Spent the morning watching this over and over. Tackled this and the condenser. Both projects went extremely well. Couldn't imagine attempting either without your videos. Thanks again for posting.
@@DoctorFixMaster Ulm yea so you never flushed the system... Thats a huge no no. If anyone reads this please for the love of God flush your system. If your compressor locked up or accumulator failed there is a HUGE possibility of littleshards of metal that have run through the system. When having your evaporator out is the easiest time to flush it. Do not flush the evap expansion valve though and do don't not flush the condenser(holes are too small) so instead replace it. $40-50 online brand new. If you don't do this then your system WILL fail within the next year or 2. Mine lasted a little less than a year.
@@saiyan-lord4714 Huge no no? Not really. I did replace the condenser. Every component but the evaporator got replaced, and I did that repair almost 4 years ago and the system is going strong. I don't think it's bad advice. It certainly wouldn't hurt to flush the lines and the evaporator, but if the compressor blows, most of the metal shards and debris will end up in the condenser. In my case, replacing everything but the evaporator was enough. If I did it again though, I probably would take your advice and flush the lines and evaporator for grins, because no AC rebuild is something anyone wants to do twice.
I have a 2002 Honda Civic that has an A/C leak. The auto-electrician said he would need to remove the dashboard to check the evaporator for leaks. I'm glad I told him to hold off and looked here first. That is a LOT of work to get to.
Dude, thank you so much for sharing this. I am just about to rebuild a complete a/c system on a 2009 civic. many hurdles will be avoided thanks to you.
Thank you so much for this video. I spend hours trying to figure out how to get the evaporator core door off to access the core to put a new temp sensor in. I had no service manuals to go off of. Who would have thought it was that little stud stopping me.
Great video, I found a way to remove the expansion valve through the engine bay by grinding the open access hole removing the high/low manifold to the expansion valve. First time took about an hour and a half, the second time would be less time. There's a video of someone doing this that way.
Just to help you out. You dont need long extensions,the black plastic in between both wipers.Pull up on it.Under it there is a sheet metal brace like 4or6 10mm.Then you got access to the firewall.Need to do this to remove valve cover also.On the dash ,passenger cover over the airbag its a big peice of the dash that comes out easy and you can literally touch the firewall with your hands from over the dash. Good video!
Thanks. Less than an hour ago someone criticized me for rambling on and on about details, so it's nice to hear that some people can appreciate those. :D
Looks like you could remove the wiper arms and the center cover to get a little easier access to those two bolts. Shouldn't be too hard to remove those and that'd make it easier to put the lines and bolts back. Very helpful video. Thank you.
I can't get the stupid vent out and there's no way to see where that little screw is that you talked about. And you skipped right over it. Thanks for nothing
Thanks alot for making the vid and posting. Helped alot. I just changed the expansion valve on my 2008 civic and went a whole lot easier due to your video.
Save time by doing a quick fix, If your expansion valve is sticking and not cooling try this first, bled the freon first open the lines that go to the evaporator, high and low pressure lines from the firewall, engine compartment. Take a low pressure air line and blow out any restrictions in the line back and forth on both lines. Once you have done this take some break free lubricate and spray in both lines and blow with low pressure back and forth to make sure the lubricant has reach the expansion valve and let set over night. Next day blow out the break free lubricant once again blow out both lines back and forth until the break free lubricant has been removed. Reconnect lines and draw a vacuum and service the a/c with freon. WOW it works every time I done it and save you time and money! Note: Low pressure less than 30psi and not 120psi it could damage the evaporator.
You did a great job kid! If you took the wipers off & removed the cowl that covers the back half of the engine, then removed the high/ low side line connection without having to squeeze way in there first it'd be allot easier to yank the evaporator out next time. Well done never the less tho!
I looked at this video, many thanks, then checked the service manual, and here is the best method, after the lines are empty: - remove the two nuts securing the AC lines in the engine compartment - disconnect the AC lines - use extension, swivel end and deep 10 mm socket, remove the 10 mm nut that holds the AC lines. No need to remove anything, easy to move your hand and position the socket on the nut - once AC line us removed, remove the post with the same 10 mm socket - then follow the video until the blower motor. DO NOT remove the motor yet. Remove the small vent on the left FIRST! The 3rd screw, he uses a small screw driver. You can use a 7 mm socket and a small extension, too. - remove the blower motor. Note: as I wrote above, once you loosened the top 2 screws, use a magnetic pickup tool, one with the claws to grab the nut and rotate out. That way it will not fall anywhere. - follow the video after blower motor removal Again, thank you for the original video, I could not have done it without it. These are just my comments, additions, that I experienced during the repair.
También yo pase viendo el video una y otra vez para cambiar el sensor. Si no hubiera sido por su video creo que hubiera tenido que quitar todo el dashboard. Deberíamos de mandarle aunque sea 20 dólares cada persona que se ha beneficiado con su ayuda. Gracias y que Dios lo bendiga.
9:00 You know, I felt the same way removing the evap cover as well. FRUSTRATING 😡😠👎👎👎!!! 2 days doing this in this blazing Texas heat. And I'm still not done 😭 Honda did us wrong on the 8th gen civics.
You just had to pull the airbag cover and half the dash comes right out on passenger side.then you have full access to every bolts!dont even need an extension lolllll
I'm working on a 2011 civic. I replaced the A/C compressor thinking it would fix as to why it would only cool if the engine rpm's are raised and not cool at idle, but after a few weeks it's doing the same thing again. It's got a full charge, the low pressure side fluctuates from 50-70 psi and the high side reads steadily at 100 psi during idle. As I raise the rpm the low side drops to 20 psi and the high side jumps to 150 psi. At this point, I'm assuming it's gotta be the expansion valve. Not sure if I'm gonna cut that dash piece cause this is a customer's car.
Bummer! Hang on to your old compressor if you still have it. Now you have a backup, but now you have to go after the real problem somewhere in the other components, which thankfully are much cheaper. Cutting the dash piece is standard procedure as far as I know, and it does nothing to compromise the structural integrity of anything. A working AC is much more noticeable. If it works for a few weeks after a full charge and then goes back to what you're describing, it sounds like a leak in the system to me. Good luck!
@@DoctorFixMaster Thanks for replying. I checked it again today and still has a full charge with no visible leaks. I'm gonna try to convince my boss to let me replace the expansion valve next. Plus we already turned in the old compressor for the core charge. Good to know that at least cutting the dash won't compromise anything. Gotta do something with it since they spent a lot money on the job already. I'll let you know what happens. Thanks again!
blueblade455 did it work? I’m having a similar issue. The compressor manufacturer also said it cool be low PAGE oil in the system. The compressor is less than a year old and my mechanic sent the original new compressor back in because he thought it was bad.
Sorry for the late update guys but I found some interesting results. I removed the replacement compressor and found a lot of dark grey/metal oily contamination coming out of it and looked like some of it went into the condenser. I ended up flushing out the lines with some brake cleaner, replaced the condenser (mainly cause it has the receiver drier/filter built in) and warranted the compressor. I'm thinking the original cause may have been as when the original compressor failed it must have plugged up the condenser and the oil contamination may have been from me putting in the wrong oil type (PAG 100) in the replacement compressor. With the second compressor I emptied the oil from it to make sure it wasn't over or under filled and just repoured THAT oil back into it. Sorry but I forgot to check to see what kind of oil it originally supposed to take but I was in a hurry to finish it for the customer. So I just went that and it ran perfectly with normal readings, 20-25 low side and 150-165 high side. Guess I got lucky and didn't need the expansion valve. It's been 2 weeks and the customer hasn't returned back so I'm assuming that its all good now. So now I remember to always at least replace the accumulator or the receiver drier (depending on what type the vehicle is equipped with) when replacing an a/c compressor. Hope this helps out!
You're lucky you don't need to remove the entire dash to remove the evaporator, what often happens when the expansion valve is there on the firewall ready to be pried away.
Great video 👏👏👍 I do I have to do with the frion in the lines? Do I have to take out or is ok to work the valve with the frion? I don't know if you understand me. Thanks buddy 👍
Any work you do on an AC system must be done when it has been professionally evacuated, with all the refrigerant recovered for recycling. It is illegal to discharge it into the atmosphere intentionally. Good luck!
I'm sorry but you really need to get an alldata subscription for your civic. It's only like $15 for one year. I just did the same job and only took out about half the screws. They had walkthroughs with photos and torque specs and all the pertinent information from Honda.
