I'm having a problem with the AC. When I start the engine the first time, the AC works fine. It works for about 15-30 minutes and then it stops working. If I leave the engine cool down, then the AC would start to work again for a few minutes and would start blowing warm air. It would work again tomorrow morning and same thing would happens again. I've checked the AC fuse and Heater Motor fuse and they didn't burn. The two fans around the radiator was spinning when it was blowing warm air. I did find some people with similar problem but not sure what the solution is. Some people said it might be the Blower Motor Resistor and it is under the glove compartment. I took a look earlier and wasn't sure which one it was. The guy at AutoZone thought that it was the Blower Motor Resistor problem too. The part is $60 but I'm not sure if I can replace it. Do you guys think it's the Blower Motor Resistor problem or some other electronic problems? Thanks!

 

Low refrigerant ?

 

I hope it was just that but I don't think it is. Why would it keep on working the next morning?

 

If your refrigerant charge is low, the evaporator (cooling coil located under the dash) will see a drop in temperature. If the refrigerant charge is too low, the temperature in the evaporater will drop below 32 degrees and will freeze. This could explain why your AC will run for a few minutes then stop blowing cold air because the coil becomes frozen. Check the refrigerant lines going to the evaporator next time your AC stops working. See if the lines are cold enough to freeze the moisture in the air. This is indicative of a low refrigerant pressure. Be sure to check the actual pressure before and after adding any refrigerant.

 

ShadeTreeMech, thank you for your respond. I'm not 100% what to check with your suggestions. I don't know anything about car (I just drive them). I will try and see. Another thing to note is that when it is really hot, like 100F, it will stop working with 5-10 minutes. Thanks.

 

I'm referring to these lines going through the firewall to the evaporator coil under the dash. If these lines start to frost up after a few minutes then I would have your refrigerant level checked. I apologize for the crappy cell phone pic.

 

I had the same exact problem about a year ago it was the blower motor resistor. Sounds like the same thing. Do u still have any warranty left on vehicle?

 

ShadeTreeMech, do you mean under the glove compartment or under the dashboard. Sorry I'm a noob when it comes to cars.

njsimons, I have over 50K on it so the warranty is gone. The Acura dealer confirmed it. They wanted to charge me $225 just to look and see what's wrong with the AC. Is it easy to replace the blower motor resistor? Who replaced it for you? Today it was only working about 15 minutes at a time. After some cool down time, it would work again. Thank you.

 

So I went to O'reilly auto parts today and the AC cert. guy checked and saw the Freon was a bit low so I bought the kit ($42 total). He was helping me recharge it. He noticed that the Compressor was not cycling. It turned on but didn't turn off. Before I take it to the AC shop, does anyone have any other ideal why the Compressor is not turning off for some reason? Thanks.

 

I should mention that he said it was the compressor switch that didn't turn off.

 

The switch works off of pressure, so it would seem to me your compressor is not building pressure as it should. Could be low on freon or the switch is bad. On the other hand the compressor might be controlled through the ECU and that could be bad. I wondering why your AC man did not disconnect the switch and see if the compressor would shut off.

 

I feel kind of stupid. I was going to replace the Relay after some research. For some reason I didn't do it. I took the car to the shop, they did some tests and replaced the Relay. Total cost was $120. The guy at O'reilly auto parts guessed it wrong which cost another $42. What to do with the freon now! If I bring it back, I will get $10 recycling fee back.

 

Over all, it was still better than bring it to Acura dealer. I want to give them two middle fingers and never bring my car there for any more services.