Ask the Car People.SM


Honda CR-V AC Compressor Problems

2155 messages,  Last post on May 13, 2013 at 5:50 AM

You are in the Honda CR-V Forum.

What is this discussion about? Honda CR-V, Heating / Cooling, SUV

Messages Page 216 of 216

#2146 of 2155 dealership good will strategies plus helpful tips at end Pt2 by gimmestdtranny

Mar 08, 2013 (11:17 am)

at least they blow really cold when they work) A/C system.
 
Now.....ya wanna know the REAL KICKER #2? It's that when they DO replace the entire system either for their costs, or as much as a few THOUSAND more than their costs....
 
THEY REPLACE IT WITH THE SAME DAMN TYPE COMPRESSOR THAT WILL BLACK DEATH YOU ALL OVER AGAIN...sooner than it should.
And so the cycle continues..
 
Ok, so here are some tips that will help you get the most life out of your compressor.
 
- do NOT bypass the 2 defrost settings which automatically engage the compressor when you choose defrost in the winter months. This auto engagement of the compressor serves two purposes, first (some would say...the ones who haven't had a failure yet) is to assist in demisting, but really..in my mind the most important reason, is that it keeps the system lubed with the oil that is also in the lines and gets distributed with the freon type gas, or 134A etc. during the off season. This helps keep the system oiled and the seals compliant and able to better resist shrinkage/cracking and leaking. So when you read on the internet the procedure of how to bypass these two defroster settings, either don't bother doing it all, OR, if you choose to do it, then be pro-active in the off season and make sure you cycle the compressor manually by pushing the A/C switch and running it for at least 10 or 15 min twice a week. If the temp is really cold, there is a chance that your compressor will still not turn on because there is a thermal-electric temp relay that does not send power to it in the really cold temps.. It will vary from brand to brand, but usually colder than 15 to 20¼F. So when you have a mild spell in the winter, make sure you try to cycle the compressor for a good long drive during that mild spell.
 
- the second tip I have is little known, but it serves two purposes, both to your advantage. When I am 2 to 3 min away from my destination, I turn off my A/C and sometimes turn the fan speed up a notch or two. What this does is blow off the cold air from the evaporator. This serves as two really good purposes..first, this habit will result in a lot less mildew growth on the evaporator from constantly getting wet (feeding pollen etc) and then drying into a nice wet hot environment for nasties to grow. Blowing off the cold air, reduces this moisture considerably and you will notice your A/C smelling a lot cleaner, longer. The second perk to this habit, has to do with the inner PSI in the high and low pressure lines of the A/C system...by manually turning off A/C prior to your destination, the blowing off of cold air on the evaporator, let's these high and low pressure lines equalize. This is a good thing. Now...there is a valve in the system that does this automatically, but sometimes they fail, or their working parameters are such that it takes longer to let the lines PSI equalize. By you doing it manually, you not only extend the life of your system, you extend the life of this equalizing and expansion valve.

#2147 of 2155 Re: dealership good will strategies plus helpful tips at end [gimmestdtranny] by brownbear168

Mar 13, 2013 (12:32 pm)

Replying to: gimmestdtranny (Mar 08, 2013 11:15 am)
#2145 and #2146 posts are very good and helpful. Thanks for the tips.
I am in Memphis, TN. As they explained, changing air compressor +/- condenser alone, a fairly simple job, will not solve the problem for Honda CRV 2002-2006. Dobbs Honda quoted me $3,700 for replacing the whole AC system. It is quite expensive for an air compressor problem. My Honda CRV 2006 was very dependable until the air compresser broke. Thanks to this forum, I learned and understood the air compressor problem. I called Honda America and the case manager Rio started investigation within 24 hrs.
 
The assistant service manager Mr. Joe Sims at the dealership was also very nice, patient, and professional. After investigation, Honda agreed to charge me only $500 + tax for this repair, which exceeded my expectation. I know changing air-compressor with original Honda parts alone would cause more than that. I picked up my car 5 days ago, so far so good. Joe told me it came with 1 year parts and labor warranty. I am gald I got it repaired in the Honda dealership.
 
For my case, technically, Honda doesnot have to help me because I am out of warranty. But arguably from my point of view, an air compressor failure should not cost $3,700. I think my service records, mileage, and two good people, Joe and Rio, helped me. In comparison, my previous cars, like Ford Taurus, Toyota Corolla, and Nissan Sentra, all costed me much more than $500 in repair when reaching 88,000 miles. So for my case, my Honda CRV so far is the most dependable. In addition, Honda America and Dobbs Dealership did make my repair experience less painful to handle -- They do not have to help me, that is why I am so grateful.