Never heard of it. Half the screws? Yyyyeah. Let's count them. The challenge is on. Anyone out there who can take out half the screws and still do this job...good luck with that. Look, there's more than one way to skin a cat. Anyone is at liberty to pay an annual subscription for data that will allow you to remove a minimum number of screws and get everything out of there....maybe....and if you're a contortionist. Knock yourselves out. My site is just posting helpful information for free. You won't find any claims here of me being the God of all things Honda. There is no shortage out there of people who would be more than happy to pick your pocket while giving you information they should have given you for free, just as a thank you for buying their car. You could also purchase one of their ridiculously priced service manuals for a one time fee. Have at it.
@@DoctorFixMaster Alldata is not an annual subscription. You pay for 1, 3, or 5 years which is usually the amount of time that a lot of people are going to keep a vehicle. if you don't know what Alldata is then check it out. It's the database that most manufacturers place their repair information into. Actually AutoZone just purchased the database so when you get help at AutoZone those images and walkthroughs are supplied by Alldata. You don't have to get into a tiffy when I make a comment like that. I'm just giving constructive criticism saying that you didn't have to take apart so much stuff. Also why are you using such a long extension setup to reach a bolt behind the engine where the expansion valve is on the firewall when you can easily remove the upper engine rear cover (located below the plastic pieces at the bottom of the front windshield) and then you can reach it with a single extension. It's stuff like that that Alldata tells you about. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking your job. You did a great job on all of your videos, but I just figured with someone who's willing to do such an extensive set of tasks that you would know about Alldata. Especially if you're getting any parts from AutoZone they should have told you.
Actually. I was wrong about the number of screws. They're still like 27 screws. However, what it was that was the difference was that it shows how to remove that lower vent much easier than you had to deal with. With it out of the way it was an easy reach to get to the upper screws. That in the plate I was talking about under the engine bay. So it's been done with all the screws we were discussing. However you would have had had a hell of a lot less headache with those two other pieces out of the way.
How much pag oil did you put into the ac system after repairing it? My car manual and hood says nothing about the amount of oil to add when replacing ac components and after flushing.
Actually there is a way to remove it without cutting the plastic, you just need to remove the blower housing (which has 5 screws) attached to the air vents.
Thanks for commenting! I'd probably still cut it if I were to do it again. That plastic plays no role in supporting anything, and just makes it harder to access everything behind it. It was already cramped enough for me all folded up in the passenger seat and upside down trying to reach everything.
You can also remove the whole dash section if you want, but that strip of plastic is only there for assembly line manufacturing. Honda designed it to be cut. It's perforated to be cut, and says to cut it out in the service manual for removing the blower.
It's actually bolted to the firewall. The hole there isn't big enough for it, so it only comes out through the cabin with the evaporator. Bummer of a maintenance project, but hopefully it doesn't have to be done very often.
@@DoctorFixMaster I normally just use a pair of pliars and bend the metal on the firewall enough so it will pass through then just bend the firewall back after installation.
CJ LaPlante I need to do this to my 2011 Honda CRV. I’m dreading to pull the blower to get to the txv. How much of a hole do you have to make to get the TXV out from the front?? Otherwise, you have a great idea.👍🏻
My 2006 civic ac makes me very sick and i am pretty sure its a moldy evaporator. Ive removed cabin filter, tried foam cleaner from output hose and will try it from the vents.. but im thinking of just getting a new evaporator put in. Do you think it could fix it or should i look at getting a new car? Im renting a car now.
A new car seems like a high price to pay for an AC problem. The systems are all independently serviceable, so I wouldn't go that drastic myself. Whatever you decide to do, keep in mind that the AC refrigerant circuit is sealed. There won't be mold on the inside. Whatever is bugging you is on the outside of those components (in the airflow path). A thorough cleaning/sanitizing should take care of that.
@@drewbsn and id avoid using harsh chemicals as they can aggravate the biotoxins the molds produce. I just wipe things down with windex. Ill add a few drops of essential oils like peppermint or thieves oil in a water filled spray bottle that helps me too it makes the air smell clean. Dont get the headliner on the roof of your car wet it will start sagging and ull have to throw it away lol.
Wish it was this easy to replace on my Dart :( Had to remove the entire dash just to get to the evap core. The expansion valve is cake on the other hand
Unfortunately servicing and repairing vehicles obviously requires working around poor engineering or limited space. Having to remove the dashboard is typical for removal and replacement on many vehicles, but that is the right way to do it.
I would imagine that as part of the "low side" of the system, the evaporator tubes that the refrigerant flows through are wider than that of the condenser. The larger diameter tubes are less likely to become restricted if there is any build up within the system. This is likely why the evaporator is not replaced as well. Thanks for the video!
No, the tubes are still small. It isn't replaced because the condenser first, the receiver dryer, if dealing with a TXV system, second and the expansion device last all shield the evaporator from the swarf of a seizing compressor. If you don't have a leaking evaporator all you need to do is flush it to remove the old oil and you're done. Evaporator flush can also be done from the firewall. They're most likely replacing the evaporator too as added insurance even if the only defective part may be the TXV, evaporator replacement is a relatively easy job on this car compared to other cars where the entire dash needs to come off...
Great video!!!! Vert informative!!! In everyway!!! I wish I could find a good one like this for my 08' CRV. I'm doing the Samething with it. Compressor & drier ect. Would my 08' crv be pretty close to this? Cause I can't find much information doing it. Thanks hope to hear from you! Mike
Given they are both Hondas I would suspect it would be very similar. The potential gotchas will be differences in how the components are located and how the various screws and fasteners are located. That can make a big difference in how accessible those are. I would expect a CRV cabin to be a little roomier. Maybe that will translate into easier access for install and removal. Good luck!
@@DoctorFixMaster Thank you so much for replying back to me!!!! I'm at it now! Feeling very positive!!!! I've concord alot of obstacles & I'm going to get this by God's grace & your Great video along with much homework. Going to succeed this project!!!! So my family & I can have yrs of Air conditioning!!!! Lol!!! Thanks!!!! I'll keep you updated!!!!
replaced Compressor, Condensor, Expansion valve and had another purge where the ac stopped working yet again. Next step is replacing Evaporator. Anhyone have similar issue? Literally spent lots of money on AC kit but guess i overlooked evaporator.
The evaporator should last a long time since it's well protected in the dash. As long as it isn't leaking, and you have good flow thorough it, you should be good to go. What you do next depends on what you diagnose. Is it a leak, a stuck valve, clogged condenser, bad compressor. What do your gauges reveal about the system?
My ac system blows some cold air and then stops. I've ran multiple test and have come to the conclusion that it's the expansion valve. Do I need to flush my ac system before doing this? Im worried if I disconnect the lines then fluid will go everywhere.
You don't want to just disconnect the lines. They are filled with pressurized gas and it's illegal to discharge it into the atmosphere. A mechanic must recover it before you can do any component swapping. You'll want to diagnose the system first, and a good place to start is to put a manifold gauge set on it and see what your pressures are. There are pressure switches in the system that will cause your compressor to disengage if the refrigerant pressure gets low enough. If the pressure is low, you need to figure out where the leak is. Usually that is done with refrigerant dye that glows under uv light. The access port schrader valves are a common culprit and are very easy and cheap to replace. From there you can move on to more serious system issues like an old compressor, stuck expansion valve, or clogged or filthy and bent up condenser. If you find that your compressor has blown a seal, it's best at that point to start over and rebuild the whole system as I've done in this video series.
One more thing...trying to get the air intake out now. Cannot find where the hard to get screw is that requires the long screwdriver...and how long does the screw driver need to be?
That screw head faces to the right on the top edge of the air intake, just like I show in the video. The driver is a medium Phillips head. I'd recommend a magnetic tip on it to hold the screw for retrieval. Not including the handle, the driver has to be at least 8 inches long.
The piece that gets cut is non-critical. You never see it and it's not used as any kind of support member. If I remember correctly the Honda service manual actually says to cut the thing, and it makes getting to things and removing things much easier.
Hi. 2:52, right when I say 'up in there' is where that 10mm bolt is. It's on the upper right hand corner of the blower right up against the firewall in the very back. Shine a good light in there and you should be able to see it. Reaching it is the hard part. You need that long extension I spoke of. I didn't really focus in on that bolt, but you can see it in the video at 2:52. It looks just like the one on the left side that you also have to remove.
