Bad Compressor?

[Zardiw]

Hi all.

2013 Honda Fit.

Should have plenty of R134 in it.
Has new Evaporator, and Exp Valve, and Condenser

Guage Pressures while running:

Temperature: 100F+
Low: 30
High: 150-200

When I rev the engine the low side goes way down, but the high side stays the same.

Blowing not very cool/warm air.

Thanks for any info/help.

Z

[tbirdtbird]

How many miles?
Pressures are at what rpm? Should be at 1500 for accurate diagnosis.
Cabin fan on max.
Cabin temp set as low as possible
High is not very hi for 100F
How do we know ‘there should be plenty of 134’ After the repairs were made, was the 134 weighed in or just guessed?
Post answers. It might be actually be undercharged.
Was F/D replaced?
By what gauges are you taking readings? A full manifold gauge set or the little blue plastic gauge that comes with some of the ‘AC in a can’ setups?
When condenser was replaced, was there any evidence of metal bits or schrapnel in the oil?
What triggered you to replace the parts you did. Would have been nice to have before and after readings
Did the new cans of 134 have sealer?
Was air bled out of the hoses when you switched cans?

[Zardiw]

Hey....Thanks for the reply.

I live close to Palm Springs, ca and it's been over 100 here for weeks.

165K Miles
Idle is about 900RPM.....when I rev it to say 2000 the Low side drops hard...almost to zero.....at idle it's 30
Fan is at max. Dial is at Max A/C...coldest.
Cabin Filter is pretty clean....lot of air coming out of the vents.

For a long time it never did cool very much......then it went out completely....warm air blowing out.
I got one of those recharge kits and added freon....that made it work again......sort of

When I first started I knew crap all about A/C.......now I know a lot more....probably enough to be dangerous....lol

So the problem was the system had a leak and it would all leak out in about a day or less.

Added some UV dye and found the high side hose had a leak....

Got a new hose, and a condenser....(I was going to replace the condenser anyway, cause I thought that was the reason for the low cooling)

Installed the hose/condensor.......No evidence of debris in there.

Got some manifold guages.....I already had a Evacuator from long ago.......Pulled a vacuum, hooked up a can.....cleared the yellow hose and put the whole 12 oz can in.......(Specs call for 13oz.....so I figured that was close enough).....actually added a little more from another can after it was still blowing 60F air....not cooling as good as it should.

Then figured it was the evaporator being dirty....and maybe the Exp valve.........Replaced both.....That was a job.....lol.....damn.

SO, basically everything has been replaced but the compressor.......and I think it's worn out.....cause supposedly the high side should be 250-300.....hence the question here.

Pretty sure I didn't get any air in there....

Don't know what sealer is.....just plain cans of 134 from Walmart.......OH.....I did add a 2oz can of PAG oil earlier when I replaced the condenser....and another 2 oz after replacing the Evap and Exp Valve.

Also when this first stated I added a can of stop leak....fwiw

Don't know what a F/D is

Z

[Cusser]

Also when this first stated I added a can of stop leak....fwiw

NOT GOOD !!!

[Zardiw]

Not Good? .......OH.....the stop leak....Well, I've vacuumed it about 3 times now so maybe it's mostly gone?

Z

[Cusser]

the stop leak....Well, I've vacuumed it about 3 times now so maybe it's mostly gone?

No, it's still in the system. But maybe you'll be lucky.

Likely your 2013 just lost a little R134a over time. The right thing to do first thing - would've been to have a shop evacuate the refrigerant and weigh it, to determine if the level was low. And if low, to check for leaks using UV dye and/or electronic sniffer. But now you've learned...

[Zardiw]

Actually, it ALL leaked out due to the hose leak.........which was replaced.

I have a DV4E JB Eliminator and have pulled good vacuum a number of times now.

So what's bad about the stop leak?

Also this scroll compressor is about 11 years old........do they wear out in that time to where they can't compress as well?

Thanks

Z

[Tim]

Stop leak is not a vapor. It's still in your system. There are less harmful types these days. However, most do not suggest it as a product that should be added to an AC system.

[JohnHere]

The specs that I have call for 15 ounces net weight of R-134a, and 2.7 to 3.0 fluid ounces of PAG-46—unless you have an under-hood decal with specs that differ. If so, the decal takes precedence.

As Cusser and Tim mentioned, the stop-leak (sealer) isn't removed no matter how many times you evacuate a system. The way sealer works is that it hardens after running the system. Hardened stop-leak not only seals the leaks but also clogs-up everything else, including the tiny passages of your new parallel-flow condenser. With luck, that didn't happen, but unfortunately, it usually does.

The lesson is, NEVER use sealer in an A/C system.

I also believe that you probably have too much oil in the system based on how much you added, the component you didn't replace (compressor), and the above specs. You added 4 ounces. Guessing about how much oil remained in the compressor, you might have as much as 5 ounces of oil currently in the system, which is much more than called for. Too much oil not only coats the inside of the evaporator but also takes up space that the refrigerant would normally occupy, both of which will reduce cooling.

I believe that your original compressor assembly is the scroll type having a thermal switch—not known for its durability and longevity. Your vehicle has ~165K miles on it, so chances are the compressor (if it is the original) is very "tired" if not completely shot. You could try replacing only the compressor, but that's a gamble because I'm quite concerned about the sealer currently in the system. If the vehicle was mine and I planned to keep it, I would start from the beginning and replace everything with brand-new parts.

I'm curious about the type of vacuum pump you have and its capability. It should be able to pull a vacuum down to about 29.9 inches of mercury (InHg) with fresh vacuum-pump oil and at an elevation close to sea level.

Also, to properly charge a system—especially one like yours that holds less than one-pound of refrigerant (a very small amount)—the R-134a must be weighed-in precisely using an accurate refrigeration scale.

For info, a F/D is a Filter/Dryer, same as a Receiver/Dryer, or R/D.

[Zardiw]

Ok.....Thank you......

It was quite awhile after I added the Stop leak that I replaced the condenser, evaporator and XValve.

My vaccuum pump is a DV4E Eliminator from JB......pretty sure that's close to top of the line.......

My mistakes were a lot of bad assumptions.

Even after I recharged the system after it all leaked out, it still wouldn't cool properly.

SO first I thought it was cause the condenser wasn't passing enough air to cool.

I replaced that and the hose that was leaking.

It still wasn't cooling well, so I thought the evaporator had a lot of crud on it......so decided to replace that.....And the ExpValve while I was in there.

The evaporator was pretty clean, and I tested the old exp valve and that was also working.........didn't need to replace either of them.......sigh.

Still isn't cooling well...........so now I'm down to the compressor.

I should have realized that was the actual problem FIRST......

I didn't realize that low high pressure indicated the compressor wasn't doing it's job.

Will let you know after I replace it.....

Thank you for all the help

Z

PS.. I thought of a good test to see if an A/C guy knew his stuff.......ask him what NyLog is..............