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1993 honda civic dx ac problem
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mickeybax
New User
Jun 8, 2008, 5:21 PM
Post #1 of 11
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1993 honda civic dx ac problem
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Hello, my name is Mickey and I have a 1993 honda civic dx 2 door 5 speed motor is 1.5 . I was wanting to know about this problem I am having with the A/C to see if anyone out there has had this same problem before and how to fix it at the lowest cost. Here is what it is doing and I am not much on the name for all the parts. It seems at low speeds it does not cool much at all but if you get out on hiway or interstate it cools good at times. I have had it to two different places now within the last 3 or 4 weeks now. The first place said it needed a valve of some kind and they put that in and toped off the freon but they also said that I needed a blower of some kind which I thank they were talking about a blower under the hood because the blower in the car is working fine. So I did not have the funds at the time to get this done and I am glad I did not heres why! The next place I took it to just this week just works on Honda cars and they checked it out for me and they said it needed a ECU Computer ?? BIG BUCKS! They said they by passed the computer with a ground wire and the A/C worked just fine at idling speeds. I ask if for sure if this would take of the problem and they said for sure that it would. I just wanted to ask you all if this sound like the right fix to you all? and by the way the blower works just fine they said so the other place did not know what they were doing or just wanted to put it to me who knows. Also so where would be the cheapest place to get one of these? And how much does it cost? The ECU I need is # 37820-P06-A01 If I go to a junk yard the computer I need will be off of a 1992 or 93 car meaning it will be that old and may run right back into that problem again being that old! What Do I do ? Thanks Mickey
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jun 8, 2008, 5:58 PM
Post #2 of 11
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Re: 1993 honda civic dx ac problem
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Hi Mickey,
The problem seems to be the fan underhood for the condenser ( name for the radiator for the A/C - up front of regular one) isn't working at all which will cause A/C to go warm on you at low speeds and just counts of air at the speed you are driving now.
This was originally a Freon (R-12) car and I didn't think they used the computer for this to make fan come on for A/C but rather just stayed on anytime you requested A/C.
Just happens that model year 1993 was the switch year for the old type refrigerant and some used the new called 134a which came with some new regs about high side monitoring - more than you want to know I'm sure.
What I need to know from you is does this have ONE fan (electric) or two? If two - does it ever come on for you while watching with A/C requested - engine on?
It's actually more important but does it come on to cool the regular radiator when temp it hot outside - it should sense coolant temp and come on for just that never mind the A/C.
Ok: If this does in fact decide to run fan thru the computer (ECU) a used one if available might be the cheaper way out. Call around and find out. If all else is fine but this fan NOT coming on you could wire it yourself separate from computer controls but it would have to use proper wire, a relay, and a fuse and just where to detect the A/C request which could be sent out with a good auto tech should be able to do that carefully and right,
T
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mickeybax
New User
Jun 8, 2008, 6:39 PM
Post #3 of 11
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Re: 1993 honda civic dx ac problem
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Thanks for the fast reply. I think it has two fans but I have not look at it since I starting having this problem with the A/C. I am at work right now and I work all night but I will look in the AM to check on the fans.What you are saying is there should be a fan come on if the A/C is turned on and it should run the whole time the A/C is on? This last place I took it was people that just worked on Honda and I had told them about what the first place had told me and what they had done. This Honda place here told me both fans were working and doing fine. I even took it to a Honda dealership and just wanted to get some free advice and the service Mgr was very helpful and called this Honda repair place to find out for me what all was going on with my car. I think the owner of this place I took my car to last use to work for this Honda dealership at one time. He told them that he had seen this year of Civic with the same problem from time to time. So who do you trust and does this sound right with you? I can get one of these ECU from a junk yard for $100 and is garateene to be a good part when I put it in but I dont want to spend $ 100 if this does not take care of the problem if you know what I mean! I just wanted to check on this web page to see if anyone thinks this sounds right or not ? This has been the first problem that I have ever had with my little honda it has been a GREAT CAR and still has a lot more miles to go left on it. Please help! Thanks Mickey
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jun 8, 2008, 7:15 PM
Post #4 of 11
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Re: 1993 honda civic dx ac problem
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Check on the two fan thing. If two I bet one is ONLY for the A/C and has nothing to do with the engines radiator. Educated guess is in 1993 when A/C is on fan runs constantly - no matter but it would be on even if computer controlled to know that it needed to be if you get no cool air inside.
When you get the chance just run it normally at idle and see it not work - then check the vent output temps which you said aren't cool. Now if you have a garden hose handy - mist the condenser in front of that fan with water (acts to cool the condenser but ever better than air) and the vent temp inside will cool normally with no fan underhood going.
I'm a little surprised that the ECU would only fail for just this one function??
Another site - I'm there too is.......
http://acsource.net/...um/viewforum.php?f=1 ----- there are lots of A/C techs there. The automatic link when I sign off is just two of us so you really just get me again.
The 1993 model year is a pill as all car makers were designing or already using the newer refrigerant and that changed some mandated controls for the system. A bunch of cars could have been either that year which makes it tricky to just know without looking at the car.
