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Hello Sumit,

Long time.

How is your ride?

I got two new relays today. One from Denso and one generic. I was very hopeful that it will resolve the issue since I did lot of troubleshooting and everything looked fine. I tried both the new relays and no relief. The AC still cuts off. I have been driving the car with OBD2 hooked and monitoring the temperature on torque app. Here are my observations-

1. Driving with AC on with OBD connected, the AC cuts off once the temperature crosses 95*. Once the compressor cuts off the fans keep running the temperature goes down to 90* the car takes couple of seconds before it switches the AC on. But I noticed it never comes back on till it goes down to 90.

2. Took the car to AC mechanic. He tried to tap the compressor clutch and tried to turn it on by fiddling with it. It didn’t work. Pointing the clutch is not the problem.

3. When the car was at 96* with AC on I switched off the AC. So the fans stopped too. The temperature reached 100* but the radiator fan didn’t kick in. I switched the AC on the both the fans kicked in and AC was cooling even when the temperature was 98*

4. I suspected the radiator fan to be the culprit since it didn’t switch on independently. So I switched the AC off. The temperature was 96* I accelerated a bit. Kept the RPM under 2K steady. The radiator fan kicked in within couple of seconds. So the radiator fan shouldn’t be the culprit.

5. Got two new relays. Changed the AC relay no change. Changed radiator fan relay. No change.

So I am completely clueless here. I had taken an appointment with Honda for today but the SA’s phone is switched off since morning. I might be taking it to Honda tomorrow or day after. I am sure they will ask me to change so many things which would cost me almost the price of this car. But still will give it a try. I am very close to putting it up on olx. I have prepared myself mentally. I can not go on doing this. Today was third day in a row I was roaming on the streets for hours in 45* temperature with no AC making a fool out of myself hoping that this stupid thing would work. I had recently bought a Wagon R automatic for my dad. Looks like I will have to share the car with him since my running has reduced drastically and I don’t want to spend big bucks on a car which will remain parked most of the times. Can anyone on this thread confirm me the temperature readings your car hreaches if you have OBD? I am very heartbroken today because I feel my relationship with the better cars is near the end and I will be driving a wagon R. The car which I hate. I have always driven sedans and Wagon R makes me very nervous. I feel I would turn this car turtle on a sharp bend. Please if anyone can help me with temperature readings that would be a big favour.

At 95 Celcius your car may be getting uncomfortably close to overheating. Normal coolant operating temp is between 80-90 degrees C. That's is possibly why the AC cuts off and resume when the coolant temperature falls to 90.

When was the last time your engine cooling system (radiator, coolant top up or change) and AC system (cooling coil/heat exchanger + gas pressure check) were cleaned and serviced? Have your checked for leaks in either system?

Sir,

Are you sure 95 is uncomfortable for Civic? I did a quick google search and it says till 220 F is normal which translates to 104. The radiator was flushed in September 2018. It was in brand new condition when opened and I still went ahead and got it cleaned. The cooling coil was replaced last year. I thought the issue is with the new cooling coil so I replaced it twice. I have a Denso coil in the car right now. Also the coolent level in radiator doesn’t drop a bit no matter how long I drive. So there shouldn’t be any leak in the cooling system of the car. Also the bars in the car are steady showing the temperature is within normal range.

>100 C MAY be a trigger for the ECU to cut off the AC to allow the engine coolant temp to come down to more manageable levels. Of course this varies from car to car. For e.g. in my car (Corolla Altis) the gauge stays rock steady at about 1/4th mark (80-90 deg C) no matter the ambient temperature or in highway driving or stop and go traffic. The fan ensures even temp control. The only time it has climbed 1 mm higher is when going up a hill road in the heat of summer..about 40-41 deg C ambient at that time.

But since you have changed the parts there are two other things that you may want to check:

a) Compressor performance
b) Gas pressure

I would recommend this be done by a Honda ASC even if you decide not to give them the car for a repair. It's always good to get a second or even third opinion

I had an appointment with Honda today but the SA’s phone was switched off since morning. There are lot of cars with AC issue and short of staff because they are only calling 33% staff. So I didn’t take chances visiting without talking to SA. I should be taking the car there tomorrow. I doubt it to be low gas issue since I have experienced that in my car once and the cut off is for smaller duration in that case. I definitely will get the compressor performance checked but I don’t know if compressor performance will cause it to cut intermittently. During one of my google search I read that the thermostat valve starts opening up around 88 Celcius and is fully open at 95 Celcius. Since I am facing issues around 96 Celcius mark I will get the thermostat removed again. I got it removed last year but there were lot of parts here and there last year And the car wasn’t driven after the second cooling coil change so I will try my luck again with it. I will see if HASS has any other Civic on which I can monitor temperature readings with AC on. That would give a more clear picture on the issue.

