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Just completed on my 05 RL. When the cold AC came on... I almost cried.
I was wondering how could something like replacing one small part take 8 hours+, but now I see. The actual labor itself is maybe 2-3 hours, but the time spent going to get the right tools and scratching your head will bump you up a few more.
Most of the work is because of how hard it is to take off and put on the snap rings. If you're lucky or doing it right.. the snap rings could just pop off. Take breaks.
- For the first bolt, I didn't use an impact wrench to remove it. I used the AC Clutch holding tool to hold the plate in place. It's only $10
- 1st snap ring took 5 mins to take off - bent nose plier (get a bent nose plier that spreads open more than an inch)
- 2nd snap ring took about 30 mins to take off - bent nose plier
- putting back the 2nd snap ring took about... a hour or more + bruised hands? - this was painful. bent nose plier, hammer, minus screwdriver
- putting back the 1st snap ring took 3 mins - thanks to snap ring pliers (once again, get one that spreads open at least an inch, most snap ring pliers, Home Depot / Orchard Supply only has ones that open a little. I bought one by PowerBuilt at Oreillys ($20)).
For anyone that's attempting for the RL, you don't have to remove the front bumper like I did, but it made it easier to remove the pulley and the coil since you can reach in from both sides.
Don't make a big mistake like I did by rushing into replacing parts when the A/C clutch doesn't engage. With the engine off and key and A/C on, the radiator cooling fans should run if there is adequate freon and the clutch should engage. I showed 4 ohms resistance and the 12 volt lamp lit at the A/C clutch. It took a lot of effort to break the rust to replace the clutch and coil for $270. Still did not work. A Honda mechanic said there is often trouble with the A/C relay. In my case, the relay was weak, which allowed my 12 volt lamp to light, but would not operate the A/C clutch. A new relay in the engine power distribution box fixed the clutch issue. An expensive and tough lesson! If the resistance is in spec, the clutch coil is good.
Don't make a big mistake like I did by rushing into replacing parts when the A/C clutch doesn't engage. With the engine off and key and A/C on, the radiator cooling fans should run if there is adequate freon and the clutch should engage. I showed 4 ohms resistance and the 12 volt lamp lit at the A/C clutch. It took a lot of effort to break the rust to replace the clutch and coil for $270. Still did not work. A Honda mechanic said there is often trouble with the A/C relay. In my case, the relay was weak, which allowed my 12 volt lamp to light, but would not operate the A/C clutch. A new relay in the engine power distribution box fixed the clutch issue. An expensive and tough lesson! If the resistance is in spec, the clutch coil is good.
Since we're bumping an old thread ... this is why we always recommend removing the AC clutch relay and jumping the socket. Also, my experience proves that replacing the relay can be a temporary fix if the AC clutch is slowly dying. Yes, there have been relay issues but the new relay's lower contact resistance can temporarily let just enough more current flow to an aging AC clutch and allow either a weak coil or increased gap clutch to work. Absolutely replace the relay first if it seems to fix the problem bit don't be surprised if the AC doesn't engage in the future. Coil resistance is an important factor but so too is the clutch gap from wear. Temperature can also play a factor (as in intermittent coil) And if you are going to replace the clutch set then IMO do the coil too.
Hi - First post on this site. The AC in my TL 2005 works great but I have to replace just the compressor pulley bearing because it's making noise. Dealer wants to charge $1200 just to replace the clutch and local shop wants to replace the entire compressor for $650.
Thanks to the instructions above, I was able to remove the shroud, wiper fluid tank, belt, center bolt, cover plate, and snap ring but the pulley doesn't come off even after trying to tap it out with a crowbar in the back. Any ideas?
The front bumper is off so should I remove some other parts from the front and try to lower the compressor? There are instructions above for an MDX but I'm not sure whether the steps would be the same for a TL.
PB and let it set. Then constant tapping on the pry bar. Never been there, but from all the previous posters with the same issue, persistence finally paid off. Good luck!!
I'm glad you came back to this thread man. It helped me out! Everyone needs AC in this summer.
