motortopia.com/files/car...Thumbnail1.jpg

On the car side of the weather pack it had a red wire, blue w/ white stripe, and blue with red stripe.

https://www.motortopia.com/files/car...Thumbnail1.jpg

I disconnected the weather pack. I used a wire tester. The one with the alligator clip, light bulb, and probe end. When the clip was grounded I touched each prong in the weather pack, on the car side, with the probe end.

https://www.motortopia.com/files/car...Thumbnail1.jpg

I never got the bulb to light up, but I did have a result. When the probe end touched the blue with white striped wire I got both fans to come on. So to this I conclude the fans work.

I had hoped one of them would turn the light on showing power was coming to the AC unit, but this never happened. Is it supposed to and which wire would it be?

I even tried to do a continuity test on the same weather pack end. I used a multi tester on it. I checked the setting of the tester and got a proper read on the battery to be sure it was working right. I then tested the prongs in the weather pack on the car side. I never got a reading no matter what combination I used. What is the correct place and way to test if the wires are even telling the AC unit to turn on? What reading should I get?

I would assume the AC has its own ground? Where would I look for it to be sure its not worked loose?

Also of note. There is no cap on the AC line. Seems someone unscrewed it (dealership) and never put it back on. Could this have caused a leak?
http://www.motortopia.com/files/cars...Thumbnail1.jpg

i have tested my compressor with a 12+ wire from battery to the red wire on the ac compressor just to see if crompressor worked while car was running and then from there tracked down and checked my wiring it ended up to be the relay was bad. it had mositure in it.

Is fuse #1 or #4 under the hood blown?

Both are good