2007 TSX


My AC all of a sudden stopped working. I checked under the hood to find two of the 3 wires on the harness side of the AC compressor have been ripped out of the connector. I had some work done a while ago and I'm assuming the monkey pulled on the harness, ripped the wires then just fed them back into the connector for a sloppy fix and they eventually came loose.


Anyway, I took the connector apart, stripped the wire back a bit and soldered them back on the terminals. The issue I have now is I don't know which terminals the wires go into. I have two blue/red wires and one red/white wire on the harness side. One of the blue/red wires is thicker than the other two.


I don't want to randomly connect them to see what happens so I'm hoping someone has a wire diagram that shows the color codes for both the male and female side so I can match them up correctly.

 

Wiring diagram from 04-07 shop manual shows two blu/red and one red wire (not red/wht).

One blu/red goes to compressor and one goes to thermal fuse on compressor. The red (or presumably red/wht in your case) goes to the other terminal of thermal fuse. Hopefully you can manage breaks/lengths to tell one blu/red from other. Not very good engineering as the two functions are different.

You can test (VOM) the blu/red wires to confirm by commanding AC on. One blu/red should show 12v and other should show ground (don't touch them together as one goes to audio/hvac control panel.

good luck

 

Thanks for looking that up. Yes you are right, the third wire is a red wire not red/white.

The two wires that were ripped out left no insulation for me to be able to tell where they go. The wire that was not broken was the thicker blue/red connected to the center terminal which I'm assuming is the clutch. So now at least I know what the other two wires are for but no closer to knowing which wire they connect to on the ac compressor connector

 

So the mystery deepens. I AM getting 12V to the compressor clutch but the clutch is not engaging. I applied 12V to the clutch coil while the engine was off to see if I could hear the clutch engage and hear nothing. Now, I don't know if the thermal protection switch wires that were ripped out caused the thermal switch to fail which is causing the clutch not to engage or what. Am I supposed to hear the clutch if I apply 12V to the center terminal of the AC compressor? I'm still not sure if I have the wires to this connector are correct so I took a photo from the back side of the connector on the harness side hoping someone can confirm the two blue/red wires on the the left and the red is on the right most. The thicker of the blue wires is the one in the center in my case. Any help would be appreciated. I also notice that a small area of the connector is a little melted. I'm not sure if this was there before or happened after he ac failed... No fuses or relays were blown... Some procedures for testing the thermal switch and/or clutch would also be helpful. Thanks!

 

Ok so I diagnosed the problem. It turns out that it doesn't really matter if the outside two wires are swapped. The thermal switch on the ac compressor is closed if everything is ok so this basically connects wires #1 and #3 together to let to system them send 12V to terminal #2 which engages the clutch. Since I am getting 12V to terminal #2 when the AC is on and the clutch is not engaging means the coil is out. Now I'm debating on whether to change the coil only or just get a used compressor. If I can change the coil without evacuating the system then I'd rather take that route. Any suggestions?

 

Update... purchased a rebuilt compressor for $140 shipped. coil alone was $80 from the stealership I figured it's a 8 year old compressor so even if I replace the coil, I may have other issues shortly after. I'm planning on replacing and recharging the system myself. Will keep you updated.

 

I would be tempted to take clutch from rebuilt compressor and replace w/o discharging. Looks like splashshield remove and dropping the compressor would provide enough space.

Tough call which is best path. If you have confidence in rebuilder of compressor, that may be better.

Also, are you sure clutch is open, and not simple excess clutch gap? Clutch resistance should be 3-3.5 ohms w/ good VOM. Clutch gap should be 0.020 +/- 0.006".

Post how things work out.

good luck

 

Half of one, six dozen of the other. Do you have a vacuum pump to evacuate the system? Alternately, you will need good snap ring pliers to change the coil. If you change the compressor, make sure you read the instructions on how to get the correct amount of oil in it. You could do all the work yourself and have a professional evacuate it, or evac. & charge.

 

That's what I was thinking which would save me from evacuating the system. I'm not sure if I can remove the clutch/pully/coil assembly without removing the whole compressor. Is the one pulley bolt the only bolt holding the assembly in place or do you need snap rings removed to pull the assembly out?


I haven't tested the Ohms of the coil yet but either way, a rebuit compressor (by four seasons) is on the way.


I'm afraid of the existing compressor crapping out in a catastrophic way after changing the clutch/coil in the near future contaminating the whole system and causing a bigger mess. I think the rebuilt unit should last for another couple years till' it's time for a new car. I'm pretty confident in my abilities to swap a compressor and replace the dryer and maybe even the expansion valve while I'm at it.


