Hey guys, couple questions on my 1994 Honda ACTY that I was hoping someone might know the answers to. I've searched high and wide on the internet to no avail. When I turn the AC on, the fan in front where the condenser is doesn't turn on. In turn, the AC kinda sucks at idle. Is this normal or should it be turning on? Infact, the fan never turns on. The coolant temp never even reaches half way, it gets pretty close and then just sits there, even during hot days. Doesnt overheat though. I jumped the fans thermostat and the fan kicks right on. If the fan never turns on, and the coolant temp never gets to the middle of the guage, just a little under, is that an issue? I've never heard the fan turn on and its been 80+ outside. How much R12 were these designed to hold? Easiest way to add rear seatbelts? Thanks guys!
coolant temp never even reaches half way>>>>>Looks like your thermostat is broken and in full open position. good investment is a Honda-English-Factory-Service-Manual https://www.amazon.com/Honda-English-Factory-Service-Manual/dp/0557027993#reader_0557027993
Reckon? Even though it never goes down once reaching that position? Only reason I noticed was because of the condensor fan never turning on when I turn the AC on which should also cool the radiator. It it harmful to hotwire that fine to turn on with the ignition? Is there something I should check to get it to turn on with that AC? I guess I'll go ahead and swap the thermostat out. I know the previous owner just swapped it, maybe he used the wrong one.
Even a new thermostat can sometimes be bad. Test it in boiling water. Hot wiring the condenser fan is not good. In general a condenser fan should turn on when AC is switched on. Provided the system is filled correct. Not too low, not too high. That you can test witha system tester. A AC pressure test can tell you. Have you checked the fuse? Relay? On this page there is a 15A fuse shown for condenser fan https://robrobinette.com/Honda_ACTY.htm also check the wiring diagram, Bert Stevens posted he has them, maybe it fits your model https://minitrucktalk.com/forums/honda-acty-references.35/ older vehicles have a single electric condenser fan, which only energizes with the air conditioning compressor. On any electrical problem, the first thing to check is for power problems, starting with the fuses, relays, and wiring. Before replacing a blown fuse, test the system for short circuits, using a multimeter. https://www.liveabout.com/troubleshooting-common-condenser-fan-problems-4157612 On my 1988 BMW the condenser fan switches on and off, on the dryer there are 2 pressure switches for AC pressure system low and high. Good system explanation: he AC pressure switch function is to provide a safety monitor over the system. It is responsible for monitoring refrigerant levels on both the low- and high-pressure sides of the AC unit. That’s why you have two separate AC pressure switches on your vehicle. One monitors the high-pressure side, while the other is evaluating the low-pressure aspects. The low-pressure switch ensures that the pressure never drops too low. This problem is caused when a leak occurs. When the AC compressor pumps out refrigerant without the right pressure, it can cause significant damage to the compressor, leading to higher repair costs. The high-pressure AC switch monitors any blockages in the system that would lead to more pressure. If the pressure builds up too high, there could be an explosion in the system. That’s why the switch tells the system to shut off power to the air conditioning, so no more pressure builds up. As you can see, both of these switches operate as safety sensors, protecting not only the AC system but also you and your occupants from danger. https://mechanicbase.com/ac/ac-refrigerant-pressure-switch-symptoms/ Understanding car AC https://www.classicautoair.com/understanding-a-c/ condenser fan circuit
Im talking about the condensor fan, not the compressor itself.. The compressor itself cycles on and off as it should. Its the fan in front of the vehicle behind the radiator that isnt turning on. On most vehicles it turns on when you turn the AC on so that when you are at idle it has air running over the fins I'll test the thermostat. I'm sure it's bad. What gives the gauge on the instrument cluster its reading? The little two wire thing plugged into the radiator is unplugged and it still shows a temp so surely that can't be it
then read this thread, relay and temperature sensor location https://minitrucktalk.com/threads/cooling-fan-after-shutoff-disable.15406/#post-89087
Im a moron, the AC condensor fan is under the engine , it works just fine. Now I just need to find the actual amount of refrigerant required to charge it up properly. Thanks shogun.
correct amount of refrigerant is shown when you recharge it on the gage. Just did that last week on my old BMW, you can see on the gage the level of refrigerant, Car overcharged AC system or undercharged fix My 1997 HA3 2WD Acty truck has the factory AC installed. Part of that was installed under the driver seat, here you can see all parts https://honda.epc-data.com/acty_truck/v-ha3/27518/body/ I recommend you take the driver seat out (if the parts on your car are in the same place as on my Acty truck) and clean the AC filter there and all other parts, when I bought the car when it was 10 years old, the filter and the other parts were completely clogged. I thought the AC is low on freon, as it did not work, but after I cleaned those parts the aircon worked again and cooled nicely. Never had to recharge the Acty system in >10 years ownership. The filter under driver seat is pretty expensive, but very easy to DIY a new one, I removed the original filter and just used the outer plastic frame of the filter, cut a piece of oven range vent filter material to size and fixed it to the frame
