Tonight when I drove and turned on air conditioning, I started hearing a grinding noise that stopped and then brief smell of burned rubber or something. Opened hood and also smelled burned rubber faintly. Blower still works, but air does not seem to cool. Car has no other problem driving. Any clue what this may be and will it be expensive to fix?
This could be as simple as a broken serpentine belt, or it could be something more expensive like the A/C compressor’s clutch mechanism.
Since the same belt that turns the A/C compressor likely also turns the alternator, I would suggest that you verify the belt situation prior to driving it again. If the alternator is not being powered by its belt, you will quickly kill the battery and possibly wind up stranded.
Experiencing the same problem 2 weeks ago with my 2002 CRV I was just informed by the dealer that the compressor disintegrated and the repair requires a complete replacement, that is right, complete replacement of the AC system. Then I was quoted $3,200 for the repair. Upon some investigation it appears this is not an isolated event and there are a lot of others with the same problem and there seems to be an attorney in the loop. We are just starting our process but depending on your relationship with the dealer you might get some ‘assistance’ and we have heard of times where Honda has covered the bill. After market work looks like is running around $1,600 - $2,000 for shops with good reputations up to the dealer’s quote.