The new compressor states that it comes prefilled with the necessary oil so I don't have to worry about that. I can rent the manifold set and vacuum from AutoZone for $300 deposit and spend $30 on 134a or if I can find a local shot that can recharge the system for $60 I'll take that route.


I'm also aware of the $10,000 fine and prison time for evacuating refrigerant into the atmosphere which depletes the ozone layer. Never mind the government burning mile size holes in the ozone during nuclear testing

 

I'm almost certain (haven't done it myself) that inadequate room exists to remove cllutch plate w/o dismounting the compressor and lowering (box or other platform to support).

From there, you will need to remove the clutch plate (1-10mm socket size nut) and pry out w/ screwdrivers on each side.

If replacing the clutch coil, a snap ring must be removed from inside the clutch coil. It will also need bumping w/ a hammer to unseat from compressor body.

good luck

 

An update... I checked the resistance of the coil in relation to ground today and I got infinite resistance.. aka an open circuit. I've decided to drop the compressor and change out the clutch and coil without evac. Will update once I get the new compressor...

Why do Hondas have a history of faulty AC systems... I remember my 97 Integra GSR had AC problems as well as well as a civic a long time ago... Another thing with Hondas is you always feel vibration and hear when the AC compressor is engaged. My 2004 Altima junker as well as other makes I've driven have are very discreet when the AC is working. With Honda, you can feel power loss as well as vibration in addition to clicking clacking noises when the compressor engages. Am I the only one who feels this way?

 

If you check posts here, you will see that 2004 TSX AC compressors were somewhat problematic compared to later years. I've been more than pleased w/ performance of AC systems in my Acura/Honda products.

Regarding Nissan I have no experience.

Update how it goes w/ your clutch coil replacement.

good luck

 

Here's an update for you guys... So I received the rebuilt compressor and took to removing the coil to replace the existing coil that was burned out. Here are some photos of me taking the rebuilt compressor apart. Note: you need to remove both snap rings to get to the coil. The pully was a bitch to remove but with enough WD-40 and prying from both sides eventually got her out.





Before ripping into the car. I thought I'd test out the new coil to make sure I wasn't replacing a burned one with another. I'm getting 4 Ohms which is good:





So again, my plan was to unbolt the compressor and change the coil without having to evacuate the system so removed the serpentine belt, unbolted the power steering pump and moved it out of the way, removed the alternator and condenser fan and loosened the AC line brackets. Two of the AC compressor bolts are accessible from the top and the other two from the bottom. The compressor then lifts up just high enough for you to work on. Here's a photo of the compressor propped up and the pully/coil removed ready for the new coil:





I was feeling good at this point thinking I succeeded in what I set out to do. I installed the new coil, bolted everything back on, started her up, turned the AC on, heard the clutch engage, waited for cool air instead I noticed SMOKE coming up from the hood and that good old smell of burnt clutch.


Tip to self: while you have the compressor out, it MIGHT but a good idea to check turn the clutch by hand to make sure the compressor has not seized up!


Rookie mistake. I went into this thinking my problem was a bad coil and totally overlooked the compressor being seized up. all that work...


I went back at it again. I evacuated the system (with the help of a friend). I unbolted everything again, removed the seized up compressor, put the good coil back into the rebuilt compressor, changed drier, bolted her up and found a local shop that recharged the system for $40.


The lesson here is that the initial problem you're chasing to fix might be the consequence of a different problem. My theory here is that the compressor seized up, caused the clutch/pulley to heat up damaging the coil. Thanks guy for your input.


Cost: Rebuilt compressor $150. Recharge $40. Total roughly $200.

 

Thanks for followup!

I have observed that a scroll compressor is more difficult to rotate by hand, at least mine was on 06 TSX, but still works fine. I know tolerances are very fine on scrolls, but did not find any spec on rotation resistance of compressor.

good luck

 

Scroll compressor? my knowledge of AC compressors is limited. I tried as hard as I could to rotate in both directions and it turns maybe 1/3 in either direction but doesn't budge. I'm going to take it apart and inspect it to see what happened as I'm curious to see. I had the system evacuated and recharged a few years ago but I don't know if they added any oil or were supposed to add any when they evacuate it. I'm assuming and very little oil is lost during the process since most of it will sit at the lowest point which is the compressor and the access ports are at the top. I'll take some photos if I find something interesting. Thanks again.

 

Check out scroll compressor on wikipedia and youtube. A very interesting design.

I have always added oil when topping up, or discharge/recharge as significant amount of oil will travel w/ refrigerant. A slow discharge probably loses only a small amount. I've found that too much (perhaps 50% more than spec) is better than not enough as oil is lost each time you check pressures.

good luck