Hello folks, my AC started acting up tried to do refill but something was not right with pressure so I went to a shop for a diag and vacuum test drain and recharge. Paid 230 said my good buys and that same afternoon I'm driving to work pop on the highway and no AC it came back after 10-15mins. Following day I didn't have time to go to the shop went to work same thing.
Next day went to the shop again they said need to test more so I left my car overnight and in the morning they went for a ride and this is what's happening.
Realy is good
AC not leaking
Compressor works and clutch works
Compressor gets signal for power but air is blowing hot
​​After driving it 10 mins especially faster speed but not necessarily high rpm ac stops
Comes back after 10-5 minutes same driving and goes away again after 10 mins
Cant replicate it slow driving around town
Shop said it's the compressor.
​​​​I'm reading that it might be the expansion valve + evap core
Both jobs are a PITA and I wanna do it myself
Shop is gonna do a courtesy discharge of liquid and I can bring it back for a recharge after I'm done.
If I go for a second opinion different shop I'm gonna shell out another 250 and that's half way there for the parts.
Sucks to be poor 😂
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So last year my 12 started getting intermittent AC. It worked somewhat but not until car had been running 10-15 minutes. Went to top off with my AC Pro and gauge showed it a bit on low side, hwever it never took in refrigerant. Ended up I had cr at Acura dealer for a free new electric power steering unit thanks to extended recall so had them check it out. They said compressor was bad. Because it it does run occasionally I was thinking the clutch for compressor and some threads here suggest the high or low pressure switch.
Kinda miffs me as I had a 98 Accord that had original compressor for over 15 years when I sold it and blew ice cold air.
I'm learning build quality on Acura's not as good as one would expect. I have a slew of electrical issues I am working through now. I just replace bluetooth unit today and it is running. Next the intermittent pass window and sunroof.

 

Pretty much sure that the ac clutch is not working properly where the coil gets hot and doesn't engage the clutch. I'm gonna check the clearance for the clutch tomorrow and check the resistance etc.
Does anyone know if this part number for the clutch kit 38900-RGL-A02 has a similar number from a different car. I'm having trouble finding it in Canada

 

It was the clutch

 

I'm dealing with a similar issue, figured I'd just buy a used compressor off ebay and have a garage install it for me since I don't have equipment to purge the freon. First garage I went to diagnosed the issue for me but wanted some ludicrous amount since they were going to replace my entire ac system (condenser apparently has a small leak on top of my compressor being seized) but I don't really care about filling it up with freon once a year.

 

Yeah, mine is doing something strange. It blows very cold when driving, but at times it will not when I'm idling or stopped in traffic. I checked the charge and it took some and stopped, then started again. I checked again and it was over charged, released a bit and it was fine again. Going to take it to a mechanic friend and see if it's something more than just Freon. Hopefully it's just Freon related...

 

how did you check the charge

 

That's exactly what mine was doing. I did overcharge it and The released a bit even went for a leak test and refill and it was still doing the same.
For diagnosis and a possible fix:
1st swap relays just to see if it's doing funny shit. I always have extra relays just for ac stuff. I have 2 Acuras and had Hondas before, so it does happen often.
2nd when it stops working look into the bat if the clutch is engaged. Try tapping it with something long. I sued a 3/4 extension rod as it was not magnetic. After tapping if it engages you might just need to remove a shim. Worst case scenario since you're there swap the clutch and magnet. It's 75cad on amazon. Btw I bought an mdx clutch kit and it fits. It's the same shit as long as its a 3.5 - 3.7 engine. Kits for 4th Gen TLs were super expensive.

​​​Btw you can replace the clutch without releasing freon.
Pull left fan out. Remove ecu. Put cables away. Remove alternator. Unbolt compressor. Pull it out and tilt it. Use imapct to remove bolt swap your clutch pulley and magnet. Put back together. It was a 2 hour job. Some rusted bolts for the fan were giving me trouble. Otherwise could've been done in 1 hour.

 

Well... I added R134a that had a gage to show the charge stats, yellow, green, red, those PSI numbers... I've done this forever, but this time it was different. I would charge it and then it would act up at idle, remove some and all would be good for a few days. Then it would repeat the same issue and I'd charge again. So, rinse and repeat the same steps for about 2 weeks. Then one afternoon, it did it again. So as I went to repeat those steps once again, I started reading the can directions... Here's where the answer came from, finally addressing and seemingly fixing my issue...

Apparently you have to check the pressure at idle, THEN, you have to rev up the engine for a few minutes to allow the Freon to compress, the recheck the gage to see where it lies, yellow, green or red. If, like my situation, it shows in the red, then its overcharged and needs to be recaptured to lower the amount in the compressor. I did this a few times until it showed in the green zone after the revving period. Since that correction, it has not had any cooling issues.

All I had to do was to read the directions, but I guess I thought I knew better.