2008 Honda Odyssey LX a/c issue.

[JTK]

The a/c stopped working out of the blue on our Honda back in April. Went from ice cold to ambient air. First things I did was check for signs of leakage on the condenser core and condensate drain tubes. Nothing. Checked for relay problems. Nothing. Couldn't see anything wrong. The compressor seemed to run (continuously) when commanded, so I pulled the relay given the system was inop.

Fast forward to a few days ago and I took it to the Honda dealer I somewhat trust.

They evacuated the system, recharged it with dye, ran and drove the heck out of it (~40 miles) and couldn't find any trace of leakage or problems. Ugh!!

The only other odd-ball recommendation was a new battery. The one in it was going on 6yrs/old and had been run flat numerous times due to kiddos leaving dome lights on. I guess they load-tested it, and it was marginal.

$169 for the evac and recharge.
$7 for a new relay they figured they'd replace anyway.
$109 for a "Honda" battery (had a coupon for that, reg was $139+)

~$310 all-in. A/c ice cold again, but it has me worried why it happened. Any ideas?

 

[Hokiefyd]

That's really weird. The dealer suggested the new battery due to the battery's age, or to combat the in-op A/C?

 

[JethroBodine]

Honda AC systems are notorious for early failure. Some go 300k others die off before 50k. I have seen this happen 3 times. sometimes a weak battery will cause alternator failure but AC? I don't think so.

 

[JTK]

That was one of their ideas Hokiefyd. System voltage issues causing relays to hold or not hold, plus the possibility of that keeping the compressor on when it shouldn't be. I don't quite get that given the low and high press cutoff switches for the compressor. I was about due for a battery anyway, which is why I bit on that one.

One thing I did do when the van was brand-new was install black plastic gutter guard over the lower fascia to protect the condenser from getting beaten. It's worked like a charm so far. Condenser fins look new yet. Evap cores would be a nightmare scenario, plus there's a mile of lines on a minivan.

FWIW, we've got ~66500mi on the van. A/C pooped out at ~63K.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Failing batteries can have very odd symptoms on modern vehicles. I've never seen the A/C symptom, but I suppose it's possible. Kudos to your dealer for thinking out of the box...

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Failing batteries can have very odd symptoms on modern vehicles. I've never seen the A/C symptom, but I suppose it's possible. Kudos to your dealer for thinking out of the box...


Really true, especially a higher line model with a ton of gizmos and doo dads.

Hope I didn't get too technical...

 

[JTK]

LOL! That's one of the reasons I bought a basic LX model. Nothing but blanks over where all the doo-dad switches should be.

Still though.. A 2008 that won't kill power when a load is left on it with the key out? Heck.. my 2001 Ford Windstar had that.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Either of ours will drain a battery with a light left on. I agree; I don't understand why they wouldn't put some type of timer on the interior lights.

 

[Chris142]

Drive it another week then get your own light and look for the leak yourself.

 

[KrisZ]

All in all you got fair prices from your dealer. Maybe the recharge was not needed or maybe it was, but at least they didn't just try to top it off. You got a properly vacuumed and recharged system with a new battery for what usually an indy would charge.

I would have no complaints as far as the repair goes, but a failure this early in vehicle's life is be kinda upsetting. But since nothing wrong was really found with the system, this could be your last problem with AC.

 

[JTK]

Chris142, good idea.

KrisZ, yes, this is only the second time I've been to the dealer for an issue. They've been fair and will work with you on the price by using aftermarket parts if possible.

That's the one thing I wished I had asked; If the charge was low or not. I *assumed* it was by the way it behaved, but I have no idea for sure.

 

[cptbarkey]

local carx does a recharge for $80, next time shop around.

 

[2oldtommy]

If it lost it's charge, it has a slow leak somewhere. My '03 Mazda protege still blows ice cold at 10yrs old. Of course you guys have many more days of AC weather than we have in NE Ohio. FWIW--Oldtommy

 

[JethroBodine]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Failing batteries can have very odd symptoms on modern vehicles. I've never seen the A/C symptom, but I suppose it's possible. Kudos to your dealer for thinking out of the box...


Really true, especially a higher line model with a ton of gizmos and doo dads.

Hope I didn't get too technical...


You did forget "thingies"

 

[JHZR2]

If there was charge that shouldnt have been it... Unless someone else played with it and got air in. You sure the compressor engaged, not just spun without the clutch engaged?

High pressurs can do bad things - were the aux fans all working before?

Would have been interesting to swap in the old battery and see what happened. Was the voltage funky?

 

[JTK]

Yep, aux fans were working.

Not really thinking about the battery, I never threw a voltmeter across it to see what it showing at idle. The starter does seem to go with more authority now. Normally I don't drive the van much. Wifemobile.

 

[spackard]

Sounds like a blender door motor sticking.

Had one on an '03 TL-S that would stick. Too hot, crank the auto thermostat to full-cold. Too cold, crank the auto thermostat to full-hot. Solution is to replace the motor, which was pretty easy on this car.


Found this diagnostic procedure on another board, for an '05 Odessey (don't know if it will work for an '08):

HOW TO RETRIEVE A DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES
The climate control unit has a self-diagnosis function. To run the self-diagnosis function, do the following:

1 Turn the Ignition switch ON (II).

2. Press the AUTO button and then press the OFF button. Continue to hold both buttons down for 1 minute.

If there is any abnormality in the system the temperature Indicator will light up the segment (A through N) corresponding to the error. The temperature indicator will then alternate every second between displaying "88" (all segments lit) and the error code segment (A through N).

NOTE:
The system will only display the DTC when the AUTO and OFF buttons are pressed if you release the buttons the display will go blank. To return the display, simply press the AUTO then the OFF buttons again.

To determine the meaning of the DTC, refer to the DTC Troubleshooting Index . If there is no abnormality the segment will not light up.

Cancelling the Self-diagnosis Function

3. Turn the ignition switch OFF to cancel the self-diagnosis function. After completing repair work run the self-diagnosis function again to make sure that there are no other malfunctions.

 

[JTK]

Thanks spack-.

There's no fancy HVAC controls on this van being the most basic model Oddy you could buy at the time. Just a couple twisty knobs for the HVAC.

I considered blend-doors as well, but given the refrig. lines didn't feel cold under the hood I abandoned that idea.

 

[SOHCman]

I didnt see you mention if the system still had charge when you got it "recharged"??? Did they say if it was high, low, ir say nothing?

You mentioned you could see the compressor running, as in the end triangle looking cap was spinning, or just the pulley was spinning.

If the compressor was running it had charge, which only leaves the blend door/coolant valve to blame. (depending which sysyem this honda uses, mine has a valve in the heater hose and no blend door.

But its possible you were getting ac the whole time, your van was just heating it up for some reason with the heater core.