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2002 Honda Civic intermittent A/C and heat
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Wes M
New User
Jun 11, 2015, 10:14 AM
Post #1 of 8
(2640 views)
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2002 Honda Civic intermittent A/C and heat
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2003
Honda
Civic EX
1.7 liter
250,000 miles.
Blows very cold when it works, but intermittently stops heating or cooling. Fan still blows strong, and will change from vent to defrost etc.
Seems to happen more when I drive it than my wife, I have the heavier foot.
Can't find any definitive consistent factors. Usually works fine at the beginning of a trip, and quits
30 minutes or so after start up. Seems to work better at highway speeds than in town traffic.
Often it works fine on the highway, and stops cooling/heating when we pull off at an exit.
This has been going on for a couple of years. I’ve changed the thermostat and temperature sensor.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Wes
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jun 11, 2015, 10:55 AM
Post #2 of 8
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Re: 2002 Honda Civic intermittent A/C and heat
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Not sure what you mean when you say it stops cooling/heating but fan still blows strong. Which are you requesting?
Why thermostat replacement? Is engine overheating or not steady even at highway speeds?
T
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Wes M
New User
Jun 11, 2015, 11:04 AM
Post #3 of 8
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Re: 2002 Honda Civic intermittent A/C and heat
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The fan keeps blowing, but only at the outside temperature.
Did have the heat gauge top out a couple of times, so thought I would change the thermostat in case it was sticking.
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jun 11, 2015, 11:27 AM
Post #4 of 8
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Re: 2002 Honda Civic intermittent A/C and heat
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250K - worry about why engine is overheating first as it it's pegging out hot and you blow the engine there's little point in A/C working - right?
Coolant must be known full, fan(s) for engine known to work and overall engine condition and car condition at that many miles.
Still unsure of total issues other than now you said it overheats. Use of A/C if it works well (seems it can) is just adding heat and load on the engine.
I know it's warm/hot for many about now but concentrate on the engine and it's cooling system first. If boiling hot at some point if still running and driving it that way heat can so extreme A/C can't work or shuts down if just way too hot under the hood in general,
T
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Wes M
New User
Jun 11, 2015, 11:53 AM
Post #5 of 8
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Re: 2002 Honda Civic intermittent A/C and heat
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The temp gauge only pegged a couple of times, two years ago, so not too worried about the engine heat. I've been shade treeing for 40 years, so I watch the
vitals pretty well.
It's the inconsistency that's annoying. The compressor blows very cold when it's on, so seems to have plenty of coolant. It's like the compressor clutch is starting and
stopping for some reason. Is there an electronic thermostat in the wiring loop that could be bad? Almost as if it's reading cooler than the actual air temp and shutting off the
compressor.
Seems to me to be an electrical problem.
Any other guesses?
Thanks for the help!!
Wes
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jun 11, 2015, 1:31 PM
Post #6 of 8
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Re: 2002 Honda Civic intermittent A/C and heat
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I've had a bunch of these Hondas with bad AC compressor relays. They act just like that. You can tap on the relay the next time it goes out and see if it kicks in to confirm that.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
(This post was edited by Hammer Time on Jun 11, 2015, 1:32 PM)
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Wes M
New User
Jun 11, 2015, 1:45 PM
Post #7 of 8
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Re: 2002 Honda Civic intermittent A/C and heat
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Awesome! I thought there had to be some circuit that might be the culprit!
I'll try the tap test next time it goes out, [small hammer] and let you know.
Thanks so much for your help!
Wes
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jun 11, 2015, 3:12 PM
Post #8 of 8
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Re: 2002 Honda Civic intermittent A/C and heat
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It's a plastic relay. No hammer. Just a light tap with the tip of a screwdriver will do fine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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