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#525 of 527 help please++++ by thebigmamuto

Jul 17, 2010 (7:17 pm)

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#526 of 527 ssilljer by ssilljer

Oct 19, 2010 (1:28 pm)

Looking for 1994 gray drivers side interior door moldings; please help. ssilljeryahoo.com

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#527 of 527 Re: air conditioning problems [gblackman] by nj1tsx

Feb 23, 2011 (5:19 am)

Replying to: gblackman (Jun 08, 2005 8:43 am)

Early in August 2010 I had to travel 300 miles on a day that was 107 degrees. It was evening 4:00PM. The air conditioning system was on as I started the car. As I attempted to increase the cooling by turning up the fan speed nothing came out. Since I am mechanically oriented I checked the engine compartment. I noticed freon escaping from the top of the compressor. Since I had upgraded a 1991 Acura Integra from R-12 to R134a that I also own I assumed this was just a minor leak. I went on my trip without a/c; I arrived with my clothes sticking to my body. Upon closer examination I noticed a hole on the front side of the compressor. It looked like it was hit with a hammer (ie heavy object). Since there are covers underneath and the compressor sits directly behind the condenser there is no way an object from the road could be projected to that spot. I was able to get the same compressor that came from a parts car. I replaced the compressor with a new serpentine drive belt. Once started there was noise that I could not pinpoint. It sounded worse when it was driven not even 6 miles. The drive belt heated up beyond normal. I was able to make to the Acura dealer where I had purchased it. A seasoned mechanic pointed out this compressor had been in a front end accident and the pulley was cocked. Therefore the drive belt was not in alignment. That's why it was making noise and heating up. Since my car was a 2005 Acura TSX with just turning 75K miles as I left on my trip it was clearly out of warranty.
I had assumed it was my bad luck and I had to repair it at my expense. I asked the dealer for goodwill assistance. The service manager had a technician put it on the lift to check it out. He determined the clutch was not spinning freely with the a/c off. And since I attempted a repair to replace the compressor, Acura was not interested in assisting me. The repair at the dealer would be $4000 plus the cost of flushing the a/c system which the dealer is not equipped to perform. Parts alone would cost $2000. Long story short I could not get the pulley off the used compressor. I swapped my clutch/pulley assembly with the used compressor. I had it pressure tested which it failed. I asked the dealer Open Road Acura formerly Wayne Acura for assistance. The service manager Michael Vandenberghe and the DPSM for Acura Parts & Service from Acura Division of American Honda Motor Co., Inc Dustin Townsend who was on-site that day refused me any goodwill assistance. This is only my 2nd new car. The 1st was an Acura Integra, 1991 which has some 227K miles. I replaced only maintenance and wear items only such as brakes, exhaust, tires. And no not even the clutch; it is original. Prior to the TSX I would be a repeat buyer. But after the A/C compressor grenading and the lack of customer service I experienced I will definitely re-think my next car purchase. The grenading is a term I encountered on Acurazine which other fellow TSXer's have experienced. As I opened the compressor it was a mess of ground aluminum pieces. How can I determine if this is simply a defective clutch or a victim of "Black Death" a term which I encountered here at Edmund's? Are the other manufactured a/c parts from a place such as Discount A/C Parts equal to or better than the Kehien OEM parts from Honda?
Is there any was that I have recourse with Honda? I asked if this was a recall item. The answer from both was there is not enough incident to warrant a recall.