I believe it is on one of the plugs you have to remove from the evaporator housing when doing the service in this video. It's an electrical component, and I can't think of any other reason for wires going to the evaporator housing. Other online documents refer to the 'evaporator temp sensor'.
Thanks for the video .... what was the problem? To change the valve, my honda does not cool, they tell me what to change the compressor that does not compress, is this possible?
Thank you very much first of all an apology if my English is bad I live in Mexico my question is if what they tell me in the mechanical workshop is true I really have to change the compressor so I asked him what was the problem because he replaced the valve
@@JesusRodriguez-tq6ir No problema. Tuyo Englais es mas mejor que mi Español. :D The compressor is the largest and most expensive component. You only want to replace that when you must, but if the compressor is the problem, you'll want to replace the expansion valve and the condenser/dryer assembly as well. The problem with many mechanics and especially dealerships is they will suggest a compressor replacement for almost any AC problem. They make a lot more money that way. 10+ years ago the AC in my Jeep failed and the dealership wanted $800 to put in a new compressor. You know what the fix ended up being? The friction surfaces of the compressor clutch were wearing thinner and it wasn't grabbing anymore, so the compressor clutch was slipping. I removed a single shim washer from the compressor clutch to reduce the distance and allow the clutch to grab again. It cost me nothing, and I've been using that same compressor ever since. When your compressor does blow a seal, if you put fluorescent dye in your refrigerant, it's pretty easy to see, but be wary of mechanics eager to replace your compressor.
@@DoctorFixMasterThanks The mistrust I have with the mechanic is if your mechanical diagnosis indicates that it is the compressor that needs to be replaced and in addition to this they tell me that we will remove the dashboard but they do not tell me that they are going to change the valve. this is suspicious. Ahh, do you want to change the compressor and valve to see which one is wrong? Well, I think I'm changing the valve myself (thanks to your video I already know how) let's start with the cheapest one and if it doesn't work I go to the compressor
If the clutch isn't engaging, check the signals that actuate it. There should be a connector on the compressor and clutch assembly that you can test to see if you're getting a voltage there when the clutch is supposed to engage. If you get no signal there, your clutch is probably fine and you've got a bad clutch relay or need to clean the terminals of your clutch relay. Otherwise if there is signal, your compressor clutch is out. If it tries to spin a little and just can't, it's probably just worn out. I've fixed that before by removing tiny shim washers in the clutch to make the friction surfaces grip better. If That doesn't work, you're looking at a new compressor clutch. Good luck!
My 2007 civic AC works good upto 30km and there after cool air stop and only room temperature air is blowing. As soon as I turn off the AC, cool air starts to blow again and continues upto 5 mins only and then I need to turn on AC and this needs to be repeated every few minutes. I have seen ice in the AC vents once when I continue to drive long with AC on (no cool air blowing). What is the problem?
That sounds like a humidity problem to me. If you live in an area of high humidity, air conditioners can ice up and air can't flow through it, so it doesn't do its job properly. If you're having that problem, once you notice the temperature rising, you should notice restricted air flow from your vents. Turn the AC off for a few minutes with the fan on to give the evaporator time to de ice, and then you can flip the AC back on again and it should be ok for a while longer. There is really not much you can do about really humid air icing up in your evaporator, although it can help to run the fan at a higher setting all the time or on its highest setting. That helps keep the evaporator from icing up. Good luck!
@@DoctorFixMaster thanks for replying. My local technician adviced to go for evoporator coil cleaning and it will be fine. If still the complainant exists then he said to change the thermostat. Would you recommend to do the same
@@bhaskar_mayur You only need to change the thermostat if your car is overheating or is not regulating coolant temperature properly. That has nothing to do with the air conditioning system. Cleaning the evaporator coil might help a little, but I don't think that is the root of your problem, and it will cost a lot of money to get that done because it is labor intensive. I'd try my suggestion first just to see if you can manage it that way. If that doesn't work, it might need servicing. If you are paying a mechanic to take it all apart that is the time to replace components, since it is going to be expensive just to take everything apart to get in there. Before you do any work on it, put a gauge set on it to assess the condition of the system, the refrigerant charge, and the compressor. You get a lot of information from a gauge reading.
@@DoctorFixMaster I believe Mr mayur may be speaking of the evaporator temperature sensor/(thermistor) located in the evaporator housing itself (I think I saw it attached to the evaporator in your video at around the 9:40 mark. I'm troubleshooting an evaporator that freezes up at constant RPMs around 3k (highway driving) yet blows relatively warmer when at idle rpms and stumbled upon your more than helpful video. The problem / variable I have is that the previous owner has done some "creative repair wiring" which has the rear defogger switch controlling the ac and I'm not sure if (A)-that "creative wiring" may be preventing the compressor from cycling off some how, (B) expansion valve restriction causing the freeze, or (C) Evap. temp sensor not operating/opening as it should, preventing the compressor from cycling. (D) also has me thinking that I may have an ECU problem which may have lead the previous owner to his creative re-wire. I have access to a Robinair machine at work and I don't seem to be loosing any refrigerant based on a charge last month and recent evacuation being equal. I've been debating pulling the evaporator to replace the expansion valve and the thermistor while I'm in there, but hate the idea of putting in the effort and throwing in parts for troubleshooting purposes.
@@twilliams3452 I'm reading the purpose of thermistor is detecting a frost up condition and cycle the compressor until it melts out. That would be a nice feature when it works. Thermistors are pretty easy to test, but unfortunately you'd need to remove the evaporator to get to it. You might see a problem in the operation of the compressor if you can get it to ice up first and then check that the compressor never cycles off in that condition. Then you know that thermistor isn't doing it's job. Good luck!
Yes. This was part of a full system rebuild that was prompted by a failing compressor. I posted other videos detailing the rest of the job (compressor, condenser).
There isn't a lot under the dash capable of making a whooping noise. The expansion valve is a possibility, but that thing should only hiss when The AC is running. You'll want to check the fan motor, and possibly the vacuum switches that control the air pathways through the AC and heater vents. If those are malfunctioning you might get unexpected diversions of air between the duct paths, which would cause a whooping noise.
Try listening close to the evaporator box for any strange noise when AC is on and the compressor cycles on (with car in a safe position and not able to move, obviously). All you should really hear is a trickle/spray/muted hiss when the TXV closes down due to the evaporator getting cold (you can help it get very cold by turning recirculation on), and some quiet gurgling of the refrigerant filling the evaporator up at or around compressor startup.
Thanks. The expansion valve looked pretty clean to me, but since my compressor went, I decided to take most people's advice and replace that valve too while I was tearing it all apart. It seems to be a hot spot for clogs, and there are a few more O-rings in there as well that can get old and weak and flattened out, possibly affecting the robustness of the seal.
I found out my desiccant bag blew, so I'm sure mine will be clogged. I appreciate your reply. I'm looking forward to checking out some of your other videos.
I've noticed that too. Sometimes the coupe or the Si have different parts. A decision by Honda for a variety of reasons. I'm not sure why an air conditioner would have to be different, unless they were aggressively paring it down for size and weight.
@@DoctorFixMaster whats their weight do you know? (So i know if its worth my time to remove it,deleted ac but never bothered to go under the dash)thanks
@@upnorthviking823 I'm guessing that the expansion valve and evaporator core are no more than a few pounds. Probably not enough to move the needle on your gas mileage if you took those out vs leaving them in place. You can decide if it's worth the trouble to remove them. :)
@@adamhonda98 Never heard of that, but it couldn't hurt if the compressor manufacturer recommends it. Anything that keeps debris out of the gas cycle path is probably a good thing. If it fits, go for it. :) I suspect the OEM system probably has a built in filter somewhere, like in the receiver/dryer assembly.
Hello there I just install new ac compressor because I thought that was my problem it was not getting cold enough and still doing the same, my manifold gauges show 60 on the low pressure and over 300 on high pressure line can you help me what some ideas of what can be wrong with my ac ( new compressor on)
300 on the high side seems almost ok for a 95 degree ambient temperature. A bit high for a 70 degree day, and 60 on the low side seems high too. Did you replace the expansion valve? It regulates the pressure on the low side. It also wouldn't hurt to blow air through the evaporator and condenser to make sure there is good circulation through them. It's a big enough job that if you're going to the trouble to discharge and disassemble, a few new components doesn't hurt if there is any doubt they may not be working correctly.
