2007 Honda CR-V: AC stopped working

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Blurider24

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Hey All,

I was driving along the highway through Utah (103-108 degrees) and the AC stopped blowing cold and never came back--it's been out for 3 days.

Here's what I know:
1. The cabin/blower fan, as well as the AC, Max AC lights all work.
2. The Condenser fan outside works fine when the AC is "on" inside the car, but the clutch never engages the compressor pulley.
3. I've swapped the relays--no change in behavior.
4. Under hood fuse 20 and under dash fuse 36 are all intact.
5. The clutch spins freely without drag--the gap is appropriately between 0.35 and 0.65mm
6. The pulley wheel spins without issue when the engine is on.

I was thinking I need to replace the clutch/pulley/coil combo, but here's the kicker...
I went to AutoZone today, borrowed a Low side pressure gauge. The pressure was solidly in the Red (more than half way between 60 and 150PSI) with 2 separate gauges with several measurements. The AutoZone tech vented the Low side line into the air, via the gauge, and the reading returned to the same pressure (in ~5-10 seconds) once the valve was released again.

I'm stumped now, but am fortunately in a cooler climate and can wait for a bit...buuuut I would like to get it resolved. Thoughts??
 
Originally Posted by The Critic
https://f01.justanswer.com/clmcr8/9713d786-4797-4430-a811-92742d786718_bulletin.pdf

A/C compressor clutches can be problematic on those. Not saying it is your problem, but it is one area you should definitely check.


I did know that there was a TSB on the clutch, but this is the first I'm seeing of the PDF you linked. I did inspect the armature plate yesterday and it definitely showed moderate to major heat damage (not semi-gloss black). I decided to order the armature, pulley and coil set, but thought about stopping at parts stores on the way home. I did that and then did the pressure test noted above, which threw me for a loop...so, I may just do the combo (armature/pulley + coil), being as parts are ~$60 and it doesn't require a full system recovery and refill.

Originally Posted by Gasbuggy
Honda did extend the warranty on the compressor because of issues.

I'm at ~159,000 miles though--I don't think they'd offer a "good will" discount/coverage for being well past 100k miles.
 
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dont let autozone employees work on your car, they are not mechanics. There was likely nothing wrong with the pressure in your system. When the compressor has not been running, pressure in the system will be somewhere near the ambient temperature for R134a systems. The autozone guy just vented some of your refrigerant for no reason
33.gif
.
 
We work on tons of crv's. The AC system in them is a terrible design. Hopefully you just need a clutch coil. The compressor is a scroll design. If a small piece of anything gets into the compressor it will lock it up. When it locks up it often blows a hole in the body.

Known in the industry as a "scroll with a hole".
 
Look into 'black death'..

I would replace the compressor before this happens and you will have to replace everything.
 
Check coil for continuity. Check for power supplied to the contact side of the relay. On most cars it is present even with the key off. Jump the contact side of the relay with the engine not running and see if the clutch pulls in. If you have to push on the clutch plate but then it will snap down, the gap is too wide.

Measuring the low side pressure with the compressor not running will tell you only one thing-- whether almost all of the refrigerant has leaked out. That will trip the switch and prevent the compressor from starting. A "green" reading on the gauge is actually bad in that situation. This is not explained in the directions on the side of the can. The pressure equalizes (rises) when the compressor stops, and it should read in the red if the A/C has been off for a time. This is also not explained in the directions on the side of the can. Getting the right amount of refrigerant in a car is not "1-2-3 easy." (and really, unless someone else had recently added some, why would anyone think the problem must be too much?) Once you fix the electrical or mechanical problem with the clutch, you will need to have the refrigerant removed and recharged by weight. That's the only way to be sure the amount is correct.
 
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I got a 2007 CR-V for my twin grand nieces, who live in TX. AC is a must.
The AC was out; I had the entire system replaced; I forget exactly what that meant...
Maybe $1500? Lifetime warranty.
The AC is the Achilles heal of those otherwise great cars.

Good luck.
 
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I know the AC compressors are notorious for going out on the 2nd gen CR-Vs (2002-06), but I'm not sure it's still a problem on the 3rd gens. I had an '04 briefly that had a bad compressor, so I'm all-too-familiar with that problem. It got totaled before I got a chance to fix it.