Hello Nik0502,

I seriously hope that you solve this problem with your car and continue to drive it for a longer period of time. In trying to help you, i just want to add some points which are very minute but may be missed.

1. Have you tried whole AC system inspected from one mechanic or took second opinion also? If not then please find technically sound mechanic and try to get the system inspected from him. (Beware, most AC mechanics just know only Refrigerant recharging and coils cleaning, nothing else).

2. What about AC pressure switch? If malfunctioning, may lead to these types of problem also.

3. Most importantly, what is the proportion of Ethylene glycol & water in the coolant ? Please ensure correct proportion as per the manual. But in case for practicality, ethylene glycol concentration can be slightly less than the manufacturer's recommendation. (Note: Higher concentration of ethylene glycol in coolant, reduces the heat transfer coefficient of coolant. Meaning your system would be less efficient in removing heat from engine if ethylene glycol concentration is high). Just trying to explain the probable reason of higher temp readings of coolant as everything seems to be working properly.

Please look for small and minute faults also. Sometimes, we are so obsessed with problem solving that we tend to overlook some simple & small things which may be the cause of the real problem.

Just a small contribution from a newbie.

Thanks & all the best! :thumbs up

Hello. If it is not relay, then the issue is related to compressor clutch plate which is magnetic. You may not need to replace it but try to get it removed carefully and service it by cleaning and lightly rubbing via sandpaper to remove dust and debris. Then fixing it back to original position. The plate do not engage for god knows reason when outside temperature rises. In many YT videos and 8th gen forums, people were able to resolve issues with this trick. Let us know your findings. I hope the problem resolves for you by this trick buddy. Please take care and do not engage with shady mechanics in this COVID time. Stay safe!

Mod Note: Please avoid quoting the entire post when responding

Shouldn’t in that case it would come on when you manually help the clutch engage? The AC mechanic did that but that didn’t help.

The car looks smashing. :thumbs up

It looks like you've opted to paint the stock alloys. Assuming you got this gone in NCR, can you please share details about the outlet and approximate cost?

Thanks :)

Thanks, so you see why you should absolutely get one? agree:

Totally. In fact I faced an instance where I was giving my car to the valet parking in Gurgaon and two random guys out for a smoke walked up to me and this is how the conversation went:

Them : Awesome looking car man! Just a quick question for you

Me: Thanks, sure please go ahead

Them, pointing to a new gen civic next to my car : Which one do you prefer , the new gen or the old gen?

Me : If I had the money to buy the new one, I would still get the old gen

Them : Great answer man! So true
lol:


Hi Mandarin,

Apologies for the delayed response. I did not infact get the alloys painted. These were already painted black when I bought the car.

In fact I did not even get the spoiler. Even that was already there on the car

Hi Sumeet, thanks. I'm at the HASS now and it has been diagnosed as the condenser fan not working. Replacement is 12k, but part is not available.

Problem is I need to drive 650+ km (~12 hours) next week to attend to a family medical emergency. HASS is advising against it.

If one is on the highway driving at 100, would it work to go without a condenser fan? Any other leads? Could I have it looked by an FNG a/c mechanic? Would an off the shelf fan motor do?

Any advice on this is much appreciated. Thanks a lot !

(And Sumeet, thanks for the advice. We've been trying to get another car, but almost every new car we test-drive, seems to be a downgrade, so the Civic is still with us!)

Not sure if your issue is sorted. Since you are in NCR would suggest visiting Cool Days in Lajpat Nagar. They are very good with AC work. They should be able to rectify it for you.

The ORVM is not operating automatically anymore since yesterday. The motor makes a whirring sound and is most likely running. It probably is a case of slipping or a cracked gear inside the mirror assembly. Planning a DIY. Others who have had this issue- was complete mirror assembly required to be taken off the door/ body or just removing the mirror cap gave access to the gear mechanism?

Thanks.

Check this video. May answer your question.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JUjWZW50cs