Air Conditioning Problem in '92 Honda Civic DX Sedan

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04-09-2008 | 09:39 PM

bloomonkey89

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Joined: Apr 2008

Posts: 4

Air Conditioning Problem in '92 Honda Civic DX Sedan

I have a '92 Honda Civic DX and the A/C isnt working... I was told that it was the tension pully and belt so i got those replaced. *nothing* So, then I was told that I was out of freon and that my car is using the old kind of freon (R22) and not the 410a so i had to do a ghetto conversion to 410a (that ended up not fitting btw) and then get my freon re-charged. Well, i got cold air for about 1 day and the next day it crapped out!

What is the problem w/ my a/c??? Could it be a leak in a hose or something? or maybe a compression problem??

ps- I am an idiot to cars!! =/

any help would be AMAZING!!!

thanks,
-lou

04-09-2008 | 09:50 PM

mk378

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Joined: Jun 2007

Posts: 10,023

RE: Air Conditioning Problem in '92 Honda Civic DX Sedan

I hope you didn't actually put R-410a in it. It wouldn't have worked anyway. Old cars use R-12. After 1993 they switched to R-134a. You can convert a 1992 Civic, which would have been originally running R-12, to R-134a.

R-22 and R-410a are used for house central air and other systems. They are completely different in physical properties, primarily they operate at much higher pressure than R-12 or R-134a. Neither will work in a car system.

Sounds like they put R-134a in but there is a major leak and it is all gone again now. So the next step is to find the leak. Also make sure the conversion is done properly or your compressor will fail very soon.

04-09-2008 | 09:54 PM

bloomonkey89

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Joined: Apr 2008

Posts: 4

RE: Air Conditioning Problem in '92 Honda Civic DX Sedan

Quote:

ORIGINAL: mk378

I hope you didn't actually put R-410a in it. It wouldn't have worked anyway. Old cars use R-12. After 1993 they switched to R-134a. You can convert a 1992 Civic, which would have been originally running R-12, to R-134a.

R-22 and R-410a are used for house central air and other systems. They are completely different in physical properties, primarily they operate at much higher pressure than R-12 or R-134a. Neither will work in a car system.

Sounds like they put R-134a in but there is a major leak and it is all gone again now. So the next step is to find the leak. Also make sure the conversion is done properly or your compressor will fail very soon.

haha...oh yeah, that is what it was... R-134a.... so how would i go about finding the leak??? can i do it at home? I have spent a lil over $200 already just on the a/c and I am too broke to do anything super expensive. Thanks again!!

04-10-2008 | 11:37 AM

mk378

Recognized HCF Member

Joined: Jun 2007

Posts: 10,023

RE: Air Conditioning Problem in '92 Honda Civic DX Sedan

I might be premature to assume it has leaked out. See if your compressor belt is still there. The compressor may have siezed up on you due to improper conversion. That will make an awful racket for a short time until the belt snaps.

If you want to work on it at home you need to invest in few special tools (for example, a gauge manifold, vacuum pump, and leak detector). Totally worth it in the long run but if you're short on cash now you're kind of stuck unless you can find someone to borrow them from.

Also NEVER EVER let anyone talk you into putting "leak stop" into your A/C. It won't stop leaks, it will destroy the whole system. Fix it right.

04-10-2008 | 04:37 PM

bloomonkey89

Thread Starter

Joined: Apr 2008

Posts: 4

RE: Air Conditioning Problem in '92 Honda Civic DX Sedan

I think I am going to get it done.. I just found out that I might not have the time to fix it myself. (the wife is pregnant)... so is it safe to say that, if the compressor belt isn't broken, it is an issue of a leak somewhere??

-thnx again