@@DoctorFixMaster I'm going to order expansion valve and new condenser with a new drier as well the problem it's that its does not cold almost at all, its was 99 degrees when I was charging the system but leave the car for like 30 min running and still the same
@@poolkillermonjaras5421 I think there is a good chance that with a new condenser/dryer and expansion valve, your problems with correct. Those components are normally replaced with a new compressor. Higer high and low side pressures are normal on a 99 degree ambient day, but you should get nice cool air in the cabin.
Look in my compressor video at 8:49. I used an o-ring kit and just picked equivalents from it. OR-127 VPN: MT2563 PO 12305154-HOLD. It's a kit by Santech sold on Amazon.
You don't. That plastic cross-brace is unessential gear and can be thrown away. Honda actually tells you to cut it in their service manuals. Everything you need to support the components there is already in place in the metal mount points surrounding it.
Thanks. Hopefully this part does the trick. My wife’s air-conditioner works only blows cold for a few minutes then stops working then blows cold then stops working on and off. The compressor clutch is kicking on and there is refrigerant in the system
@@Miamiboatparty Can you hear any hiss from the footwell while AC is on? Try listening closely. The TXV should always emit a watery spray/trickle noise when it's throttling refrigerant down. Never a loud and gassy hiss. They hiss when for some reason they're stuck closed or when the refrigerant level is very low.
I've heard otherwise. Because it's such a pain to service, recover, and recharge, when it's all apart is the best time to replace components. That won't stop adventurous souls from taking their chances on some. If you're ok with tearing it apart more often, you can still replace components as they go. I prefer to muddle through it all and then forget about it.
I'm not sure. But because it is the same company, the same principles will apply. The system is going to be the same. Where they might be different is in the contortions you may have to go through to get the parts in and out, and the locations of the fasteners and screws.
DoctorFixMaster So i let some of the refrigerant go not completely but enough to make it low , my theory was to make the expansion valve open more looking for refrigerant or unstick it and it seemed to fix it when i refilled the system. Pressures were spot on and it was was cold we will see how long it last before i have to change the TxV 😐
@@hpjunke Keep in mind that discharging refrigerant into the atmosphere is illegal. It happens by itself when a system fails catastrophically, but doing it on purpose is against the law. Used refrigerant needs to be recovered with the proper equipment.
DoctorFixMaster 😂 No need to worry about that i didn’t let it go in the atmosphere . I’m aware of what’s legal and what’s not . I do Air for a living 🤙🏼
Guys help me out. My civic is 2008 and the clutch doesn’t engage at all ever. Hot air since the day it quit, no intermittent, no slowly went out, no works for ten minutes when it turns on, NOTHING. One day it worked, the next BAM welcome to the Sahara. The low side maxes out on the needle and the high side about normal. I’ve seen everything from charge it (obviously not the issue), to compressor replacement, to compressor clutch replacement, to pressure switch, to relay, to expansion valve. Anybody same issue?
If the clutch never engages, you chould get no meaningful readings on your gauge set. The high side couldn't be normal if your compressor isn't engaging via the clutch. If your readings are correct, then it's probably not the clutch that's the problem. A normal high side and a maxed out low side would suggest that your expansion valve or evaporator has failed and high pressure is showing up on the other side of those where it should be low. That where the temperature drops. If there is no pressure drop, you can't get a temperature drop.
I was watching another video and everyone was saying that they got help from that one video and all and I was stuck like 2 hours till o saw this video and found out ( 8:39 ) was the problem o was stuck for 2 hours
This procedure looks like a disassembly nightmare! And having to cut away that cross member to gain access ! That is bad engineering on the part of Honda.
Perhaps not, but Honda directs you to if you need to service the evaporator core, it makes it oh so easy, and you can hack it with zero adverse consequences. I'd rather cut it than fight with it.
I'm guessing they designed a part that could be assembled by a machine and could be cut for hand disassembly and reassembly which makes sense given it will only be machine assembled once. Some companies go a little far with design for manufacture concepts.
Ulm yea so you never flushed the system... Thats a huge no no. If anyone reads this please for the love of God flush your system. If your compressor locked up or accumulator failed there is a HUGE possibility of littleshards of metal that have run through the system. When having your evaporator out is the easiest time to flush it. Do not flush the evap expansion valve though and do don't not flush the condenser(holes are too small) so instead replace it. $40-50 online brand new. If you don't do this then your system WILL fail within the next year or 2. Mine lasted a little less than a year
My AC has worked flawlessly since I posted this video almost 4 years ago. Maybe I should have flushed out the evaporator and the lines, but every other component in the system was brand new. I think it's a good idea, so thanks for the advice. In modern cars, the refrigerant holes in the condenser are tiny. That's where most of the crud is going to end up if your compressor blows, so it will need to be replaced as well. There is no guarantee that all the junk from the compressor is caught by the condenser though. Maybe I got lucky, or maybe it doesn't really matter that much after the condenser catches everything. Who knows? But it can't hurt to flush your evaporator and lines to make sure everything is pristine before you commit to firing up a system where everything else is new.
My compressor failed. When you're going to the trouble of replacing a compressor, mechanics recommend replacing the condender/dryer and the expansion valve as well.
Spent the morning watching this over and over. Tackled this and the condenser. Both projects went extremely well. Couldn't imagine attempting either without your videos. Thanks again for posting.
Good to hear!
@@DoctorFixMaster Ulm yea so you never flushed the system... Thats a huge no no. If anyone reads this please for the love of God flush your system. If your compressor locked up or accumulator failed there is a HUGE possibility of littleshards of metal that have run through the system. When having your evaporator out is the easiest time to flush it. Do not flush the evap expansion valve though and do don't not flush the condenser(holes are too small) so instead replace it. $40-50 online brand new. If you don't do this then your system WILL fail within the next year or 2. Mine lasted a little less than a year.
@@saiyan-lord4714 Huge no no? Not really. I did replace the condenser. Every component but the evaporator got replaced, and I did that repair almost 4 years ago and the system is going strong. I don't think it's bad advice. It certainly wouldn't hurt to flush the lines and the evaporator, but if the compressor blows, most of the metal shards and debris will end up in the condenser. In my case, replacing everything but the evaporator was enough. If I did it again though, I probably would take your advice and flush the lines and evaporator for grins, because no AC rebuild is something anyone wants to do twice.
I have a 2002 Honda Civic that has an A/C leak. The auto-electrician said he would need to remove the dashboard to check the evaporator for leaks. I'm glad I told him to hold off and looked here first. That is a LOT of work to get to.
Dude, thank you so much for sharing this. I am just about to rebuild a complete a/c system on a 2009 civic. many hurdles will be avoided thanks to you.
Thank you so much for this video. I spend hours trying to figure out how to get the evaporator core door off to access the core to put a new temp sensor in. I had no service manuals to go off of. Who would have thought it was that little stud stopping me.
Thanks! Happy to help!
Your video helped with my 2007 honda crv, very detailed and thorough. The step by step got me through the toughest parts, thank you for sharing
Thanks for figuring this out for us. Did my daughters 08 civic today and this was very helpful.
This is exactly what i needed.!! Thank you
Great video, I found a way to remove the expansion valve through the engine bay by grinding the open access hole removing the high/low manifold to the expansion valve. First time took about an hour and a half, the second time would be less time.
There's a video of someone doing this that way.
Just to help you out.
You dont need long extensions,the black plastic in between both wipers.Pull up on it.Under it there is a sheet metal brace like 4or6 10mm.Then you got access to the firewall.Need to do this to remove valve cover also.On the dash ,passenger cover over the airbag its a big peice of the dash that comes out easy and you can literally touch the firewall with your hands from over the dash.
Good video!
Cool. Thanks for the tip!
Thanks from a 30yr auto tech.
Awesome video. Your words are clear and concise. Excellent lighting.
Thanks. Less than an hour ago someone criticized me for rambling on and on about details, so it's nice to hear that some people can appreciate those. :D
Thanks for posting .. Completed the project !! Everything just as you said !!! Thanks again !!
Nice! Glad it worked for you!
Looks like you could remove the wiper arms and the center cover to get a little easier access to those two bolts. Shouldn't be too hard to remove those and that'd make it easier to put the lines and bolts back. Very helpful video. Thank you.
I can't get the stupid vent out and there's no way to see where that little screw is that you talked about. And you skipped right over it. Thanks for nothing
Always plug or cover pipes lines or any open ports soon as you take them loose. As you can see the inside is surgically clean.