Here's a few things to note from my experience:
For the center bolt, I used an impact with a 6" extension to the 10mm socket. All 1/2". No u-sockets or anything.
I hit the bolt on an angle (because the frame is in the way) pushing in as hard as possible and it took the bolt off no problem since its not torqued hard. If it were torqued hard I'd be afraid of stripping the bolt.
Remove the front bumper. It's easy to do and makes the job much easier for the following reasons:
1. You can remove the windshield washer reservoir much easier as the two side bolts are awkward to get to.
2. You can remove the pulley much easier.
I live up here in Canada and I have a 2004 TL, so I can imagine my parts are as hard as a 3G TL can get to remove.
I literally spent 3 hours or so figuring out how to remove the pulley. Then I removed the bumper and did this: Grab the pulley with both hands, one on the left side and one on the right side. Place both your feet against the car frame (where the washer reservoir used to be) and push off.
WEAR GLOVES as you can easily bruise or cut your hand once the pulley pops off. You can also fall backwards a little bit when it pops off.
Now for removing the AC Coil. This was a damn nightmare also.
The snap ring holes are positioned on the right. Inconveniently the frame is right in front of the compressor so there's no way the snap ring pliers would be able to reach. You'd need SUPER long right angled pliers to reach deep into the coil recess to access the snap ring holes. I searched and nobody even makes something like that.
Had to unbolt the 4 compressor bolts by removing the coolant reservoir and passenger fan. Then I was able to remove the old coil and put the new coil on.
Now putting the new coil on was a night terror.
The snap ring would just warp every time you open it up with the pliers so you need one hand to squeeze the pliers and one hand to "shove" the portion of the snap ring that is warped to sit on the shaft.
Even after getting the snap ring on the shaft, the ring would not fully insert into it's guide. Even after hammering on the coil to go in further to make room for the snap ring to fall in the channel, it's still not 100% in. Maybe 90%.
This means that there's probably corrosion or debris (i took a wire brush and cleaned everything too) that is preventing the coil to sit 100% all the way in, hence the snap ring can't fit 100% all the way in.
I left it at that, putting on the pulley and making sure the coil did not rub with the pulley and put everything together.
AC works perfectly and no more pulley knocking noise.
Last edited by guitarplayer16; Jul 13, 2017 at 01:41 AM.
When I unplugged and plugged the center AC relay in the underhood box I could feel it clicking but the compressor was not clicking on. Resistance test to the red wire and ground showed nothing which made me wonder if the test procedure was improper. All fuses were ok in both side kick panels and underhood box. I ordered the field coil kit from an eBay Acura Dealer
I used a strap wrench to hold the clutch to break the bolt loose. In retrospect I may have been able to use my 3/8 impact ratchet but it is pretty bulky. As the snap ring plier set I had would not reach deeply enough I went to lowes and got an IRWIN quick change set. It has a genius mechanism that in a normal situation that has a bit more clearance would be appreciated- the spring in the quick change lock was flexing at the extreme angle but I was able to hold it in place awkwardly (I am going to rig up a bolt/nut/thumbscrew for next time). Unfortunately I did not have enough opening range so I also had to file the stops on a brand new tool to make it work. This worked for the first shallower snap ring but the second one placed as far to the right as it was in the way of the frame I had to drop the AC compressor with the 4 bolts. I did not remove anything else to do this and used a 3/8 swivel and 3/8 12mm socket l for the top left, 3/8 to 1/4 reducer and 1/4 12mm socket for the top right and a 3" extension and 3/8 12mm socket for the bottom two.
I went to Advance auto to rent the AC tool and while they had already rented it out, I could not see how it was going to work anyhow. What tool did you use for 10.00? Link? I used a bit of blue loctite and about a 4" section of 3/8 all thread between one of the front tabs on the clutch and the frame to prevent it from turning clockwise to finally tighten it as the strap wrench was slipping. 3/8 impact ratchet may have worked here again but I can never feel torque with those and the 6mm bolt could snap off pretty easily if overtightened.
