Honda: honda civic 96 4dr sedan automatic, high mileage, honda civic

Question
Joe,

I noticed lately that my AC will not blow out cold air(for about 15 minutes) if the car was under the heat for a long time( I live in Hawaii by the way). As soon as it comes back to normal, I drive for about 25 minutes on the freeway,
as soon as I come to a full stop, there's this chugging sound in front of me, by the engine. I turn off the AC and it immediately goes away. What could be wrong? Thanks in advance.


Allan  

Answer
It sounds like you may need to simply recharge your air conditioner.Over time the seals breakdown and cause the refridgerant to leak.You need to find out if your system uses r134 or r12 if it uses r134 you can purchase the refridgerant and a tool to charge at walmart or any auto parts use a can of high mileage,it contains oil and a chemical to condition the seals .Sometimes this will fix a leak and quiet the compressor.If yor system uses r12 you will have to take it to a shop.You cant buy r12 without epa certification 609.