I would check for 12V at the connector on the compressor first like Trav said. If there's no power, then it has nothing to do with the compressor or the clutch. If there IS power and the clutch still doesn't engage, then you DO have a problem with the clutch. You can even hook up some jumper wires and connect the compressor clutch directly to the battery and see if the compressor engages then.

If you're not getting power, you can jumper the low side pressure switch and see if the compressor engages then. If it does, you're either low on refrigerant or you have a bad switch. If it still doesn't engage, you might have a bad high-pressure switch (which you can also jumper/bypass to rule it out) or there's a wiring/electrical issue. You'd need a wiring diagram at that point to see how the circuit works and figure out where to check for power and ground.
 
Originally Posted by krismoriah72
Look into 'black death'..

I would replace the compressor before this happens and you will have to replace everything.


This doesn't appear to apply here--the clutch won't even engage.
 
Originally Posted by Blurider24
Originally Posted by krismoriah72
Look into 'black death'..

I would replace the compressor before this happens and you will have to replace everything.


This doesn't appear to apply here--the clutch won't even engage.


Ok..if not now then i guess wait for the black death.
 
Originally Posted by krismoriah72
Originally Posted by Blurider24
Originally Posted by krismoriah72
Look into 'black death'..

I would replace the compressor before this happens and you will have to replace everything.

This doesn't appear to apply here--the clutch won't even engage.


Ok..if not now then i guess wait for the black death.


[Linked Image]


Originally Posted by Trav
Did you check for 12v at the compressor itself, power on A/C on?
Originally Posted by Chris Meutsch
Could be as simple as the Thermal Overload Circuit which sits on the compressor......blew out twice on my 2001 Honda Civic.
Originally Posted by exranger06
I know the AC compressors are notorious for going out on the 2nd gen CR-Vs (2002-06), but I'm not sure it's still a problem on the 3rd gens. I had an '04 briefly that had a bad compressor, so I'm all-too-familiar with that problem. It got totaled before I got a chance to fix it.

I would check for 12V at the connector on the compressor first like Trav said. If there's no power, then it has nothing to do with the compressor or the clutch. If there IS power and the clutch still doesn't engage, then you DO have a problem with the clutch. You can even hook up some jumper wires and connect the compressor clutch directly to the battery and see if the compressor engages then.

If you're not getting power, you can jumper the low side pressure switch and see if the compressor engages then. If it does, you're either low on refrigerant or you have a bad switch. If it still doesn't engage, you might have a bad high-pressure switch (which you can also jumper/bypass to rule it out) or there's a wiring/electrical issue. You'd need a wiring diagram at that point to see how the circuit works and figure out where to check for power and ground.

I went out to Harbor Freight and picked up a multi-meter, so I'll be checking over these things when the new Armature, Pulley & Coil set come in.
Trav & Chris Meutsch--I'll check the Thermal Overload circuit, compressor voltage at the connector will be easy enough to check with the compressor dismounted

exranger06--I'm hoping I don't have to go beyond the first couple steps you mentioned and those mentioned previously. But thank you for working through the troubleshooting process with me...I do appreciate it. I have the Factory Service Manual on PDF, so I've been going through it pretty diligently. The one thing they do mention is the HDS (Honda Diagnostic System?), which I do not have access to. So, knowing how to jump/bypass the various components to further the troubleshooting is helpful!

--Cheers all. I hope to have an update in the next week! Stay tuned!
 
Originally Posted by Blurider24


Originally Posted by Gasbuggy
Honda did extend the warranty on the compressor because of issues.

I'm at ~159,000 miles though--I don't think they'd offer a "good will" discount/coverage for being well past 100k miles.


Of course, but it will point you in the direction of what the common problem is
 
After wrangling and arguing the compressor into a workable position, I was able to test the coil--it was out of spec (> 15 Ohms vs spec'd 3.15-3.45 Ohms). I replaced the coil/pulley and clutch combo, fired her up and the compressor kicked on and started blowing tepidly cool. I suppose, after the venting and 12 years of age, she took ~3 Oz of R134a and is now blowing colder.

Cheers to all for the direction and encouragement.

Will continue to monitor and update if anything comes up.
 
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