How is your air conditioning?

NotSerious

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...One told me that the refrigerant evaporates over time which shouldn’t in theory since it’s a closed system.
Actually, according to Scotty Kilmer, the compressors are designed to leak a small amount. It enables the refrigerant (which has oil in it) to lubricate the seals and prevents seal failure.
So, every 5 to 25 years (depending on how much they leak) you need to recharge the a/c system even if no components fail.
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Actually, according to Scotty Kilmer, the compressors are designed to leak a small amount. It enables the refrigerant (which has oil in it) to lubricate the seals and prevents seal failure.
So, every 5 to 25 years (depending on how much they leak) you need to recharge the a/c system even if no components fail.
Yeah, but thats coming from Scotty Kilmer.
 

ValkenDnB

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You know, the lower the fan speed means ambient air passes through the evaporator coil slower. This means that air gets to cool down more because it’s literally near the evap coil longer. And ac systems aren’t always going to deliver 50 degree output temps. Normally there’s an effective delta range most ac units operate at. Meaning, if it’s 90 degrees out and the unit only has a 20degree delta between ambient air, the best that system will do is 70 degrees for example. So if it’s 85 out you may achieve 65. But if it’s 110 out you’ll never feel 60 degree temps output from the ac cause that’s way beyond it’s delta range.
Would a better radiator help? Something like a koyorad
 

VicVal01

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My ac finally took a crap on my 18 si last week. Car only has 24k miles. Took it into a dealer hoping it would be the condenser. Was horrified briefly when he said it was the evaporator and compressor, but i had 2 month left on my 3 year warranty so i didnt have to pay anything. Saved me $1900! Glad it happened just in time lol ac blows ice cold now, better than ever!
 

longthaitran91

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Actually, according to Scotty Kilmer, the compressors are designed to leak a small amount. It enables the refrigerant (which has oil in it) to lubricate the seals and prevents seal failure.
So, every 5 to 25 years (depending on how much they leak) you need to recharge the a/c system even if no components fail.
It only does that when the ac is not in use a long period of time to keep the seals lubed. 5 years is pretty short to need a recharge. That sounds like an actual small leak or a car that sits for a few months in storage every year. I bought a simple gauge that’s coming tomorrow to check to see if the refrigerant is getting low. I’ll have to temporary become a meteorologist to insure I read the gauges correctly.
 


TriangleHeat

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I still am skeptical on that since my dealer says they have to inject dye in my system to inspect it. But then again every technician says stupid shit. One told me that the refrigerant evaporates over time which shouldn’t in theory since it’s a closed system. I’ll get a uv light and inspect my unit. It should be a requirement to have dye in there even if the efficiency drops a little.
Not sure for the 10th Civic specifically but I have seen other makes have dye in them by default. I can't imagine they wouldn't put dye in it. As for the refrigerant "evaporating", it doesn't but it does leak a trace amount continually past the dynamic seal on the compressor shaft...but the leak isn't anywhere near substantial enough that it would impact A/C performance even after years of leaking. We're talking on the scale of at least a decade.

I had a 1993 Accord on R-12 that still blew ice cold when I sold it at the 17 year mark. I replaced an A/C clutch coil on an Infiniti with R-134a that was 13 years old and hadn't spun the compressor shaft for over a year, blew ice cold after it started up for the first time in over a year and it's still cold to this day. Don't even know why the technician would mention evaporation, nothing about these A/C failures on the 10th Civic is normal or anything but dogshit design. Whether the R-1234yf molecule is smaller or pressure is higher (which to my knowledge isn't true anyway, at least not meaningfully higher) is irrelevant, it was Honda's job to design the system to meet those parameters.
 

TriangleHeat

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I have to run mine all the time or my engine temps shoot up……………?
I like to shut AC off when doing pulls on the highway, and If i do my engine at Idle will sky rocket!! Dont think there is a fix for this so i wont ask.
Not sure if yours has one or two cooling fans but this sounds like either one of the cooling fans isn't spinning or if there's only one, it's not spinning at the right time or in reverse if the fan control module is defective. When you turn the A/C on I expect the overheating to get worse since the heat being shed through the condenser should make the radiator hotter, if the engine gets cooler that seems like the A/C being on turns a fan on that normally isn't spinning or it spins one that does turn on at a higher speed. The fans are complicated these days with different speeds to reduce electrical load and save fuel economy but one thing is certain, the engine should never reach overheat without all of the fans being on and running at the highest speed. You can check if it's a fan issue by reproducing the overheat with the A/C off, open the hood and check if the fans ever spin. If the fans never spin you know that's an issue. Either the fans themselves, the control modules on the fans, the relays or the wiring inbetween any of these (maybe a rodent chewed it up so you lost 12v or ground to the relays or fans).
 

