AC going out on the Wife's MDX

[mjbrox]

I know I know, it is not a Rover, but the MDX forums are weak sauce.

I Have a 2003 MDX with 185k miles. We had the Compressor replaced at about 150K. The AC has always been very good in this car.

I never drive the MDX anymore, but based on reports from my wife and her father I believe that the AC has been getting weaker for at least the past couple of months.

So, this heat might have done it in because now it just barly keeps the inside in the upper 70s.

I added a 8oz can of 134A. Apparently it had oil in it as well :banghead:

That did not seem to do much if anything.

So I added another 8oz can, this time with stop leak.

this time, it seems to have helped, but the AC is still not up to its once former glory.


For some dumb ass reason I did not get the refill hose with gauge. I guess I need to go buy one so that I at least know what my pressure is.


There are no apparent leaks under the hood, so I fear the worst...... The condensor.

 

[crown14]

Change the cabin air filter lately?

Why would you fear the condenser? Why not the expansion valve?

AC diagnostics like this are pointless, you need to have it evacuated, vacuum tested and recharged properly now after what you've done... and for god's sake get a gauge. For all you know the freon wasn't even low to start with and you have overcharged it and over oiled it.

 

[roverMc]

You really need a full set of gauges to diagnose it.

 

[mjbrox]

So is getting a gauge pointless at this point?

the annoying thing is that my father in law is a mechanic. He does not use a gauge on his car since the evaporator is leaking, so it always needs more 134a.

I guess, I will just take it to a shop. This is going to be wierd, I have not taken my car to a shop in so freaking long.

 

[road1will]

Adding 134 is not the way to go about it. As others have said, you need a set of gauges to really see whats going on. Take the car to your Acura dealer to see whats going on. They shouldn't charge you more than an hour of labor to evacuate, vacuum, and recharge the system. If there is a leak they can put dye in the system to quickly pinpoint the leak.

Unfortunately, adding 134 and that crappy stop leak has likely done more damage to the system. I am an Acura technician and we see stuff like this from time to time where the owner attempted to fix something they shouldn't have, and just caused more harm than good.

 

[mjbrox]

i had my father in law drain the the whole system, pull a vac, then refilled it.


He refilled it with the old stuff, so there is a little bit of stop leak, but really not much.

It is working pretty well now.

Should I still be stressed?

I guess if it is leaking, and I guess that it is. It will need a recharge again soon.

Why cant I just add my own dye and find the leak my self.

 

[RoverbyProxy]

If your compressor went out you should have flushed the system and replaced the dryer. Good chance the expansion valve, or orifice tube is plugged with crap. Usually in these instances the expansion valve is not regulating properly the pressure. I am betting on a bad valve.

 

[road1will]

If your compressor went out you should have flushed the system and replaced the dryer. Good chance the expansion valve, or orifice tube is plugged with crap. Usually in these instances the expansion valve is not regulating properly the pressure. I am betting on a bad valve.

Could very well be the case. Its not uncommon to see cars come back with AC issues after a compressor was replaced without flushing out the system.

 

[mjbrox]

Could very well be the case. Its not uncommon to see cars come back with AC issues after a compressor was replaced without flushing out the system.

Case?

See this is the problem with having family members do shit for free.
Now I feel bad if I question him on it, but it hurts his feelings if I take it some place.

That said, I have not had a mechnic bill......well, ever

 

[RoverbyProxy]

Most times you get lucky but every once in a while you get f'd

 

[mjbrox]

okay,

now that it is high temp of 95, insted of 105 it is keeping up just fine.

I am going to put it off for another day.

 

[road1will]

Have you had to put a transmission in that MDX yet??

 

[mjbrox]

not yet, but I have always been good about doing the trans fluid drain/fill and I have a transmission cooler.

I have done a little bit of towing, but not much.

I was sure to get the 2003 insted of the 2002 because I heard about the 2003 trans failures.

Honestly, I have not had any issues other than this recent AC issue, but again, I have always been good about the fluids.

 

[enonz98lr]

have you taken it to acura of richmond yet? I work next door at Richmond BMW

 

[mjbrox]

Nope, I have done my own maintiance and the AC compressor was done by my father in law

It is not like a BMW or Rover. It does not break down all the time and the Maintiance is simple

 

[Mike_Rupp]

I know I know, it is not a Rover, but the MDX forums are weak sauce.

That's funny, but so true. The reason is that the vehicles are completely devoid of any soul and last forever. There is almost no reason to have a forum in the first place. Most posts on Honda / Acura forums are about how they reached 300k and only changed the oil or something like that.

I put ~110k on a Honda Pilot and other than going through brake pads as often as Lindsey Lohan needs a new prison jumpsuit, it was bulletproof.

 

[mjbrox]

That's funny, but so true. The reason is that the vehicles are completely devoid of any soul and last forever. There is almost no reason to have a forum in the first place. Most posts on Honda / Acura forums are about how they reached 300k and only changed the oil or something like that.

I put ~110k on a Honda Pilot and other than going through brake pads as often as Lindsey Lohan needs a new prison jumpsuit, it was bulletproof.

I did not buy it for soul.

At the time I bought it, my wife and I had just this one car. We lived in DC and went on adventures with bikes, kayaks etc every weekend. I just wanted a nice car that worked.

Now my wife drives it every day to get to work and tote the kid around in. I have company car for 99% of my driving and we use the Rover for our now infrequent adventures.

 

[Mike_Rupp]

I did not buy it for soul.

I hope not.:rofl:

I wasn't trying to put you on the defensive. My point was that there is no real need for an Acura forum. I was close to buying a MDX to replace my Honda Pilot, but decided on an Audi instead.

 

[mjbrox]

I hope not.:rofl:

I wasn't trying to put you on the defensive. My point was that there is no real need for an Acura forum. I was close to buying a MDX to replace my Honda Pilot, but decided on an Audi instead.

Actually,

The rear fan did go out. Apparently the intake screen gets clogged up with dirt and pops a diode on a part that Acura charges $100 for.<O></O>
<O</O

The MDX forum posted step by step directions on how to replace the diode, complete with a link to purchase the diode.
<O</O
<O</O
So, that was pretty usefull<O></O>
<O</O

I also added the airlift 1000, so that I can overload the shit out of the MDX. With our the airbags, the tires would camber in really bad and wear out the tires. <O</O

 

[RoverbyProxy]

Stupid Honda's! Got 200k on our Odyssey, pretty reliable.