Thank you so much ..... this video was every helpful! !! And i do really mean that!!!
Look like Honda Stream RN6 having the same AC parts. Thanks... this video help me to identify the right tools
Thank you so much very helpful and your video quality it so good compared to others!
Thanks for the video tutorials.. tackled the job this weekend on my 07 ex.
:) Happy to help!
Thanks alot for making the vid and posting. Helped alot. I just changed the expansion valve on my 2008 civic and went a whole lot easier due to your video.
Really good job. Thanks
Best video on the net. Thanks
Thanks Jeremy! Glad you found it helpful. :)
Save time by doing a quick fix, If your expansion valve is sticking and not cooling try this first, bled the freon first open the lines that go to the evaporator, high and low pressure lines from the firewall, engine compartment. Take a low pressure air line and blow out any restrictions in the line back and forth on both lines. Once you have done this take some break free lubricate and spray in both lines and blow with low pressure back and forth to make sure the lubricant has reach the expansion valve and let set over night. Next day blow out the break free lubricant once again blow out both lines back and forth until the break free lubricant has been removed. Reconnect lines and draw a vacuum and service the a/c with freon. WOW it works every time I done it and save you time and money! Note: Low pressure less than 30psi and not 120psi it could damage the evaporator.
Don't forget to recover old refrigerant properly. Never discharge it into the atmosphere. Illegal! :D
You did a great job kid! If you took the wipers off & removed the cowl that covers the back half of the engine, then removed the high/ low side line connection without having to squeeze way in there first it'd be allot easier to yank the evaporator out next time. Well done never the less tho!
I just did a 2013 Civic and it basically the same .
Dongxiao D how long does it take to do one
Can you estimate the weight plz. Deleted ac on mine this is whats left.
I looked at this video, many thanks, then checked the service manual, and here is the best method, after the lines are empty:
- remove the two nuts securing the AC lines in the engine compartment
- disconnect the AC lines
- use extension, swivel end and deep 10 mm socket, remove the 10 mm nut that holds the AC lines. No need to remove anything, easy to move your hand and position the socket on the nut
- once AC line us removed, remove the post with the same 10 mm socket
- then follow the video until the blower motor. DO NOT remove the motor yet. Remove the small vent on the left FIRST! The 3rd screw, he uses a small screw driver. You can use a 7 mm socket and a small extension, too.
- remove the blower motor. Note: as I wrote above, once you loosened the top 2 screws, use a magnetic pickup tool, one with the claws to grab the nut and rotate out. That way it will not fall anywhere.
- follow the video after blower motor removal
Again, thank you for the original video, I could not have done it without it. These are just my comments, additions, that I experienced during the repair.
Good information sir
También yo pase viendo el video una y otra vez para cambiar el sensor. Si no hubiera sido por su video creo que hubiera tenido que quitar todo el dashboard. Deberíamos de mandarle aunque sea 20 dólares cada persona que se ha beneficiado con su ayuda. Gracias y que Dios lo bendiga.
¡Gracias! Estoy feliz de ayudar. No se necesita dinero, pero es amable de tu parte sugerirlo. ¡Conducción feliz con aire acondicionado!
thank you very2 much, your video really helpful.
That back screw was a pain
We didn't figure out it was in a pocket back there until we got a mirror and a flashlight out
😍😍😍👍👍Good presentation .
Thank you!! This video helped tremendously!just replaced the AC on my 12 SI
This tutorial will work for a honda civic 2006 coupe 1.8??? 🤔🤔
The basic principles will be the same, but the specifics of disassembly/assembly could throw you a few curves.
9:00
You know, I felt the same way removing the evap cover as well. FRUSTRATING 😡😠👎👎👎!!! 2 days doing this in this blazing Texas heat. And I'm still not done 😭
Honda did us wrong on the 8th gen civics.
You just had to pull the airbag cover and half the dash comes right out on passenger side.then you have full access to every bolts!dont even need an extension lolllll
I'm working on a 2011 civic. I replaced the A/C compressor thinking it would fix as to why it would only cool if the engine rpm's are raised and not cool at idle, but after a few weeks it's doing the same thing again. It's got a full charge, the low pressure side fluctuates from 50-70 psi and the high side reads steadily at 100 psi during idle. As I raise the rpm the low side drops to 20 psi and the high side jumps to 150 psi. At this point, I'm assuming it's gotta be the expansion valve. Not sure if I'm gonna cut that dash piece cause this is a customer's car.
Bummer! Hang on to your old compressor if you still have it. Now you have a backup, but now you have to go after the real problem somewhere in the other components, which thankfully are much cheaper. Cutting the dash piece is standard procedure as far as I know, and it does nothing to compromise the structural integrity of anything. A working AC is much more noticeable. If it works for a few weeks after a full charge and then goes back to what you're describing, it sounds like a leak in the system to me. Good luck!
@@DoctorFixMaster Thanks for replying. I checked it again today and still has a full charge with no visible leaks. I'm gonna try to convince my boss to let me replace the expansion valve next. Plus we already turned in the old compressor for the core charge. Good to know that at least cutting the dash won't compromise anything. Gotta do something with it since they spent a lot money on the job already. I'll let you know what happens. Thanks again!
blueblade455 did it work? I’m having a similar issue. The compressor manufacturer also said it cool be low PAGE oil in the system. The compressor is less than a year old and my mechanic sent the original new compressor back in because he thought it was bad.
Sorry for the late update guys but I found some interesting results. I removed the replacement compressor and found a lot of dark grey/metal oily contamination coming out of it and looked like some of it went into the condenser. I ended up flushing out the lines with some brake cleaner, replaced the condenser (mainly cause it has the receiver drier/filter built in) and warranted the compressor. I'm thinking the original cause may have been as when the original compressor failed it must have plugged up the condenser and the oil contamination may have been from me putting in the wrong oil type (PAG 100) in the replacement compressor. With the second compressor I emptied the oil from it to make sure it wasn't over or under filled and just repoured THAT oil back into it. Sorry but I forgot to check to see what kind of oil it originally supposed to take but I was in a hurry to finish it for the customer. So I just went that and it ran perfectly with normal readings, 20-25 low side and 150-165 high side. Guess I got lucky and didn't need the expansion valve. It's been 2 weeks and the customer hasn't returned back so I'm assuming that its all good now. So now I remember to always at least replace the accumulator or the receiver drier (depending on what type the vehicle is equipped with) when replacing an a/c compressor. Hope this helps out!
@@blueblade455 Great information. Thanks for the comments!
Excellent video.
Damn, didn't know you needed to remove the evaporator to replace the expansion. I might be contacting a local shop to do this.
You're lucky you don't need to remove the entire dash to remove the evaporator, what often happens when the expansion valve is there on the firewall ready to be pried away.
Great video 👏👏👍
I do I have to do with the frion in the lines? Do I have to take out or is ok to work the valve with the frion? I don't know if you understand me.
Thanks buddy 👍
Any work you do on an AC system must be done when it has been professionally evacuated, with all the refrigerant recovered for recycling. It is illegal to discharge it into the atmosphere intentionally. Good luck!
@@DoctorFixMaster
Man! I appreciate your help. Thanks for taking your time for helping me. God bless you!
If you are big like me, I found that taking the passenger seat out made it extremely easier to do this.
Probably worth the trouble, since it is a pretty big job. Thanks!
Very helpful video.. I had to do it to my 12' Si and it was exactly the same.
Also this is the same as Honda CR-V 2.4 liter engine. Thanks!
I'm sorry but you really need to get an alldata subscription for your civic. It's only like $15 for one year. I just did the same job and only took out about half the screws. They had walkthroughs with photos and torque specs and all the pertinent information from Honda.
Never heard of it. Half the screws? Yyyyeah. Let's count them. The challenge is on. Anyone out there who can take out half the screws and still do this job...good luck with that. Look, there's more than one way to skin a cat. Anyone is at liberty to pay an annual subscription for data that will allow you to remove a minimum number of screws and get everything out of there....maybe....and if you're a contortionist. Knock yourselves out. My site is just posting helpful information for free. You won't find any claims here of me being the God of all things Honda. There is no shortage out there of people who would be more than happy to pick your pocket while giving you information they should have given you for free, just as a thank you for buying their car. You could also purchase one of their ridiculously priced service manuals for a one time fee. Have at it.