Keep at it - we'll get this,
T
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mickeybax
New User
Jun 8, 2008, 7:36 PM
Post #5 of 11
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Re: 1993 honda civic dx ac problem
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About the fans I think there is two fans and one of them comes on if the A/C is turned on. And what is this fan for and what does it do? And What does the Other fan do and when does it come on? And which fan are you wanting me to spray water on? The one that comes on when the A/C is turned on or the other one? And what will this prove? If its not the computer what do you think it is. It seems it cools at hiway speeds and not at low speeds around town. On the computer that sounds right about just one function not working but what do I know ? Thanks Mickey
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jun 9, 2008, 1:35 AM
Post #6 of 11
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Re: 1993 honda civic dx ac problem
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It's important to know if the fan for condenser is on when A/C is requested at idle speeds. It would be even with highly computer controlled air conditioning as there is no natural air flow sitting still.
Fans: Engine whether car has A/C or not has it's own radiator with anti-freeze/coolant in it and needs a fan. That fan will come on as needed based on the temperature of the coolant and driving along may be enough airflow to cool it so fan wouldn't be needed so it shut off which saves the energy of using the fan and the motor to run it.
A/C is compressing a gas (compressor) which send that now hot gas on to a radiator which looks similar to the one for the engine called a "condenser" which when the hot compressed gas is cooled it condenses (how neat they use that word twice) into a liquid and it goes on its merry way to be evaporated in your dashboard in a thing called and "evaporator" (see there they go again using the same words twice)....
See the vocab of this----
* Compressor, compresses
* Condenser, condenses
* Evaporator, evaporates
* Driers, dry stuff
* Accumulators, acuumulate left overs
* Fans, move air (oh well they lost it on that term)
** Fans underhood look similar to a table fan for your home and the blower for moving air in the dash looks like a squirrel cage in about everything made and you can't see those in vehicles - they hide them!
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A/C - 101 .......... When something changes state as from liquid to gas it takes heat with it. That's evaporation not unlike sweat evaporating from your skin cools you! Fan that sweat and you cool off even better - ever notice that? Ok: Really want to impress your friends and appaul your neighbors? ---- You really aren't cooling anything but you ARE taking heat away from something. Confused? Refrigeration is removing heat NOT adding cool! Wow - people will start talking about you behind your back now!
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In your car if the fan doesn't cool (take heat away) from the compressed gas to make it a liquid it will still be a gas when it gets to your evaporator and won't take away heat or cool you inside the car - get it? Basically it's taking heat away from something under the hood so that in turn can take heat out of the air for you inside the car. No exchange out there, no exchange in the car - seems like a fair deal doesn't it?
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If your fan is working at idle and you get no cooling and do when driving along then it suggests you are low on refrigerant which is the most common problem with automotive air conditioning. Your car has a sight glass if still original and you can see what's going on with the liquid/gasous gas thing for yourself! If fan is working let's start over and figure that one out.
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Sorry for the book. It's late/early and you can see I'm not always wrapped too tight as they say but do have a clue about automotive A/C -- or at least my Kitty does - that's why she's the "avatar" with my name,
T
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mickeybax
New User
Jun 9, 2008, 4:38 PM
Post #7 of 11
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Re: 1993 honda civic dx ac problem
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Mickey here again just now getting on line. Thanks for all the info. Myself and my landlord did so trouble shooting today on my car and found that the A/C condenser fan is working as soon as I turn on the A/C it comes on and stay on. We also unplug the plug that goes into the compressor and with a tester this would have been the one and only wire that went back to the controls or computer we checked to see if the compressor was getting power with the A/C on and the car running and it was not getting any power to it. Then we tested the other end of the plug in which would have been the end that would go to the compressor it self with a 12 volt power source with the car off and the cluth on the compressor did move in and out each time we put the power source to it. So to me it appears that the compressor is not getting power to it which would mean ??? Should we have did another test with the car on and used the power source to check to see if the compressor would have kick in and turned like in regular operation?? Thanks Mickey
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jun 9, 2008, 9:35 PM
Post #8 of 11
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Re: 1993 honda civic dx ac problem
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Hi Mickey - I've written more than even I can take in now so let's summerize what's up with this.
Fans work properly - No more need to badger that now.......
Clutch at compressor can work when jumped but not by the car's own systems..... got it
Car's computer may be making that decision - still unknown to me on an R-12 car.
So........ A static pressure would be real helpful right now. Just as silly as like checking pressure in a tire. You need a gauge that fits - just use the low side port and take it's pressure - just sitting there. It should read about the same in psi as the temp in F.
If it doesn't system may have shut down due to lack of refrigerant. That "static" pressure only says there's something present and when compressor does kick on might read so low that this system knows it and doesn't keep trying but stay in shut down mode. Disconnecting battery neg post for a while and re-attach should reset those and if all is electrically well there would be a period of time where it would try till it gave up again as self preservation of the system.
Gauges for R-12 might be hard to find. There are cheap tire gauge type pencil gauges you may have to hunt for if you don't have gauges at your disposal but if you want to do any work on this it will be tough as R-12 is a restricted gas now, not available to the general public which poses a problem.
Tire pressure type gauge that can get a basic pressure is Interdynamics UPC code #48168 02723 if you can find one. Otherwise you can get gauges for 134a systems and use a retrofit adaptor just for pressure readings for the moment,
T
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trev0006
User
Sep 20, 2008, 4:45 PM
Post #9 of 11
(11135 views)
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Post deleted by Tom Greenleaf
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Jeff Norfolk
Enthusiast
Sep 20, 2008, 5:15 PM
Post #10 of 11
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Re: 1993 honda civic dx ac problem
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^^^^^^^There it is again^^^^^
SPPPPPPPAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMM
Jeff
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Sep 20, 2008, 5:53 PM
Post #11 of 11
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Re: 1993 honda civic dx ac problem
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Gees Jeff - I can't seem to find that post - and I was hungry too
T
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