Air-con not working

[EP02JAY]

I got my 2002 EP2 in October '05 and never bothered to check if the air-con worked over the winter months (d'oh) and with the recent heatwave have really regretted it... now my warranty is finished so i have to sort it myself.

I have the standard air-con system (HFC134a), not climate control and was wondering what the expected life of the gas is?

Im trying to work out if it needs a "re-gas" or if i have a leak in the system... any ideas?

Cheers.

[chrisdicko]

Well if it needs a re-gas you will have a leak or if would be full still

People say you are suppose to use the A/C every week to stop the seals from drying up. Now to be honest I take that with a pinch of salt. But seens yours isnt working properly it probably needs re-gassing. Although if you've never really used it much it might have been short of gas from the factory perhaps......which means you might not have a leak, lol. Its very easy to see if there is a leak or not so they will be able to tell.

Just a thought........you do have the recirculation button on as well as the a/c button dont you??!!

[fp209]

i have a 2002 ep1, had it from new and hardly ever use the air-con, mine still works a treat now the weather is better, although there is the weirdest noise that comes from the steering when i turn the a/c on! i guess the two pumps run from the same belt... im bookin her into Honda let them have a look see...
so in theory i would have thought the a/c wouldnt need re-gasing so soon...
Sorry, i just realised that this post doesnt help much at all! lol

Fabian

[mark]

hi epo2jay your air con system probily just needs a service. this includes us recovering the old gas out of the system and then pulling a vacuum on the system and holding it for a while to see if there is a leak in the system, then onest thats done we re-gas the system and put a special die in the system so that if the system leaks this die shows us where. :lol:

also its said to get your air-con service every 2 years becuase of the bacteria in the system, also if poor air flow from heater blowers then you need to get your pollen filter changed.

[EP02JAY]

Just a thought........you do have the recirculation button on as well as the a/c button dont you??!!

yes i have a recirculation button.

Sorry, i just realised that this post doesnt help much at all! lol

thanks for sharing... at least i know other 2002 civics' air-cons are still working.

also its said to get your air-con service every 2 years

I'll take ur advice and hopefullly a service should sort it out... especially the special die test.

Many thanks for all your contributions!

[EP02JAY]

i had it looked over today and was told i have a hole in the condenser unit... and that im looking at around £300 for a new one from Honda  

if anyone happens to have a spare condenser unit lying around, as you do, let me know!

looks like it gonna be a sweaty summer for me.

[sniper]

Air con.. It's a beast! It's great when it's there, but if it breaks.. Well, it gets expensive! :evil:
The air con in my dad's car has broken sooo many times! An it never gets any cheaper to repair! Apparently we are supposed to have a really hot summer this year too... I feel for ya bruv!

[chrisdicko]

Probably best to look round scrap yards or something mate. Might be worth asking Honda if Type-R ones fit as well so you can widen your search.

[EternalCivic]

I had that same problem and got same quote but i searched the internet and found these guys http://www.ac4cars.co.uk/
They were really helpful and replaced the condenser and regassed the system at a lower price. It seems your out of their working area though but they recommend this
 17. - Sussex Coast                                Tom Swain - Crawley  01293 871001

might be worth checking out. Hope it helps

[EP02JAY]

thanks for the contact EternalCivic, i'll definitly be getting a quote from them.

i've also contacted a US seller on ebay who's selling new civic condensers for $95.99 ... just shows how much we get ripped-off in this country.

[carboncivic1.4]

my aircon dont even turn on i dunno why think gonna take to honda ask em?! it doesnt even click on so im kinda thinking unit packed up!

[civicchris]

I have a 2001 civic and i took it into honda today to get the timingbelt replaced and whilst doing that they found that my condenser was broken. When i asked how much it'll cost for a replacement item they replyed with a realy good answer 'its a warrenty job so you get the condenser and re-gas free'. so long story short go to haonda get an air con check done and see if any items that need replacing are under warenty. oh and i haven't got an extended one from honda.

[carboncivic1.4]

o wicked!! cheers ill go down and ask but i bought my car second hand i guess you bought yours new from honda tho??
PAz

[civicchris]

nope second hand from a second hand car dealer

[carboncivic1.4]

ye civicchris did you aircon actually come on though? mine dont even click the light comes on but you can hear a click when the aircon comes on and the air con pump dont spin so there must be something else wrong with mine!??