2010 honda civic ac not blowing cold

[justme]

i turned the car on with AC on high.

1. when I checked the freon it was reading in the red so I bled the freon to bring it back in the green

2. I noticed the ac clutch not engaged so replaced relay so ac clutch now working
however when I checked the freon level this time it was not reading stuck on low in the gauge.
tried putting freon in but the level not changing so I did not want to overfill. should I keep filling?

any thoughts here?

[Tim]

Use a real set of AC gauges and don't vent refrigerant. Those are my thoughts.

[JohnHere]

I agree with Tim.

In addition, whenever I see a question like yours, my response is to first and foremost, install the correct amount of refrigerant into the system that the manufacturer's specifications call for.

The process involves recovering the refrigerant that's in the system now (or having a shop with the proper machine recover it), evacuating the system for at least one hour, and recharging to specs into the well-held vacuum. Only then will you know that the system is charged correctly, and is probably all that it needs.

Topping-up a system, especially with only one gauge, is pure guesswork and typically results in an undercharge or overcharge, either of which can cause costly system damage. Moreover, the system MUST be charged by weight, not pressures.

The specs that I have for your car are as follows: For both the 1.8L and 2.0L engines — 16 ounces net weight of R-134a, and 5.5 fluid ounces of PAG-46. If you have an under-hood decal with specs that differ, the decal always takes precedence.

[justme]

I refilled the freon so it's now back in the green and ac is blowing cold.

I noticed the ac clutch and front fans turn on/off every few seconds. when that happens the reading drops to low.

is it normal to have the ac clutch and fan turn on off every few seconds? if not what is happening and how to fix?

[JohnHere]

The A/C system does not have the correct amount of refrigerant in it. Just an ounce or two either way in such a small-capacity system will cause problems. At this point, we don't know precisely how much refrigerant the system contains...and the amount MUST be precise.

[justme]

I removed some of the refrigerant and now the ac clutch and front fans are not turning on/off every few seconds. they stay on and the gauge is showing normal.

how do I know if the system is working properly?

[Tim]

A little information for you. Those wonder cans of refrigerant can't be trusted, IMO. A low-side green gauge is very misleading. It will be very hard for anyone here to give you solid feedback based on that kind of data.

Real AC Guage Set

[JohnHere]

how do I know if the system is working properly?

You don't...not without the proper tools and know-how.

As Tim mentioned, those Recharge Kits with a single color-coded gauge, available at the Big Box Stores and some auto parts suppliers, can't tell you much of anything without seeing specific pressures on both the low side and high side using a pro-quality Manifold Gauge Set. Still, pressures alone can't tell you how much refrigerant a system contains.

You should also be aware that the refrigerant in those kits is often combined with leak sealer and other additives. Leak sealer will harden inside a system, creating an amalgam that will plug the vital, small passages the refrigerant and oil need to circulate, essentially destroying the system and resulting in a very expensive mess to fix.

One final thought: Professional automotive A/C shops will refuse to work on a system containing sealer because it will damage their expensive equipment.