I've been having an issue for the past 3 weeks with my 2011's air conditioning. On cool mornings the air conditioning will turn on and work normally for about 5-20min and then just stop working. Air blows out but the compressor shuts down and the air is not cold. If my car has been sitting in the sun or I start it at night, the air con the compressor doesn't turn on at all.

First shop I brought it to said it could potentially be the thermal protector switch but rallied to replace the entire compressor. Second shop I brought it to said "compressor and both relays are fine", but the compressor is not getting power. Somewhere in the chain there's either a short or broken wire and suggested bringing it to an auto electrician or Acura. When I asked about the thermal protector switch they just said they checked both relays...so I guess they were calling the switch a relay?

The compressor is a replacement and was installed 2 years ago. The car has freon and no leaks. Apparently all the relays check out. No one has mentioned anything with shims being dirty or not properly aligned and I can't find anything online about what exactly the thermal protector switch does.

i'm bringing it to a specialist on Monday, but curious to know if anyone else has experienced this issue and if so, what did they do or what happened?

 

"apparently relay is good"

ummm please check FOR SURE.

 

Second shop checked the relays and said they were all operational. BUT there was confusion about the thermal protector switch. The guy at the shop (i believe) was referring to it as a relay as well.

Before bringing the car in, I switched relays under the hood and the compressor didn't click on.

 

How did you check freon levels? If its low, the car could not turn on the compressor as a safety mechanism. Did you check static levels on both the low and high side with a manifold gauge set?

 

I didn't, the 2nd shop I brought it to that discovered the electrical issue said the freon was good.

I've read that low freon could be an issue too. i'm going crazy here because it seems like it could be any one of these issues: low freon, shims need adjustment, clutch needs replacement, relays are bad, thermal protection switch (which i still have NO clue as to what it does), and now no power getting to the compressor.

The guy explained to me last night that whatever wire(s) are giving me the issue aren't completely fried. So...it will work fine in cooler temps, but as soon as the heat rises, the wire shorts out and stops working...something along those lines. Regardless, i trust the 2nd shop I went to took a proper look at everything. They didn't charge me a diagnostic fee as they can't perform the work. This whole thing has me super frustrated!

 

I recently bought an '08 that does the same thing. I've read (on here) that there is a shim that is too thick and causes the clutch coil to not engage?
Mine will work when I first start it, but if I shut the car off or the computer shuts the compressor off under acceleration, it won't re-engage. It will continue working as long as I granny drive and keep it running.
Here is that post
https://acurazine.com/forums/1g-rdx-.../#post13836788

 

i actually commented in that thread. my compressor now works for about 30 seconds and shuts off no matter what. doesn't matter if i drive slow or change fan speed, it no longer works.

i drop the car off to a 3rd shop sunday night as they were recommended for electrical work. i will have a list for them to check: relays, thermal protector switch, shims, and electric. preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best.

 

sounds like low freon still to me but

 

Should update the situation. No, freon was fine. Ended up needing a brand new compressor like the fist garage mentioned. 2nd garage had me on a wild goose chase with the lack of power comment. 3rd garage replaced the compressor with an OEM Denso unit, new relay, new serpentine belt and a recharge of freon. Everything works great but the car whines like an SOB after driving a bunch.

 

I got a new AC compressor after 140,000 miles but it sounds like you need a new clutch. It sounds like it’s not engaging and spinning. Check if it’s frozen...

 

My relay went out last year. My air goes out every year. In fact, it's out again. Evaporator, third time this year. The AC system sucks on the RDX.