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Would a better radiator help? Something like a koyorad
No it would not. Radiators don’t belong to part of the ac cooling system. And I mentioned evap core. That’s on the inside.
 

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Not sure if yours has one or two cooling fans but this sounds like either one of the cooling fans isn't spinning or if there's only one, it's not spinning at the right time or in reverse if the fan control module is defective. When you turn the A/C on I expect the overheating to get worse since the heat being shed through the condenser should make the radiator hotter, if the engine gets cooler that seems like the A/C being on turns a fan on that normally isn't spinning or it spins one that does turn on at a higher speed. The fans are complicated these days with different speeds to reduce electrical load and save fuel economy but one thing is certain, the engine should never reach overheat without all of the fans being on and running at the highest speed. You can check if it's a fan issue by reproducing the overheat with the A/C off, open the hood and check if the fans ever spin. If the fans never spin you know that's an issue. Either the fans themselves, the control modules on the fans, the relays or the wiring inbetween any of these (maybe a rodent chewed it up so you lost 12v or ground to the relays or fans).
With the ac on, the fan comes on. This you get. And heat is transferred from the confessor. However the fan is pulling air all the way through both cores. So heat is being pulled from the rad core as well. With the heat being pulled away, fresh air is brought in with the continuous movement of the fan. So yeah the condenser does add heat but that heat isn’t being trapped to the radiator and instead passes through the red’s cooling fins all the same as the condenser. This is why core blockages like a lot of road dust and debris in the cooling fins will overheat the ac system and cooling system.
 

CVTKiller

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Not sure if yours has one or two cooling fans but this sounds like either one of the cooling fans isn't spinning or if there's only one, it's not spinning at the right time or in reverse if the fan control module is defective. When you turn the A/C on I expect the overheating to get worse since the heat being shed through the condenser should make the radiator hotter, if the engine gets cooler that seems like the A/C being on turns a fan on that normally isn't spinning or it spins one that does turn on at a higher speed. The fans are complicated these days with different speeds to reduce electrical load and save fuel economy but one thing is certain, the engine should never reach overheat without all of the fans being on and running at the highest speed. You can check if it's a fan issue by reproducing the overheat with the A/C off, open the hood and check if the fans ever spin. If the fans never spin you know that's an issue. Either the fans themselves, the control modules on the fans, the relays or the wiring inbetween any of these (maybe a rodent chewed it up so you lost 12v or ground to the relays or fans).
I am under the hood right now, going to check everything you said as we speak. hopefully I can resolve this, thank you!
 


ValkenDnB

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No it would not. Radiators don’t belong to part of the ac cooling system. And I mentioned evap core. That’s on the inside.
Today I went for a 30min drive on the highway going 70-80mph and noticed that the ac was working way better than normal. I actually got cold having it at the lo temp compared to other hotter days. It’s 100F today so it seems like anything over 100F causes it to struggle.
 

longthaitran91

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It looks like I have a leak somewhere. I already measured the temperature anr factored in humidity. Looks like I’m going to have to find it myself so the dealer can fix the problem
Honda Civic 10th gen How is your air conditioning? BD68DC01-24FE-45B9-A078-50A278D0CF62
 

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Today I went for a 30min drive on the highway going 70-80mph and noticed that the ac was working way better than normal. I actually got cold having it at the lo temp compared to other hotter days. It’s 100F today so it seems like anything over 100F causes it to struggle.
That’s because if ac units use ambient air to cool down to start with. They only have a delta of 20 degrees typically. So if it’s 100+ out the unit will only produce roughly 80 or so degrees. This is why recycling the cabin air is important so it continuously gets colder
 

MrJustin81

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Idk if this is related in anyway, but earlier this week I started my car and have started to have this terrible “clicking” noise, a/c, defrost, floor heat. As I increase the fan speed, it gets louder. Figure must have something to do with the fan. Turn it off no noise. How would I trouble shoot this myself or is it a known issue that commonly happens to our 10th gens? Potential to lead to a bigger problem? Or is likely something major. Not sure where to even look myself. Or have time to take apart the dash,
before I take it to the dealer. Which they aren’t terrible. The parts dept guy is cool lol
 

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While my VIN qualifies under the condenser recall, I have had no issues with my AC in my 2018 Civic Hatchback. It gets over 100F here after heat index in the summer, and within a minute or two my AC is working. Honestly, it works so good I only max it out when I first hop in and after a few minutes of driving I have to cut it off.
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