@@DoctorFixMaster Alldata is not an annual subscription. You pay for 1, 3, or 5 years which is usually the amount of time that a lot of people are going to keep a vehicle. if you don't know what Alldata is then check it out. It's the database that most manufacturers place their repair information into. Actually AutoZone just purchased the database so when you get help at AutoZone those images and walkthroughs are supplied by Alldata.
You don't have to get into a tiffy when I make a comment like that. I'm just giving constructive criticism saying that you didn't have to take apart so much stuff.
Also why are you using such a long extension setup to reach a bolt behind the engine where the expansion valve is on the firewall when you can easily remove the upper engine rear cover (located below the plastic pieces at the bottom of the front windshield) and then you can reach it with a single extension. It's stuff like that that Alldata tells you about.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking your job. You did a great job on all of your videos, but I just figured with someone who's willing to do such an extensive set of tasks that you would know about Alldata. Especially if you're getting any parts from AutoZone they should have told you.
Actually. I was wrong about the number of screws. They're still like 27 screws. However, what it was that was the difference was that it shows how to remove that lower vent much easier than you had to deal with. With it out of the way it was an easy reach to get to the upper screws. That in the plate I was talking about under the engine bay.
So it's been done with all the screws we were discussing. However you would have had had a hell of a lot less headache with those two other pieces out of the way.
That's awesome. Thanks for your contribution here. I'm sure a lot of people can benefit from what you've uncovered here.
I'll print the Alldata information and post it for you. Happy to help people with the information.
How much pag oil did you put into the ac system after repairing it? My car manual and hood says nothing about the amount of oil to add when replacing ac components and after flushing.
I cover that in the compressor video at about 6:52 into it: th-cam.com/video/T2Np9-V5OjI/w-d-xo.html
Actually there is a way to remove it without cutting the plastic, you just need to remove the blower housing (which has 5 screws) attached to the air vents.
Thanks for commenting! I'd probably still cut it if I were to do it again. That plastic plays no role in supporting anything, and just makes it harder to access everything behind it. It was already cramped enough for me all folded up in the passenger seat and upside down trying to reach everything.
You can also remove the whole dash section if you want, but that strip of plastic is only there for assembly line manufacturing. Honda designed it to be cut. It's perforated to be cut, and says to cut it out in the service manual for removing the blower.
What prevents the expansion valve from coming forward through the firewall? Dumb design to have to remove evap to get the TXV
It's actually bolted to the firewall. The hole there isn't big enough for it, so it only comes out through the cabin with the evaporator. Bummer of a maintenance project, but hopefully it doesn't have to be done very often.
@@DoctorFixMaster I normally just use a pair of pliars and bend the metal on the firewall enough so it will pass through then just bend the firewall back after installation.
CJ LaPlante I need to do this to my 2011 Honda CRV. I’m dreading to pull the blower to get to the txv. How much of a hole do you have to make to get the TXV out from the front?? Otherwise, you have a great idea.👍🏻
My 2006 civic ac makes me very sick and i am pretty sure its a moldy evaporator. Ive removed cabin filter, tried foam cleaner from output hose and will try it from the vents.. but im thinking of just getting a new evaporator put in. Do you think it could fix it or should i look at getting a new car? Im renting a car now.
A new car seems like a high price to pay for an AC problem. The systems are all independently serviceable, so I wouldn't go that drastic myself. Whatever you decide to do, keep in mind that the AC refrigerant circuit is sealed. There won't be mold on the inside. Whatever is bugging you is on the outside of those components (in the airflow path). A thorough cleaning/sanitizing should take care of that.
Same problem here… what did you end up doing? At this point don’t want to put too much money into an old civic with 140k miles
@@drewbsn and id avoid using harsh chemicals as they can aggravate the biotoxins the molds produce. I just wipe things down with windex. Ill add a few drops of essential oils like peppermint or thieves oil in a water filled spray bottle that helps me too it makes the air smell clean. Dont get the headliner on the roof of your car wet it will start sagging and ull have to throw it away lol.
You're a life savor thanks
Good to hear it was helpful. :)
Wish it was this easy to replace on my Dart :( Had to remove the entire dash just to get to the evap core. The expansion valve is cake on the other hand
Unfortunately servicing and repairing vehicles obviously requires working around poor engineering or limited space. Having to remove the dashboard is typical for removal and replacement on many vehicles, but that is the right way to do it.
I would imagine that as part of the "low side" of the system, the evaporator tubes that the refrigerant flows through are wider than that of the condenser. The larger diameter tubes are less likely to become restricted if there is any build up within the system. This is likely why the evaporator is not replaced as well. Thanks for the video!
No, the tubes are still small. It isn't replaced because the condenser first, the receiver dryer, if dealing with a TXV system, second and the expansion device last all shield the evaporator from the swarf of a seizing compressor. If you don't have a leaking evaporator all you need to do is flush it to remove the old oil and you're done. Evaporator flush can also be done from the firewall. They're most likely replacing the evaporator too as added insurance even if the only defective part may be the TXV, evaporator replacement is a relatively easy job on this car compared to other cars where the entire dash needs to come off...
Do you need to discharged the freon first before replacing the evaporator and the valve???
Yes, it is illegal to discharge it into the atmosphere.
Great video!!!! Vert informative!!! In everyway!!! I wish I could find a good one like this for my 08' CRV. I'm doing the Samething with it. Compressor & drier ect. Would my 08' crv be pretty close to this? Cause I can't find much information doing it. Thanks hope to hear from you! Mike
Given they are both Hondas I would suspect it would be very similar. The potential gotchas will be differences in how the components are located and how the various screws and fasteners are located. That can make a big difference in how accessible those are. I would expect a CRV cabin to be a little roomier. Maybe that will translate into easier access for install and removal. Good luck!
@@DoctorFixMaster Thank you so much for replying back to me!!!! I'm at it now! Feeling very positive!!!! I've concord alot of obstacles & I'm going to get this by God's grace & your Great video along with much homework. Going to succeed this project!!!! So my family & I can have yrs of Air conditioning!!!! Lol!!! Thanks!!!! I'll keep you updated!!!!
What should the high and low pressures be when it's around 90 plus degrees out?
45-55psi low side. 250-270psi high side @ 90 degrees F. Google r134a pressure chart and it will give you whole tables of this info.
replaced Compressor, Condensor, Expansion valve and had another purge where the ac stopped working yet again. Next step is replacing Evaporator. Anhyone have similar issue? Literally spent lots of money on AC kit but guess i overlooked evaporator.
The evaporator should last a long time since it's well protected in the dash. As long as it isn't leaking, and you have good flow thorough it, you should be good to go. What you do next depends on what you diagnose. Is it a leak, a stuck valve, clogged condenser, bad compressor. What do your gauges reveal about the system?
@@DoctorFixMaster I'll get that diagnosed by the shop helping me. Only other thing that wasn't replaced was evaporator though, so we'll see.
@@rafaelhernandez179 Let us know what you find.
My ac system blows some cold air and then stops. I've ran multiple test and have come to the conclusion that it's the expansion valve. Do I need to flush my ac system before doing this? Im worried if I disconnect the lines then fluid will go everywhere.
You don't want to just disconnect the lines. They are filled with pressurized gas and it's illegal to discharge it into the atmosphere. A mechanic must recover it before you can do any component swapping. You'll want to diagnose the system first, and a good place to start is to put a manifold gauge set on it and see what your pressures are. There are pressure switches in the system that will cause your compressor to disengage if the refrigerant pressure gets low enough. If the pressure is low, you need to figure out where the leak is. Usually that is done with refrigerant dye that glows under uv light. The access port schrader valves are a common culprit and are very easy and cheap to replace. From there you can move on to more serious system issues like an old compressor, stuck expansion valve, or clogged or filthy and bent up condenser. If you find that your compressor has blown a seal, it's best at that point to start over and rebuild the whole system as I've done in this video series.
One more thing...trying to get the air intake out now. Cannot find where the hard to get screw is that requires the long screwdriver...and how long does the screw driver need to be?
That screw head faces to the right on the top edge of the air intake, just like I show in the video. The driver is a medium Phillips head. I'd recommend a magnetic tip on it to hold the screw for retrieval. Not including the handle, the driver has to be at least 8 inches long.
What about the piece you cut with a saw? Is it unusable? Don't need to support the glove box?