My field coil had broken internally somehow so showed open with no continuity or resistance. I also could not locate my feeler gauges! I ended up using a razor blade and my digital micrometer. Apparently to those of you in a pinch, the tapered blade section of a razor blade is about the perfect thickness- if it goes to the shank (.6mm) it is too loose) at least for the 0.38-.55 range for the RL IIRC,
I used all three of the shims that came with the acura factory field coil. I was very tempted to use a honda field coil part number as they are much cheaper (40.00 vs 100) but doubt that it would have come with the proper shim pack.
I'm glad you came back to this thread man. It helped me out! Everyone needs AC in this summer.
Here's a few things to note from my experience:
For the center bolt, I used an impact with a 6" extension to the 10mm socket. All 1/2". No u-sockets or anything.
I hit the bolt on an angle (because the frame is in the way) pushing in as hard as possible and it took the bolt off no problem since its not torqued hard. If it were torqued hard I'd be afraid of stripping the bolt.
Remove the front bumper. It's easy to do and makes the job much easier for the following reasons:
1. You can remove the windshield washer reservoir much easier as the two side bolts are awkward to get to.
2. You can remove the pulley much easier.
I live up here in Canada and I have a 2004 TL, so I can imagine my parts are as hard as a 3G TL can get to remove.
I literally spent 3 hours or so figuring out how to remove the pulley. Then I removed the bumper and did this: Grab the pulley with both hands, one on the left side and one on the right side. Place both your feet against the car frame (where the washer reservoir used to be) and push off.
WEAR GLOVES as you can easily bruise or cut your hand once the pulley pops off. You can also fall backwards a little bit when it pops off.
Now for removing the AC Coil. This was a damn nightmare also.
The snap ring holes are positioned on the right. Inconveniently the frame is right in front of the compressor so there's no way the snap ring pliers would be able to reach. You'd need SUPER long right angled pliers to reach deep into the coil recess to access the snap ring holes. I searched and nobody even makes something like that.
Had to unbolt the 4 compressor bolts by removing the coolant reservoir and passenger fan. Then I was able to remove the old coil and put the new coil on.
Now putting the new coil on was a night terror.
The snap ring would just warp every time you open it up with the pliers so you need one hand to squeeze the pliers and one hand to "shove" the portion of the snap ring that is warped to sit on the shaft.
Even after getting the snap ring on the shaft, the ring would not fully insert into it's guide. Even after hammering on the coil to go in further to make room for the snap ring to fall in the channel, it's still not 100% in. Maybe 90%.
This means that there's probably corrosion or debris (i took a wire brush and cleaned everything too) that is preventing the coil to sit 100% all the way in, hence the snap ring can't fit 100% all the way in.
I left it at that, putting on the pulley and making sure the coil did not rub with the pulley and put everything together.
AC works perfectly and no more pulley knocking noise.
I'm glad you got it fixed ....we have talked before LOL
Thanks to this thread, managed to get the right tools and was able to set the right expectations before I started on my 06 Acura TL with 152k miles on it. In all took about 12 hours from start to finish to swap out the serpentine belt, tensioner assembly, AC compressor clutch set. My field coil seemed to be in good shape so left it in.
Problem:
In 2016 January, on 6 hour drive back from Mammoth to SoCal, the AC Compressor relay failed and led to AC purging all the coolant. At the end of the trip, noticed a supercharger like loud sound above 2K RPM with the AC turned on. Turn off the AC and the sound went away. Evacuated the system and recharged with coolant and added an ounce of PAG 46 to compensate for any oil that was lost during the purge, with the manifold gauges to get HI/Low pressures right to spec and the problem remained. Figured it was a AC clutch/Serpentine belt+tensioner issue. Finally after another 20K miles on the car, decided to work on it this weekend.
tl;dr : After replacing auto tensioner, serpentine belt, AC clutch, Compressor whine about 2K RMP remains AC still blows cold air as before, but the noise is annoying.
Additional observations to add to everything that has been noted on this thread: 1. Tools: These were helpful
AC Clutch Holding tool:
(I only used this to get the pulley off and not the field coil slip ring)
Universal joint adapter for the 10 mm socket 2.Disassembly:
Access to AC Clutch - I did not remove the front bumper as some noted. I removed the front passenger wheel; partly removed the wheel liner and the shroud in front of the lower crank pulley and AC compressor. The wiper fluid reservoir has 3 - 10mm bolts with the 3rd one next to the front horn.
