I'm relatively new to this forum, but I want to thank everyone for all of the good advice throughout the posts. I've read a ton over the past few months, but now need some advice.

We live in Washington State and bought a 2013 HCH a couple of years ago. We've really been fortunate and had no issues with it. Fast forward to January (2021) and my daughter moved to Phoenix. I let her have this car since it seemed to be the nicer one compared to my 06 HC. Everything was going well until she called and said that her AC stopped working. She took it to a dealership who told her that the compressor, coil, and clutch were bad and quoted her +$3000 to repair. She doesn't have the money and can't go the summer without AC in Phoenix, so I am driving the 2000 mile round-trip to trade her cars.

I'm looking at doing fixing all of this myself but wanted to get some advice beforehand. I am pretty confident in my mechanical abilities, but have never done AC before.
1) What can I test to confirm that the compressor is bad? These are a nightmare to find and cost a fortune.
1B) Anyone know of a better option than Ebay?
2) Any random advice for the process of "accidentally" discharging the system, changing everything out, and recharging?

Any advice or help would be appreciated.

 

Sorry to hear, the HCH compressor is very expensive because it's a dual compressor with an electric motor inside. That enables it to operate from the drive belt, the internal motor, or both for maximum cooling.

The bare compressor from Honda parts online is $724, a new clutch is $265 and the coil is $106. https://www.onlinehondaparts.com/v-2...a-c-compressor.

Add a new receiver and o-rings and the parts actually aren't all that much.

If you're in a larger city there may be a rebuilder that can tear it down and find and fix the failure point. Or you may be able to search and find a good used unit.

Once you find someone to evacuate the refrigerant out of the system, then physically removing and replacing the compressor isn't particularly difficult. You will want to replace the receiver (attached to the condensor) and change the o-rings where you take apart the refrigerant lines.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the response Tom. I really appreciate it!

I've looked online and found some used or reman units but there isn't a huge price difference between think link you provided and those. I've never tried replacing an AC clutch, coil, or compressor. Is it pretty clear on how these all go back together? or is it a better idea to find a complete unit?

Can you give any advice on how to confirm what is really the culprit? I would hate to buy it all just to find out that it was only the clutch or coil.

Thanks again!

 

If it were me and there was a capable rebuilder where I live, I'd take the whole unit to them and ask for a quote on what it needs. For example, it might be the compressor itself is damaged but coil and clutch are ok. Armed with that diagnosis, I'd then decide how I want to address it. Since we know the online prices for new Honda components, in that scenario I'd probably try to get the rebuilder to switch the good coil and clutch onto a new compressor that I supply and pay for the labor. Some guys will work with you that way, some won't, but it never hurts to ask.

I personally have not taken clutch and coil off a compressor but my impression is it's a bit technical and may require special tools, so I prob wouldn't go that route unless I had lots of time on my hands, could find a detailed tutorial somewhere, and really wanted to learn.

An important point in all of this ... whoever looks at the compressor for you needs to tell you if they final any metal shaving/particles in there. That is a more serious failure, because it brings the risk of shavings/particles being elsewhere in the system. The most common place this turns up is in the expansion valve on the evaporator, and people often have to replace it in that situation. I had this happen on my wife's car many years ago and it's tough to get all of that stuff out. The shop that vacuums and recharges the system after the compressor replacement has to be very thorough and get out as much of the stuff as possible. On my wife's car, there was still some in there and the new compressor blew up about a year afterwards as a result. Of course since the system was contaminated, there was no warranty.

A/C is great when everything is clean and working well, but can be tricky otherwise.

 

So, I finally got around to messing with this. I don't want to risk the added expense of removing the compressor and then having to get it flushed.

I have been highly skeptical that the compressor, clutch, and coil all went bad at the same time. After watching a bunch of videos and reading as much as I could stand, I decided to try narrowing it down. I removed the AC relay and jumpered it with a wire..everything worked perfectly! Now I'm confused as to what is causing the problem. I know it's not the compressor, and I know both the coil and clutch work. Is there some sort of protection switch that I am bypassing by jumping the relay? Oh, I've also replaced the relay.

If anyone can find a wiring diagram of this, I would appreciate it.

 

I had a similar issue with an HCH2 compressor. I had non-functional A/C, but when the I bypassed and jumpered the relay, it worked.

The problem was the coil. While the coil still worked, it's resistance was out of range - resistance too high, and it was permitting some clutch slip. There was visual evidence of overheating at the compressor clutch.

I replaced the entire compressor with a salvage unit for $125. Vacuum pump and manifold gauges for a little over $100 and $10 of R-134a. The replacement compressor clutch required re-shimming, so I used pieces from both compressors to get the replacement re-shimmed.

I bought the liquid gold Honda compressor oil ($65 for 50mL), but it turns out I didn't need it. The replacement compressor still had oil in it. Once replaced, evacuated and recharged, the A/C worked great - even in Phoenix heat...

 

Thanks for the info Keith.

I remember reading something about there being a protection switch tied to the coil, I just can't find that now. I know somewhere there is also a line diagram showing the electrical components. I was hoping to find that so I can confirm.

My biggest concern is that I go through all of this just to find out that it is actually the compressor driver assembly back with the battery pack. I'm sure there is some way to test that I am getting good voltage from the IMA system, but without a diagram, I don't think I can figure it out.

 

If you don't have a CEL or IMA illuminated, it's unlikely to be the compressor driver assembly. B2990 indicates a problem in that area:

https://f01.justanswer.com/DETAILGUY...7ffb_b2990.pdf

It might be worth a 1 day subscription to Honda Info Service:

https://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/logon.aspx

$25, and you can access all manuals.

