A/C suddenly not so cold...

[Gerbil333]

Last week, my 2002 Civic's air conditioner produced cold air. Five minutes at maximum settings would leave me shivering.

This week, I'm sweating after five minutes and the air coming out of the vents feels only slightly cooler than having the windows open. It's cool, but not cold.

When the A/C was working, if I turned it off and then back on after a few minutes, condensed air (frosty air like from an opened freezer) would blow out of the vents for the first 1-3 seconds. That's no longer possible. I've never seen an A/C do this. Leak?

Also, my gas mileage has increased from 34-36mpg to over 38mpg under the same driving conditions, same highway, and same gas. Could the compressor not be engaging?

 

[Capt Caveman]

Could need a refrigerant recharge?

 

[Gerbil333]

Wouldn't the change in cooling ability have diminished slowly, not suddenly?

 

[SketchMaster]

Go and get it checked out by a pro, trust me when I say screwing about with your AC without any real knowledge of it's workings will land you with a big bill and frost bite.

 

[Black88GTA]

A/C compressor clutch? Make sure this is in working order before dropping $$$ on a compressor or other big A/C repairs. If this is bad, it's a cheap, easy fix compared to other A/C work. Easy to check too. Run the engine, have a friend flip the A/C on with you watching the compressor and making sure it engages properly.

 

[boomerang]

Originally posted by: Black88GTA
A/C compressor clutch? Make sure this is in working order before dropping $$$ on a compressor or other big A/C repairs. If this is bad, it's a cheap, easy fix compared to other A/C work. Easy to check too. Run the engine, have a friend flip the A/C on with you watching the compressor and making sure it engages properly.

If it's low on refrigerant the clutch will never engage. Kind of a bad test. Best advice here is to take it to someone who knows A/C.