The piece that gets cut is non-critical. You never see it and it's not used as any kind of support member. If I remember correctly the Honda service manual actually says to cut the thing, and it makes getting to things and removing things much easier.
at 2:52, I cannot see where the last bolt for the blower assembly is....any help?
Hi. 2:52, right when I say 'up in there' is where that 10mm bolt is. It's on the upper right hand corner of the blower right up against the firewall in the very back. Shine a good light in there and you should be able to see it. Reaching it is the hard part. You need that long extension I spoke of. I didn't really focus in on that bolt, but you can see it in the video at 2:52. It looks just like the one on the left side that you also have to remove.
I think I have a bead on it know. Thanks Dr, back at it.
Hi where is the evaporative temperature sensor on this car?
I believe it is on one of the plugs you have to remove from the evaporator housing when doing the service in this video. It's an electrical component, and I can't think of any other reason for wires going to the evaporator housing. Other online documents refer to the 'evaporator temp sensor'.
Thanks for the video .... what was the problem? To change the valve, my honda does not cool, they tell me what to change the compressor that does not compress, is this possible?
The compressor failed. That's a perfect time to replace other key components since AC systems are a pain to work on and have evacuated.
@@DoctorFixMaster
Thank you very much first of all an apology if my English is bad I live in Mexico my question is if what they tell me in the mechanical workshop is true I really have to change the compressor so I asked him what was the problem because he replaced the valve
@@JesusRodriguez-tq6ir No problema. Tuyo Englais es mas mejor que mi Español. :D The compressor is the largest and most expensive component. You only want to replace that when you must, but if the compressor is the problem, you'll want to replace the expansion valve and the condenser/dryer assembly as well. The problem with many mechanics and especially dealerships is they will suggest a compressor replacement for almost any AC problem. They make a lot more money that way. 10+ years ago the AC in my Jeep failed and the dealership wanted $800 to put in a new compressor. You know what the fix ended up being? The friction surfaces of the compressor clutch were wearing thinner and it wasn't grabbing anymore, so the compressor clutch was slipping. I removed a single shim washer from the compressor clutch to reduce the distance and allow the clutch to grab again. It cost me nothing, and I've been using that same compressor ever since. When your compressor does blow a seal, if you put fluorescent dye in your refrigerant, it's pretty easy to see, but be wary of mechanics eager to replace your compressor.
@@DoctorFixMasterThanks
The mistrust I have with the mechanic is if your mechanical diagnosis indicates that it is the compressor that needs to be replaced and in addition to this they tell me that we will remove the dashboard but they do not tell me that they are going to change the valve. this is suspicious. Ahh, do you want to change the compressor and valve to see which one is wrong?
Well, I think I'm changing the valve myself (thanks to your video I already know how) let's start with the cheapest one and if it doesn't work I go to the compressor
I changed my evaporator coil but now the clutch isn't engaging and the fans aren't spinning???any advice????
If the clutch isn't engaging, check the signals that actuate it. There should be a connector on the compressor and clutch assembly that you can test to see if you're getting a voltage there when the clutch is supposed to engage. If you get no signal there, your clutch is probably fine and you've got a bad clutch relay or need to clean the terminals of your clutch relay. Otherwise if there is signal, your compressor clutch is out. If it tries to spin a little and just can't, it's probably just worn out. I've fixed that before by removing tiny shim washers in the clutch to make the friction surfaces grip better. If That doesn't work, you're looking at a new compressor clutch. Good luck!
My 2007 civic AC works good upto 30km and there after cool air stop and only room temperature air is blowing. As soon as I turn off the AC, cool air starts to blow again and continues upto 5 mins only and then I need to turn on AC and this needs to be repeated every few minutes. I have seen ice in the AC vents once when I continue to drive long with AC on (no cool air blowing). What is the problem?
That sounds like a humidity problem to me. If you live in an area of high humidity, air conditioners can ice up and air can't flow through it, so it doesn't do its job properly. If you're having that problem, once you notice the temperature rising, you should notice restricted air flow from your vents. Turn the AC off for a few minutes with the fan on to give the evaporator time to de ice, and then you can flip the AC back on again and it should be ok for a while longer. There is really not much you can do about really humid air icing up in your evaporator, although it can help to run the fan at a higher setting all the time or on its highest setting. That helps keep the evaporator from icing up. Good luck!
@@DoctorFixMaster thanks for replying. My local technician adviced to go for evoporator coil cleaning and it will be fine. If still the complainant exists then he said to change the thermostat. Would you recommend to do the same
@@bhaskar_mayur You only need to change the thermostat if your car is overheating or is not regulating coolant temperature properly. That has nothing to do with the air conditioning system. Cleaning the evaporator coil might help a little, but I don't think that is the root of your problem, and it will cost a lot of money to get that done because it is labor intensive. I'd try my suggestion first just to see if you can manage it that way. If that doesn't work, it might need servicing. If you are paying a mechanic to take it all apart that is the time to replace components, since it is going to be expensive just to take everything apart to get in there. Before you do any work on it, put a gauge set on it to assess the condition of the system, the refrigerant charge, and the compressor. You get a lot of information from a gauge reading.
@@DoctorFixMaster I believe Mr mayur may be speaking of the evaporator temperature sensor/(thermistor) located in the evaporator housing itself (I think I saw it attached to the evaporator in your video at around the 9:40 mark. I'm troubleshooting an evaporator that freezes up at constant RPMs around 3k (highway driving) yet blows relatively warmer when at idle rpms and stumbled upon your more than helpful video. The problem / variable I have is that the previous owner has done some "creative repair wiring" which has the rear defogger switch controlling the ac and I'm not sure if (A)-that "creative wiring" may be preventing the compressor from cycling off some how, (B) expansion valve restriction causing the freeze, or (C) Evap. temp sensor not operating/opening as it should, preventing the compressor from cycling. (D) also has me thinking that I may have an ECU problem which may have lead the previous owner to his creative re-wire. I have access to a Robinair machine at work and I don't seem to be loosing any refrigerant based on a charge last month and recent evacuation being equal. I've been debating pulling the evaporator to replace the expansion valve and the thermistor while I'm in there, but hate the idea of putting in the effort and throwing in parts for troubleshooting purposes.
@@twilliams3452 I'm reading the purpose of thermistor is detecting a frost up condition and cycle the compressor until it melts out. That would be a nice feature when it works. Thermistors are pretty easy to test, but unfortunately you'd need to remove the evaporator to get to it. You might see a problem in the operation of the compressor if you can get it to ice up first and then check that the compressor never cycles off in that condition. Then you know that thermistor isn't doing it's job. Good luck!
Did you change the compressor first before this job?
Yes. This was part of a full system rebuild that was prompted by a failing compressor. I posted other videos detailing the rest of the job (compressor, condenser).
thanks for good tip
My 2006 Honda CRV makes the occasional whooping noise coming from under the dash, is that a sign the AC expansion valve is starting to fail?
There isn't a lot under the dash capable of making a whooping noise. The expansion valve is a possibility, but that thing should only hiss when The AC is running. You'll want to check the fan motor, and possibly the vacuum switches that control the air pathways through the AC and heater vents. If those are malfunctioning you might get unexpected diversions of air between the duct paths, which would cause a whooping noise.
Thanks for the tip, the AC appears to be working fine otherwise, I'm just trying to find out if a valve or switch is starting to go bad.
Try listening close to the evaporator box for any strange noise when AC is on and the compressor cycles on (with car in a safe position and not able to move, obviously). All you should really hear is a trickle/spray/muted hiss when the TXV closes down due to the evaporator getting cold (you can help it get very cold by turning recirculation on), and some quiet gurgling of the refrigerant filling the evaporator up at or around compressor startup.
Thanks for posting this. Did the old expansion valve look like it needed to be replaced?
Thanks. The expansion valve looked pretty clean to me, but since my compressor went, I decided to take most people's advice and replace that valve too while I was tearing it all apart. It seems to be a hot spot for clogs, and there are a few more O-rings in there as well that can get old and weak and flattened out, possibly affecting the robustness of the seal.
I found out my desiccant bag blew, so I'm sure mine will be clogged. I appreciate your reply. I'm looking forward to checking out some of your other videos.
How did you determine that the bag blew?
My mechanic did. Then he gave me a $970 estimate, so I'm thinking about doing it myself. I didn't know about the desiccant before I watched the video.
Why autozone has 2 different expansion valve one for the 2 door and the other for 4 door version, isn't all the same??