On the 06-11, there's a way to pull HVAC codes from the radio. I was able to confirm the high coil resistance with both a code and a resistance measurement.

 

Well, I just finally got around to working on this. A bit ironic that as soon as temperatures start dropping below freezing, I'm fixing an AC system.

The AC is fixed and works perfectly now!

When my daughter took this into the dealership, she was quoted just over $3000 with no promise on when they could get the parts. I ended up fixing it for about $500, but that included buying a pair or long-nosed snap ring pliers (your typical Harbor Freight ones won't work). While I was at it, I also replaced both struts and stabilizer arms for about another $450. To top it off, while I was driving the car and waiting to fix it, the infamous IMA problem popped up. I also fixed that for about $450 which included buying a much nicer soldering iron and some de-soldering wick. I also replaced the headlights and changed the oil for another $75. All said and done, I'm in it for about half of what the dealership quoted and I fixed a ton more than they would have. Now, I hate dealerships even more.

Maybe walking through this on this forum will help someone in the future. Feel free to ask any questions and hopefully I'll still remember the details. My advice - don't start this until you have all of the parts and the long-nosed snap ring pliers. We had plenty of time to work on this and did not rush it. Since I was doing the struts, stabilizer arms, AC, oil, and headlights all at the same time, I don't have a good estimate of the time it will take you. If I had to guess, and you get lucky with the bolts like I did, you could probably get it done in 2hrs. I bet it took me 6 working hours, but I struggled to find one bolt holding on the AC and took off stuff that wasn't helpful.

AC -
The initial symptoms - No AC, re-circulation button wouldn't activate. Clutch would not engage.The first dealership (Phoenix) told my daughter that the compressor, coil, and clutch all went out. When I got the car from her, I took it to my local Honda dealership (Spokane) and the said the same thing. I explained to them that the likelihood of two mechanical and one electrical system all failing at the exact same moment was unlikely, but they stood by their (incorrect) claim.I decided to do a bit of troubleshooting and began my search. I had already tried replacing the relay to no avail so I decided to bypass the relay with a wire jumper. I found a YouTube video that showed how to do this. Sure enough, the AC turned on and started blowing cold air. I knew at this point the compressor was not broken as was told to me by the dealership. At this point, I could have tested more and narrowed it down between the clutch and coil, but I figured that if it was the coil, I didn't want to try putting the old clutch back on it. I ended up ordering both the clutch and coil directly from hondapartsnow.com. Sure, I may have been able to save a few bucks by using an Ebay or Amazon, but I didn't want to risk getting non-hybrid parts that may not have fit.
The parts took a few weeks to receive due to "COVID delays".

• Start with all of the normal safety stuff...battery, jacks, etc. I was showing my daughter's husband how to disconnect the IMA battery, so I had also turned that off. I'm not sure if you need to do that though. This is what worked for me, but I am a moron and you should limit my advice as just that. I am not a mechanic and you do this at your own risk.
• Since I already knew that I was replacing the struts at the same time, I started with removing those. I had a heck of a time with removing the stabilizer arms, so I decided I would just replace them during this project.
• Once the strut and stabilizer arms were removed, I took off the splash shield above the passenger's tire, the shield directly below the radiator, and moved the one right behind that one. You may not need to take all of these off, but I didn't want to fight them for space.
  • At this point, I could see the AC at the front of the wheel well.
• I removed the belt (you may want to wait to do this until after removing the AC clutch)
• I removed the AC clutch. I got lucky and the center bolt came off nice and easy with an impact gun. Once that center nut is off, the clutch just pulls off. Make sure to watch for spacers behind it...count them, you'll need to know how many to put back on.
• Next, I removed the snap ring holding on the AC pulley. This was a pain. I couldn't get it to budge, so I sprayed it down with PB Blaster and let it sit for 30 minutes. That must have washed out some of the grime because when I came back, it popped off nice and easy.
• Unfortunately, at this point I realized that the pulley would not fit between the compressor bolt and the frame of the car. I decided I would loosen the compressor but I didn't want to disconnect any of the lines.
  • Up top, I removed the plastic engine cover (the one that says IMA) and the air intake. This should give you a few inches to slide your arm in between the engine and the radiator fan.
  • Next, there are three bolts holding on the AC (all 14mm).
    • The first is easily seen from the wheel well.
    • The remaining two are essentially on the topside of the AC. One is hiding underneath a wire bracket on the left side (it took me an hour to find this) and the other is tucked behind one of the AC lines and more to the right side.
    • That last bolt cannot be fully removed without taking the AC lines off, but you can pull it out enough to remove it from the engine block.
• I had to pry on the AC a bit to get it loose, but once loose, I could move it enough to pull off the pulley. Again, I got lucky and mine came off relatively easy.
• Now with the pulley off, you can see the coil. There is another snap ring holding that on. It was horrible to get off and required the long-nosed snap ring pliers I mentioned above. I had ordered mine from Amazon a couple of weeks beforehand. I ordered "Knipex 4611A3" but had to file down the tips a bit.
• Once the snap ring is off, there are a bunch of brackets holding the coil wires on.
  • Coming from the coil, there is the main line of wires that heads back to the plug, but there are two that run up to a sensor on the top. These two wires disconnect mid-line. You should see a "thick" section of these wires..that is where the connectors are. Just pull on both sides. If you already have your new coil, you'll see what I am talking about.
• Now your coil should be free.
• Replace everything in reverse order. Make sure to get the pulley on before putting the AC back in position. I had help, so it made it far easier to get everything back together. When putting the new pulley on, my son held the back of the compressor while I taped the front of the pulley with a rubber mallet.
• Mine needed two spacers behind the clutch.

Good luck!

 

Great, congratulations! I hope I never have this problem, but if I do this thread will be a huge help!