I need your help evaluating the AC on my 2005 Honda Accord 3.0L V6. The air was not cold, and I added refrigerant. It started cooling again. Now, about two months later, it stopped cooling again. But this time there is a coffee can full of rocks under the hood. Do you think it is the AC clutch or compressor? Anything else I should consider? Assuming the clutch or compressor are toast, what should I make sure the repair shop does when they repair the system? I’ve read a few times here about blowing out the system with compressed air to make sure any shrapnel is removed. Do any other components need to be replaced? I suppose I’m a little disappointed because this is the first AC issue I’ve had with any car. But this is also the first repair on the Accord in 9.5 years of ownership and 130,000 miles. And I’m not going to repair it myself. I don’t have the equipment to collect the refrigerant, blow out the lines, evacuate the system after reassembly, and refill the refrigerant.
My best advise is to ask family, friends, and co-workers for referrals to a good, honest shop. Any honest shop with A/C equipment should know everything to do for a good, solid repair.
Concur w/BK, a good AC shop is the way to go. Are you certain you didn’t over fill the system when you added refrigerant? Newer AC systems are very sensitive to over filling, and, to make matters worse, have a small refrigerant capacity so are easily overfilled. If it was inadvertently overfilled, that could be the source of the current problem. I expect you know already that when one part in an AC system is damaged, the debris can damage other parts, so the repair bill can build up a bit.
The pressure was barely above the minimum required to cool. I didn’t overfill it.
Prior to the first \AC shop visit, might be worthwhile for you to take a look at this
@georgeSanJose Excellent article!
Check Mechanic Files link above for a mechanic in your area.
Yes, @GeorgeSanJose, that is a very good article. I learned a lot. Since I hear metallic noises coming from the compressor, I am concerned about cleaning out the contamination, and the article had good information on that issue. Even if the compressorr clutch is the only thing that broke, the author made a good point about replacing the entire compressor. At 130,000 miles, that is the way to go.
I already have 3 shops in mind, including the Honda dealer that sold it to me. One other seems to do everything, but they are a high priced shop. I need new tires, and they do installations for Tire Rack. It might be worth the convenience to do them both at the same time. We have 3 cars, and I haven’t drive the Honda in a couple of weeks. I’ve been far too chummy with doctors lately, and now I have some time to get serious about the repair. The last shop does good work and is attractively priced, but I’m not sure they do AC?
Thanks again for your help.
Glad you got it under control. Best of luck.
If the noise is not too bad and hasn’t been going on for too long it’s possible that the addition of a few ounces of refrigerant oil will shut it up.
Automotive A/C systems lose oil over time along with the refrigerant so it’s cheap and worth a shot.
Of course that applies to the compressor internals only; it will do nothing for compressor clutch noises.
Sounds like a muted cow bell.