#2148 of 2155 Honda Civic by sandman_6472

Mar 13, 2013 (6:55 pm)

Have had a few issues on my '06 mode land twice, Honda has paid me half...once on the tires and again on the a/c repair. This has been my 1st Honda product and sadly it will be my last. Reading all these posts just shows me the lack of customer commitment Honda shows people like myself. My issued were real and happened way before my warranty ran out so it seems Honda Corp. has no faith in their own products and treats their customers like crap! Plan to go back to either Toyota or Nissan next time or possibly Hyundai/Kia. Our Hyundai Accent has been an outstanding car and the one major problem was fixed in the 4th year of ownership with no questions asked within 2 hours...very impressive. Honda, maybe y'all should take a look at how Hyundai treats a customer and learn something. Your days of being a top cat company have passed and that y'all better step up to the plate here or you will be a niche company before too long folks!
 
The Sandman

#2149 of 2155 Re: Alin Class Action Settlement for Compressors [123tenacity] by endthetsa

Mar 17, 2013 (1:12 pm)

Replying to: 123tenacity (Jan 03, 2013 5:28 pm)
Keep up the good work!

#2150 of 2155 2007 CRV AC Black Death by chantal714

Apr 01, 2013 (9:45 am)

My 2007 CR-V AC suffered "Black Death" with less than 35,000 miles on it. The dealership refused to do anything stating that I should have bought an extended warranty. My husband and I both own a Honda, but if they don't take care of this, it will be the last one I ever own.
The reason I bought a Honda was because I thought they made a quality product or at least stood behind their product. They have offered to pay $600 toward the bill, but in my case, the entire system had to be replaced due to their faulty part.

#2151 of 2155 Re: 2007 CRV AC Black Death [chantal714] by sissytoo

Apr 07, 2013 (7:32 am)

Replying to: chantal714 (Apr 01, 2013 9:45 am)
Mine has been replaced three times.....THREE!!! The last episode left me stranded on the freeway for hours with my autistic grandson. I am so fed up, and with summer fast approaching, wonder if my air will work this summer, or leave me stranded again. Financially, I cannot afford to fix it again. I guess if it does, I will have to trade cars and it won't be another Honda.

#2152 of 2155 Poor AC performance by dvickers

Apr 10, 2013 (9:41 am)

I have a 2011 CRV that in two years has been in five times for poor cooling performance on the AC. Last time it was in they did the recall on the clutch. Each time they tell me it is working properly and each time I tell them when it gets over 75deg and sunny the car will not cool down. It seems to start out good and cold when I turn it on, put after about ten minutes is just looses the good cold flow and is cool but not cold like it needs to run so the car never cools down no matter how long or how hard I run it.
 
I am thinking either a problem still exists in the cycle of the compressor or it is just under designed.
 
Is this a common problem ?
 
Dan

#2153 of 2155 Re: Poor AC performance [dvickers] by gimmestdtranny

Apr 10, 2013 (10:36 am)

Replying to: dvickers (Apr 10, 2013 9:41 am)
Most shops do not vacuum the moisture out of the system for long enough because time is money. Often they only get 5 min of vacuum when they should have upwards of 2 hours. Naturally care has to be taken when undoing equipment to preserve that dried internal system environment. Any amount of moisture whatsoever in the system will contaminate the new refrigerant and make it cool less efficiently.
 
Also, very important to install a NEW dryer canister whenever A/C parts are replaced. This helps keep internal moisture at a minimum. They do not cost a lot considering how important it is.
 
Next, make sure there is not too much refrigerant being put back in. If the shops A/C tool centre, has extra long hoses, then that extra length might be contributing to over charging. That is a bad as under charging.
 
I am not an expert, but from what I do understand, it sounds like you have an expansion valve that is freezing, hence the nice cold air at the beginning. Or even the evaporator may be freezing up. Is there an excessive amount of dripping water after the car has been turned off for an hour or so in 80¼ weather? And then if you start car A/C will blow cold again for a bit? An icing evaporator will do this and also if you seem to not have as much air flow coming into the car...because the ice is literally plugging the evaporator veins.
 
Also make sure the fans that pull air through the condenser are cycling with the compressor. If they are not working then in stop and go trips, when u come to stop, air will not be cold as when you start to drive again getting air through the condenser.
 
But it could be other reasons too..
 
edit- also..."5 times" - insist on having a DIFFERENT tech address this issue. The original guy could be doing the same wrong things over and over, or lack knowledge.

#2155 of 2155 A/C problem by mada4

May 13, 2013 (5:50 am)

I may be in the same boat, my 2008 CRV is at the dealer now with A/C not working. Has anyone repaired this themselves? Ive read that the entire system needs replaced, has anyone attempted this? Im just considering all my options. I have 110,000 miles so I'm even outside the extended warranty for the A/C system.

Messages Page 216 of 216

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement