drolds72

My AC would cut out whenever I got on it and kicked in V-TEC. Turns out the thermal protection switch was bad, and it was an "internal" part of the compressor. Got that replaced under the extended warranty. Think that has paid for itself 5 or 6 times over now. While I had it in there, I pointed out the lower (plastic) front bumper was shedding paint like a snake sheds skin. They came back with it had been repainted and was not acura work, so it was not warrantied. I pointed out that I did not have it painted, and that since I purchased it CPO, they either did not disclose the paint job during their 150 point inspection or missed it. Long story short, the service dept kicked it back to the used car dept, who wound up repainting it for me! Huge props to Christine at Bloomington Acura in MN for getting that taken care of. Still love my car, but after driving a 3.7 RL for a week....

drolds72

Grrr. AC does not work after new compressor install. As it turns out, AcuraCare would not warranty the clutch or Stator since it was not a "failed part" at the time. I can drive it, and it works fine, shut off car and restart after 10 minutes or so and nothing. It was 101 in MN yesterday... That move was about as dumb as putting old sparkplugs in a rebuilt engine, or doing a timing belt and not the waterpump.

stevesrl

A lot of strange things are going on with you and your dealer.

1st: This is a known problem and the dealer should know about it. The problem is that the field coil (stator) does not engage the compressor.

2nd: When you buy a compressor it includes a new field coil (stator). You can't buy it without it.

3rd: You can check the condition of the field coil by checking the resistance by unplugging it and using a ohm meter. Service manual not handy but the ohm rating for correct operation of the field coil is in their. This site has a link to the service manual. Surely a honest/competent dealership would have their technicians do this.

If it were me, I would argue the point that the compressor can't be ordered without the stator. Be armed before you go back to the dealer. Go to another Acura or Honda dealership and see if you can just order the compressor alone. I highly doubt it. I get all my parts from a local Honda dealership (to avoid shipping charges) and they can only order as shown at the acuraoemparts.com website. It clearly shows that a new stator is included.

Next I would check the field coil resistance and if determined bad I would change that part only. I would not touch the clutch unless it was a last resort.

It has been posted that you can change the stator without removing the compressor. What this means is that the refrigerant does not have to be removed and someone can DIY. I have looked at the service manual and it seems possible but it will be a awkward to do it and some mechanic tools to get to it would be needed. Personally I'd have a local guy remove the refrigerant, remove the compressor with field coil attached, replace the field coil, reinstall, and have local guy put refrigerant back in after pulling a vacuum.

Parts cost only are:

Compressor $616
Clutch $223
Stator $85

drolds72

I hear you. Tried that argument, and their response was, yes, the compressor is a separate part- that is why there are 3 part numbers. They went on to explain, that, if I had been paying/authorizing this out of pocket, the stator and clutch would have been replaced at the appropriate costs with no addl inclusion of labor. Acuracare policy is that anything warranty over $300 needs approval, and since the stator and clutch did not throw a code on the HDS at the time, no approval was given. I naturally assumed that when they said the compressor was changed, it meant the compressor assembly. Not so. They reinstalled the old clutch and stator on the new compressor along with 2 new o-rings that are not reusuable per the service manual.
I have a factory manual on my desk next to the service bulletin from Sept '07, and I know its probably the stator that is burned out. If it was not 96 degrees out, I might have just put my DVM on the stator myself, but, its a warranty item, and they will fix it.