Clutch 10 mm bolt: Held down the pulley with the clutch holding tool and the bolt came off easily with a regular socket wrench + 3 mm extension + universal joint + 10 mm socket. I did use PB on the bolt and let it sit for 30 minutes
Pulley Snap Ring: The bent nose pliers did the job and the ring was off in a minute.
Pulley: The pulley was stuck and took over an hour to pry off. Used the long flat 'serpentine belt tool' bar from Autozone shoved between the compressor body and the pulley from the top, to wiggle the pulley. Had to blast PB at the shaft, let it sit for 30 minutes and use 4 hands to pull the left part of the pulley (visible from the wheel well) while simultaneously pushing the right part of the pulley from the top. 3.Assembly:
Pulley, snap ring were a breeze to put on.
Clutch: Reused the shim from my old clutch. Used a impact with 3 inch adapter + universal joint + 10 mm socket to tap the 10 mm clutch bolt. I did not use the clutch holding tool.
Wiper fluid reservoir: Left the 3rd 10 mm bolt closer to car horn alone as it was impossible to get the bolt back in after multiple tries.
I am still hunting for a solution to my 06 TL - AC whine above 2K RPM...
I tried disconnecting the alternator as described in the post you pointed to this morning and the sound remains. Could it be the compressor itself?
had the same whine in my car (08 TL) a constant RPM related supercharger whine, it was caused by a bad A/C compressor bearing. Try to remove the accesories belt and rotate the compressor by hand, even a tiny, almost unperceptable grinding noise on the compressor made a horrible whine even at idle
Here was my experience with the Field Coil DIY, cut and pasted from another thread:
I replaced the Relay, but the relay was fine. I replaced the cabin air filter, but I didn't think the evaporator was freezing up... that didn't change anything. I ran the A/C until it did not work and cut off the car, jumped the relay and got no clicks on the clutch. I unclipped the red/blue wire from the compressor and had continuity back to the relay box. But of course it had continuity since the A/C ALWAYS worked when the car was first on... that's not electrical. Reading through 05ACURATL's posts and the replacement guide, I was pretty sure it was the Field Coil. Especially since the resistance has to be measured at a certain temp, meaning that temperature changes the resistance of them. I was reading infinite resistance/non-continuous from the relay box. So I bought a field coil.
The initial gap was around 0.89mm/35 thousandths (I had US feeler gauges in thousandths so I had to convert.) It needed to be between 13 and 21 thousandths.
The replacement was a bitch. The Iwin 13-1/4" Compound, long-reach bent nose pliers were a life saver for both snap rings. I had the largest pair of snap ring pliers lowes sells and they were worthless, not opening wide enough. I also recommend some sturdy picks... not sure if these are flimsy but this is what I mean. I put the pliers closed, in the opening of the snap-ring and spread the pliers, pushing the ring open. Then used the pick and a thin flat-head to get underneath the ring. Then used the pliers to grab it. At that point, you pull hard and use a pick to work the opening around the shaft.
The pulley was also very much a pain. I had a 2ft pry bar (I needed a 3-4ft) and put it behind the pulley in the center. Then I tapped back and forth and I pulled directly on the pulley with the other hand. I eventually picked up a set of 2-jaw bearing pulllers from the brother. You can't attach them straight on, but I nudged it out enough to finish the pulley off with my hands.
I replaced everything, and got to the shims. I had too wide a gap but the field coil came with about 0.90mm/35 thousandths in shims (5,10,&20 thousandth intervals). I have a Starrett dial caliper to check the thicknesses, btw. The one thick shim that was stock was about 55 thousandths, so I replaced it with the 35 thousandths worth of new shims, cutting off 20 thousandths. I added the center bolt (using a 12V 1/4" Impact Nut Driver) and had good rotation and a nice gap, around 15 thousands or so (around 0.38mm).
