QuestionOur 1996 used Honda Accord LX leaked water on the floor of the passenger
side, under dash, shortly after buying it. The air/conditioner worked, but
made a gurgling sound, but stopped working after a week or two, and no
longer works. No cool air at all. It also, no longer leaks. What will the
dealership service tell me what is wrong, if they are honest; and how much
would the average repair cost to fix the air conditioner?
AnswerBob,
I have a few questions before I can give you an answer on this one.
I also have a quick check for you to do to make certain that the electrical components weren't harmed.
First, was it water, or was it coolant from your heater core? I will go on the assumption that it was water. What this is more or less is the humidity in the air that sticks to the evaporator when it is running. This is normal. What is not normal is the fact that it leaked on the interior of the car. There is a rubber/plastic drain tube that attaches to the bottom of the evaporator housing that allows this moisture to drain out of the bottom of the car. I believe that your hose is either missing or disconnected from the evaporator housing. This is a simple fix you can do yourself. Now whether this is related to the big problem depends upon how much water it was. If it was 1/4 gallon (roughly) or more, then what that is telling me is that your evaporator is freezing up. What causes an evaporator to freeze up is usually a restriction being in the low side line somewhere.
But first... quick check. (or 2)
Check your refrigerant charge. You can get a gauge from autozone or some such autoparts store for about 8 bucks. But do not get the red-green-yellow gauge. Get one that tells you in PSI. Hook it up to your system and tell me what you read. The car does not need to be on for this.
Also, check your fuses. You have a 15A fuse in the underhood relay/fuse box that powers your compressor coil.
I ask this becasue it may be as simple as you being low on refrigerant. A low charge will also stop your compressor from operating by means of opening the contacts on your low pressure switch. Always have to keep the positive in mind also. If this is the case, to find the leak, repair, evacuate and recharge, I would expect around 150-250 dollars. This is all dependant on where in the country you are also. I would do the job in wisconsin cheaper than I would in florida. Sad, but true.
Ok, worst case scenario... the dealer will tell you that you do have a restriction in your line. What all this entails...
The restriction may be caused by your compressor itself being worn and sending metal shavings through the system... not likely, but far from impossible. With a capillary tube, typically the restriction is caused by moisture in the sytem freezing as the pressure drops there in the capillary tube. This would mean that you have a gross leak somewhere in the system. See above quote on that.
If it was metal shavings from the compressor... the will tell you that 1. compressor needs replaced, 2. system needs flushed, 3. accumulator/drier needs to be replaced. This is the minimum. With a capilary tube, it does not need replaced as though you have an orifice tube, but I would suggest it. They may even tell you that the condensor and evaporator need replaced becasue they are unable to get all of the metal shavings out of them. They won't be lying about not getting ALL of the shavings out, but if they know how to flush properly, they will get at least 95 percent of them out. The remaining 5 sticks in the corners and curves. That you can work around, becasue they will get caught in your accumulator/drier before they hit your compressor. After all the repair, they would need to evacuate and recharge the system again. All told, worst case scenario... I would not be shocked to have them quote you in the neighborhood of 850-1000 dollars. I plugged the numbers into my online service and all told, it comes up to 6.7 labor hours. If you figure the labor rates around 82 dollars an hour... enough said. And that is not parts.
So... in conclusion. Worst case... I see a restriction being caused by metal shavings in the line from a faulty compressor.
Best case... I see possibly just a leak in the system causing a low charge.
Worst case 850-1000 dollars
Best case 150-250 dollars
Fact of the matter is... with the information I have right now... I can't tell you too much. If you are willing to give a bit more, I may be able to help more. Try and save you a little money any way I can.
Information I need. Pressure and the temperature on the outside of the car when you take it. I will need you to take some voltage checks with a multimeter if your fuses are good. If you need, I will work you through the wiring to find out why your compressor is not engaging. Providing you have a little understanding of how an electrical system works, I can get you there. But if there is a restriction or a leak, I am unable to tell exactly where without actually having the vehicle in front of me. I will need to know how much water was in the passenger floorboard.
Whichever way you go, I highly recommend that you take it to a reputable shop to have it serviced. Somewhere that comes recommended from an acquaintance or that you know has a good history. Like you said, finding an honest one is important. Being that not a whole lot of people understand the A/C systems, many shops use that to their advantage. Also, get multiple quotes, shop around. Competition in a small to mid-sized town is a big cost saver to the consumer.
Thank you for the question, I hope I was of some help. If you need anything further now or in the future, do not hesitate to ask. That is what I am here for. If you found this at all helpful (though long-winded, sorry about that, I get carried away sometimes) please remember to rate this answer. Thank you again and good luck in everything.
