No cold air on my 06 RL. The compressor clutch doesn’t engage. It’s not the fuse or the relay. I suspect I’ll have to replace the electromagnet with the clutch. Anyone done this? Anything else it could be? Any DIY out there I haven’t found yet?

 

Had a trusted mechanic look at it and he said they don't make the part and have to buy a kit to replace to compressor. Comes with new expansion valve also. Don't remember total cost but it was up there (over a $1,000) for just the compressor. Replacing the expansion valve was a good deal more (inside car, disassemble dash etc).

Good luck.

 

I jumped the connectors in the relay socket and I can hear the clutch click. I’ve tested the relay and it’s OK. I’ll check the power is available for the relay but I suspect it is. It seems now there is a problem somewhere on the climate control. A signal is not being sent to the relay. The manual wants me to test the PCM. I’d like a better idea before I go down that road. Anyone?

 

Well. I didn’t do anything to fix it but I ran through some diagnostics and now it’s working again. At least I know I have Freon. Maybe pulling and inserting the under dash fuse fixed it. I expect it to fail again but for now, I’ve got cold air!!!!

 

And what you are seeing is similar to what I had going on. Drive the car one time and all was well.. Next time it would be 'like this thing is not cooling like it used to", Did that for a good while and I finally got tired of it/doubted my sanity so took ti to my mechanic.

 

And he couldn’t find anything either?

 

From what I remember, I left it a few days and they test drove it a few times. They had seen this before so that helped him diagnose it. After the replacement, it's been working normally for a couple of years now. I'm now glad I spent the money.

 

Have you actually checked the level of refrigerant ? The system won't engage below a certain pressure.

 

no. But it works well when it works. I’ll get a shop to check it soon.

 

So, as predicted, the compressor clutch doesn’t engage again and this time, jumping the relay doesn’t activate the clutch.

now a new problem. I’ve got the VSA activation indicator illuminated when I start up. When I speed up the VSA light also comes on. A code check brings up a 84-1 code. Some kind of sensor problem. I see online that older RLs and some other Acura’s have this problem but they it is a false Alarm. The reset procedure requires shorting some pins and manipulating the VSA switch in a convoluted order. Looks like it’s time for a visit to my neighborhood mechanic.

 

OK, it could be just a simple as you need a gas topup. It's normal to have very slight leaks from automotive aircon, and eventually over some years a decent quantity of the gas leaks out - once the pressure gets low enough, then the system won't engage until you refil it. A mechanic with an aircon machine can diagnose low gas in about 10 seconds

 

. Wouldn’t that throw a code of some sort?

 

Not sure I'm afraid - if you've got a reader that can pull codes from the climate system, then quite possibly ?

But that's not how the mechanic will diagnose it - they just connect their refill vac pump, and the gauges will instantly show that the pressure is low.

 

Well I just had a bad experience with the first shop I took it to. They hooked up the Freon machine and said it had no Freon. First lie. Then they said it needs a compressor. I suggested it may only need a clutch. They said the clutch was more expensive than the compressing. Second lie. I left before they could steal more money from me. Looks like I’ll be trying to fix this one myself