That washer tank was a bitch to get back on... I couldn't tell if it was b/c it was late and I was heat exhausted, but I couldn't for the life of me get it back right. I just mashed in 2 of the bolts and called it a night. . Started the car up, and A/C worked. It took me 5 hours - but I did stop for dinner and entertaining the baby a few times, and 30 minutes to pick up the bearing pullers. I'd say 3.5/4 hours of straight work.
My wife said the next say it worked like a champ! Extra lovin' for me! Cheers
Thanks for this article. My 04 tl's ac would shut off when driving but come back on when idling, but now it's completely quit and the compressor clutch won't engage. I've tried jumping the relay terminals and I'm not seeing any sparks. Is this the field coil gone bad or do I have a wiring issue? Where can I measure ohms and voltage to troubleshoot?
A heads up to anyone who's doing this job on a high mileage car: have fun with the rusted on pulley! You'll need an extra set of hands and some big pry bars to get it off
A heads up to anyone who's doing this job on a high mileage car: have fun with the rusted on pulley! You'll need an extra set of hands and some big pry bars to get it off
Getting ready to do this on my 05 TL. Not looking forward to this but if it works then it’ll all be worth it. Tired of not having ac.
My AC is going on and off, mostly blowing hot air. took it to the mechanic (trusted guy) He had it for 3 hrs and told me the conpressor needs to be replaced. I askim if it was the compressor or the cluch, he said compressor. I read this post searching online wanting to be sure if wich parts to buy. so I now am not sure if my mechanic is asking for the compressor just to avoid the hasle of just replacing the fiel coil or is it trully the compresor that is faulty. could it be that if the compressor is bad, the AC would work at all? looking for some advice here, thank you!
Is compressor cycling really often? (clicking on/off, best to open the hood and look what compressor is doing) If so system is either overcharged or low on charge. If low then it's leaking somewhere.
When coil fails, AC doesn't work at all (as compressor never spins).
I did some troubleshooting and it’s pointing towards the clutch. So I bought one and am gonna try it tomorrow on my day off as long as the rain holds off.
Thanks David_BNSF,
I ordered the compressor yesterday after some time looking online. New from Amazon. Brand is Denso, not sure if good, better or worse than other brands, middle of the range in price, and did not bought the kit. just the compressor with clutch. anyone as feedback on the brand?
Thanks David_BNSF,
I ordered the compressor yesterday after some time looking online. New from Amazon. Brand is Denso, not sure if good, better or worse than other brands, middle of the range in price, and did not bought the kit. just the compressor with clutch. anyone as feedback on the brand?
Denso is the OEM brand that comes on the car from the factory. So it should be good. I thought about ordering one as well before just to have on hand in case mine ever fully craps out. But I haven’t heard too many bad things just from the Amazon reviews here and there from people.
anyone do this on the newer 2009 TL? is it the same process pretty much? I have the same symptoms and tested by jumping the relay and suspect my coil and clutch are bad.
anyone do this on the newer 2009 TL? is it the same process pretty much? I have the same symptoms and tested by jumping the relay and suspect my coil and clutch are bad.
it should be similar - I had the same issue and ended up having a shop put in a rockauto compressor from DENSO instead... same price as the labor to replace the clutch with parts on the 09-14 TL.
good to know. i'm gonna attempt to DIY the clutch and Coil replacement, picked one up for $45 should have it next week. I'll let you guys know how it goes.
I'm still kinda shocked that I get notifications about this. I'm so glad it has served the community well. I wish the pictures hadn't been removed at one point.
Just did this today on my 2009 acura TL v6. The room in there is pretty tight but i was able to follow this guide and get the job done. AC blowing cold again is awesome. just in time for summer.
The first bolt on the pulley the 10mm you remove is kinda hard to get too. I had to use a special wobble 10mm socket with impact to zap it off and back on at the end. be very careful could prolly do it another way honestly but it's very limited on space. The hardest part was the damn c clips getting them off and putting them back on with such limited space. all in all it took me about 3 hours, not too bad.
Thank you for this thread and info it really helped as well as this video to see how it all comes apart
AC still blows cold air as before, but the noise is annoying.
