80k miles 2004 TL auto. Its hot as hell here 90+ degrees and humid. Driving on the highway, 68 degrees AC , two bars so not too high. All of a sudden turns to hot humid air.

Could it be a fuse???? I did get an oil change 2 weeks ago...Any ideas on diagnosing this before taking it in? The fan must work because i can turn it up or down in terms of number of bars, but its all hot air..

 

WHen i got the oil change they also changed all filters, so air and cabin or engine?? Could they have messed something up? didnt take it to acura...

Again the service was about 2 weeks ago. AC died today.

 

Let your car sit for several hours, then try running your A/C again. Is it cold once more?

 

It's possible the evaporator core froze up due to the high humidity. Push the A/C switch to turn off the compressor and let the fan run for 30 minutes or so. Then turn the A/C back on (push the A/C button again) and see what happens.

And don't use the recirculate feature on humid days. If the light is on, punch it (recirculate) off.

 

Mine just died early this week, on an '08 TL-S(!)....during one of the worst heatwaves that we've ever had here....great timing! I'm taking it in tonight....apparently Honda compressors aren't the most robust units.

 

That's what I was thinking.

 

I had my Ac go on my 04 TL a month ago and I had to replace the compressor. At first I thought it was that it needed to be recharged with freon or maybe a fuse. After going deeper into the problem I found out that my compressor was bad. I paid $500 to get it fixed at a shop near by my house.

 

Mine went out a few weeks ago. Had to replace the compressor clutch and stator coil.

 

Never discount the evap freezing, but the Acura, as do most cars, has sensors that prevent that condition. Normally if the evap freezes, telltale vapor will be seen coming out of the vents. Just need to have the pressures checked and then determine if electrical or mechanical problem.

 

recharge the a/c unit.

 

If it needs a recharge, there is a problem as it is a closed system requiring no maintenance. Can’t just go throwing refrigerant into the system before analyzing what the problem might be.

 

Mine froze up on me (I think) on Monday on a 800 mile road trip, first time it's ever happened. I drove through rain for about 1.5 hours at the start of the day (about 0930 to 1100) with the system in Auto. The A/C didn't really have to work very hard as it was fairly cool that morning, mid-60's. I didn't notice anything unusual until about 1500 when I noticed it not getting cool. I pushed the A/C button off and back on and could feel the compressor kicking in. I was on the road in the middle of BF South Dakota and there wasn't much I could do, so I just turned the compressor off and let the fan run for about 30-45 minutes (it was about 85 outside at this time). Turned the A/C back on and it was ice cool. Been working fine since then. Hope that was all it was, although I need to check the drain tube tomorrow!!

 

There is an evaporator temperature sensor to keep the evap from freezing as the compressor will be disengaged when the evap temp drops too low.

 

Yeah, but the temp sensor measures air temp coming off the coil, not coil temp. I don't know how cold the evap coils get, but I'm sure they're much colder than 32F during normal operation. If there's excess water pooling in the coils/fins due to a clogged drain tube, I imagine the evaporator could still freeze up.

 

That is correct, as I don't know any sensor that actually measures the coil temp, no need to, as the element is usually located at the coldest area on the evap and is supposed to prevent the water on the core from freezing. I’m going to say that most will shut the compressor off around 34 degrees and on around 36 degrees through changes in resistance. The name in itself would indicate the responsibility of the sensor-Evaporator Temperature Sensor. Some aftermarket sensors are adjustable, but the end result is the same. Have it tested to be sure that it is functioning properly.

If you don't see any water dripping under the car from the condensate drain then I would consider the drain plugged, but you would have a swimming pool in the HVAC unit and on the floor.