pimpstaman90

Yeah, my 97 2.5TL is having problems with the A/C.
What I mean is that when I'm in idle as-in stop at a redlight the Cold air comes out room tempure but when the car is moving as-in driving its all really cold. (which is a good thing)
I have tried to rev the car at about 3000rpm when in idle but still it doesnt work.
What could the problem be?
Also when do we ever have to change the A/c condenser? (if we even have too)

pimpstaman90

And also the air also sometimes smells. Is i heard there isn't a cabin air filter or any sorts of filter for the A/C.

Mikes96TL03CLS

Hows your radiator? Your fans ok?

Ken1997TL

There is no cabin filter, thats in the 99 and newer TL's

duck97tl

Sounds to me like your fans aren't turning to draw air through the condensor. Check your fuses. If the fuses to the fan motors are ok, then you may want to have a mechanic check the fan motors.

The smell you are getting is--if the fans aren't working--probably from hot refrigerant running through the evaporator inside the car. When you are moving the air that comes through the radiator from the grill is barely enough to actuate the system. Is the car overheating at all? Investigating will probably show that the engine is running 20-50 degrees F hotter than usual.

You are probably going to want to have the refrigerant checked out and have the system fully serviced. R134a systems, although not as efficient as the old R12, also don't like it when the oil charge starts to get old, either. It is also a rule of thumb to slightly overcharge the system, maybe 5-10 lbs psi on the high pressure side depending on the amount of refrigerant that the system will hold. And I mean only slightly!

Another thing to check is the condition of your compressor clutch and the a/c drive belt. Both of those can be a problem with older cars. I have worked on a/c systems for better than twenty years (ASE Certified) and have found that most of these systems are pretty straight forward and the simpler fixes are what solves most problems.

Good luck!

pimpstaman90

yes the a/c fans comes on when the a/c is turned on but still the air i warm.
yes the rad. is brand new from acura replace about 5000miles ago.

Ken1997TL

Interesting..

Did you get a new thermostat as well?

smonster0516

If it smells, unclog the drain. It is under the passenger side dash, all the way on the left. It is a small black tube that goes from the bottom of a an off-white box, to the floorboard and out the bottom. Don't soak the ECM though!

pimpstaman90

No i havent replced the thermostat, because i was told it was fine and dont see how that could cause anything with the workings of the A/C system

duck97tl

Then that leaves only a couple of possibilities. You are most likely in need of a charge/service of the a/c system. I haven't given my TL a service, yet, as I have only had it about a month. I can't remember if the 1st gen has a sight glass on the a/c lines. If you can follow the lines out with the air running and find a sight glass, you can pretty easily determine if your refrigerant charge is down, since you will see bubbles in the glass. If the charge is down, the air will only cool if the rpms from the engine are up. If it is down too far, then a full evacuation and vacuum needs to be done before it gets recharged. This is the good news since it won't cost more than an arm.

Make sure the compressor and the clutch on it are in good shape. If the compressor and/or clutch are going, then you are looking at some big bucks.

R134a systems also have an inline filter on them somewhere. Every make and model has it in a different place. This could also be a problem area.

Take the car in to a certified air conditioner service shop. They usually are a bit cheaper on labor and parts than dealers. But, it sounds like the car needs a full pampering and service in the a/c system.

pimpstaman90

My clutch on the compressor is fine and also the R134 is filled to the notch. So should I got someone to pump out the old R134 and then pump in some new R134

duck97tl

Sounds like the whole system needs to checked out out front to back. This could even be a sensor fault.

TexasHonda

If you're sure that both cooling fans are running at idle and have low or no cooling, then you will definitely need professional help. Among the possible problems are compressor clutch gap too large, R134a charge too low, faulty expansion valve, and faulty AC system controller (dash panel control).

I would suggest setting controls to manual set up to see if AC will perhaps work better. Turn AC temp setting to absolute lowest position.

good luck

pimpstaman90

thanks everyone imma just take the car to a Honda/Acura Tech. Just cant figure it out