I've noticed that too. Sometimes the coupe or the Si have different parts. A decision by Honda for a variety of reasons. I'm not sure why an air conditioner would have to be different, unless they were aggressively paring it down for size and weight.
Almost done, but wow this is a pain in the ass
Thanks for the video man! Very helpful! What replacement brand did you use for the expansion valve and evaporator? I think Im going with UAC.
The condenser was a Spectra Premium and the expansion valve was part of a 4 Seasons compressor kit. I ordered them on ebay.
@@DoctorFixMaster whats their weight do you know?
(So i know if its worth my time to remove it,deleted ac but never bothered to go under the dash)thanks
@@upnorthviking823 I'm guessing that the expansion valve and evaporator core are no more than a few pounds. Probably not enough to move the needle on your gas mileage if you took those out vs leaving them in place. You can decide if it's worth the trouble to remove them. :)
My kit comes with a compressor guard does that even work on this vehicle?
I'm not sure. What's a compressor guard? Online searches for that turn up almost nothing for automotive.
@@DoctorFixMaster I found where it goes it's a filter that goes on the compressor
@@adamhonda98 Never heard of that, but it couldn't hurt if the compressor manufacturer recommends it. Anything that keeps debris out of the gas cycle path is probably a good thing. If it fits, go for it. :) I suspect the OEM system probably has a built in filter somewhere, like in the receiver/dryer assembly.
Hello there I just install new ac compressor because I thought that was my problem it was not getting cold enough and still doing the same, my manifold gauges show 60 on the low pressure and over 300 on high pressure line can you help me what some ideas of what can be wrong with my ac ( new compressor on)
300 on the high side seems almost ok for a 95 degree ambient temperature. A bit high for a 70 degree day, and 60 on the low side seems high too. Did you replace the expansion valve? It regulates the pressure on the low side. It also wouldn't hurt to blow air through the evaporator and condenser to make sure there is good circulation through them. It's a big enough job that if you're going to the trouble to discharge and disassemble, a few new components doesn't hurt if there is any doubt they may not be working correctly.
@@DoctorFixMaster I'm going to order expansion valve and new condenser with a new drier as well the problem it's that its does not cold almost at all, its was 99 degrees when I was charging the system but leave the car for like 30 min running and still the same
@@poolkillermonjaras5421 I think there is a good chance that with a new condenser/dryer and expansion valve, your problems with correct. Those components are normally replaced with a new compressor. Higer high and low side pressures are normal on a 99 degree ambient day, but you should get nice cool air in the cabin.
@@DoctorFixMaster thanks alot for your help, I order parts last night just waiting on them, I'm in Texas with extremely hot weather now..
@@poolkillermonjaras5421 Good luck! With a new condenser/dryer and expansion valve, I think you have a very good chance of correcting your problems.
11:30 anybody knows the sizes of those o'rings? Thanks
Look in my compressor video at 8:49. I used an o-ring kit and just picked equivalents from it. OR-127 VPN: MT2563 PO 12305154-HOLD. It's a kit by Santech sold on Amazon.
@@DoctorFixMaster Thank you 😊
Good GAWD this is insane-all that just to get to the evap?? I think I can live with no AC🥵
How do you reassemble the piece that you cut off?
You don't. That plastic cross-brace is unessential gear and can be thrown away. Honda actually tells you to cut it in their service manuals. Everything you need to support the components there is already in place in the metal mount points surrounding it.
Thanks.
Hopefully this part does the trick. My wife’s air-conditioner works only blows cold for a few minutes then stops working then blows cold then stops working on and off. The compressor clutch is kicking on and there is refrigerant in the system
@@Miamiboatparty Can you hear any hiss from the footwell while AC is on? Try listening closely. The TXV should always emit a watery spray/trickle noise when it's throttling refrigerant down. Never a loud and gassy hiss. They hiss when for some reason they're stuck closed or when the refrigerant level is very low.
When you replace a compressor, all you should have to replace is the drier.
I've heard otherwise. Because it's such a pain to service, recover, and recharge, when it's all apart is the best time to replace components. That won't stop adventurous souls from taking their chances on some. If you're ok with tearing it apart more often, you can still replace components as they go. I prefer to muddle through it all and then forget about it.
Does this video apply for a 2004 Honda Odyssey?
I'm not sure. But because it is the same company, the same principles will apply. The system is going to be the same. Where they might be different is in the contortions you may have to go through to get the parts in and out, and the locations of the fasteners and screws.
What were the symptoms that made you want to change this ?
The AC was blowing, but not getting cold. Closer inspection revealed the compressor had blown a seal.
DoctorFixMaster So i let some of the refrigerant go not completely but enough to make it low , my theory was to make the expansion valve open more looking for refrigerant or unstick it and it seemed to fix it when i refilled the system. Pressures were spot on and it was was cold we will see how long it last before i have to change the TxV 😐
@@hpjunke Keep in mind that discharging refrigerant into the atmosphere is illegal. It happens by itself when a system fails catastrophically, but doing it on purpose is against the law. Used refrigerant needs to be recovered with the proper equipment.
DoctorFixMaster 😂 No need to worry about that i didn’t let it go in the atmosphere . I’m aware of what’s legal and what’s not . I do Air for a living 🤙🏼
T hank you
Guys help me out. My civic is 2008 and the clutch doesn’t engage at all ever. Hot air since the day it quit, no intermittent, no slowly went out, no works for ten minutes when it turns on, NOTHING. One day it worked, the next BAM welcome to the Sahara. The low side maxes out on the needle and the high side about normal. I’ve seen everything from charge it (obviously not the issue), to compressor replacement, to compressor clutch replacement, to pressure switch, to relay, to expansion valve. Anybody same issue?
If the clutch never engages, you chould get no meaningful readings on your gauge set. The high side couldn't be normal if your compressor isn't engaging via the clutch. If your readings are correct, then it's probably not the clutch that's the problem. A normal high side and a maxed out low side would suggest that your expansion valve or evaporator has failed and high pressure is showing up on the other side of those where it should be low. That where the temperature drops. If there is no pressure drop, you can't get a temperature drop.
I was watching another video and everyone was saying that they got help from that one video and all and I was stuck like 2 hours till o saw this video and found out ( 8:39 ) was the problem o was stuck for 2 hours
I am still how I began lost
Share with me what you're not sure about and I'll see if I can help.
This procedure looks like a disassembly nightmare! And having to cut away that cross member to gain access ! That is bad engineering on the part of Honda.
I hear you. Cutting stuff is generally not required for designed in maintainability. I'm not sure what they were thinking.
that is not necessary ! is not necessary to cut that!
Perhaps not, but Honda directs you to if you need to service the evaporator core, it makes it oh so easy, and you can hack it with zero adverse consequences. I'd rather cut it than fight with it.
Luis Zidane how so? Please explain. It blocks the entire assembly from coming out.
I'm guessing they designed a part that could be assembled by a machine and could be cut for hand disassembly and reassembly which makes sense given it will only be machine assembled once. Some companies go a little far with design for manufacture concepts.
tengo el expasion valve y la herramientas pero no me atrevo a hacerlo, no quiero cagarla😅
Buena suerte. Conocimento es poder. :)
Ulm yea so you never flushed the system... Thats a huge no no. If anyone reads this please for the love of God flush your system. If your compressor locked up or accumulator failed there is a HUGE possibility of littleshards of metal that have run through the system. When having your evaporator out is the easiest time to flush it. Do not flush the evap expansion valve though and do don't not flush the condenser(holes are too small) so instead replace it. $40-50 online brand new. If you don't do this then your system WILL fail within the next year or 2. Mine lasted a little less than a year
My AC has worked flawlessly since I posted this video almost 4 years ago. Maybe I should have flushed out the evaporator and the lines, but every other component in the system was brand new. I think it's a good idea, so thanks for the advice. In modern cars, the refrigerant holes in the condenser are tiny. That's where most of the crud is going to end up if your compressor blows, so it will need to be replaced as well. There is no guarantee that all the junk from the compressor is caught by the condenser though. Maybe I got lucky, or maybe it doesn't really matter that much after the condenser catches everything. Who knows? But it can't hurt to flush your evaporator and lines to make sure everything is pristine before you commit to firing up a system where everything else is new.
What was the problem ?
My compressor failed. When you're going to the trouble of replacing a compressor, mechanics recommend replacing the condender/dryer and the expansion valve as well.
Awesome video