Honda Accord AC Not Working (Potential Causes & Fixes)
So your Honda Accord A/C has started acting weird? If yes, this guide is for you. Driving without an A/C on your car is a death sentence, so you want to fix it as fast as you can. If you’ve tried all possible fixes but nothing works, this guide will enlighten you on what causes this issue and how you can fix it.
Honda Accord AC not working can be caused by many different issues. The most common causes to consider include:
- Low refrigerant levels
- Refrigerant leak
- Faulty compressor
- Blocked condenser
- Damaged or clogged evaporator
- Clogged cabin air filter
- Malfunctioning blower motor
- Faulty blend door actuator
- Electrical system issues
This article will help you diagnose and fix your Honda Accord air conditioner not working problem. We’ll explore various potential causes for your malfunctioning AC and the fixes to consider for each problem. We’ll also discuss other AC-related issues like AC not working on the driver side, not blowing cold air, not blowing hard, and more.
Why is your Honda Accord AC not working?
As we have just discussed above, several potential culprits could be behind your Honda Accord AC not working. Here are the most common causes to consider:
Low refrigerant levels
One of the most common causes for your Honda Accord AC system to stop functioning is low refrigerant levels.
The refrigerant runs in your AC system and helps keep the inside of your car cool. However, if it drops too low, below the recommended mark, it may cause your AC not to cool your car cabin properly.
This substance may drop low over time due to minor defects in your AC system. However, there could also be a leak (more details coming up) within the system.
Solution: To troubleshoot this issue, you’ll need to check the levels of refrigerant in your AC system using AC pressure gauges.
If the pressure of this substance is low, then you’ll need to do a Honda Accord AC recharge with the correct type and amount of refrigerant to ensure optimal AC performance.
You can prevent your refrigerant levels from dropping in the first place by doing the system recharge regularly as recommended by your manufacturer.
Refrigerant leak
As we have just hinted above, your Honda accord ac refrigerant may get low due to the presence of a leak in your AC system.
And this is another likely reason for your air conditioning system to drop in cooling performance.
The most telltale signs of AC refrigerant leak include your AC blowing warm air. You may hear a clicking sound when the AC is running, as the compressor could be short cycling.
Solution: Identifying leaks in your AC system is not an easy task, so we advise you to get your car to a qualified Honda technician to do it for you.
They’ll inspect your AC system, identify any present leaks, and fix them.
Afterward, you should recharge your AC system to the recommended levels and try using your AC again.
Faulty compressor
Your Honda Accord AC compressor compresses the refrigerant and enables it to release hot and cool air entering your vehicle cabin.
If it becomes faulty, it won’t be able to effectively compress the refrigerant, and your AC may stop working properly.
A faulty compressor will lead to reduced cooling performance or no cooling at all. You can easily tell if your Honda AC compressor is about to take its final bow by looking for key signs such as:
- Odd, clunky noises during operation
- Your AC constantly blowing hot air
- Stuck clutch
- Refrigerant fluid leaks
- Tripping circuit breaker, etc.
Solution: If you suspect your compressor is bad, you should consider having it checked by a professional. They’ll inspect it and test it to see if it’s in good working condition.
If it’s bad, they’ll replace it with a new one. This should be followed by getting rid of the old refrigerant and adding new refrigerant to the recommended levels.
Blocked condenser
The condenser is part of your AC system that sits at the front of your vehicle. It facilitates the release of heat from the refrigerant and into the air.
Due to its position, however, this part can easily become clogged with debris, grime, bugs, etc. These stick on its surface or the gaps between its mesh.
Unfortunately, they end up blocking the condenser and affecting its ability to release heat, as less air will be passing through its mesh.
The result is poor cooking performance in your system.
Solution: Assess the condition of your AC condenser. If it looks dirty and clogged, the simplest fix is to consider cleaning it.
For the best results, consider using a pressure wash (set it to low pressure to avoid damaging its delicate fins).
The condenser may also be leaking which can also affect the AC system cooking efficiency.
In case of a leak, you’d want to take your car in for inspection by a professional to find the leak and fix it.
Damaged or clogged evaporator
A dirty evaporator is another potential reason behind your Honda Accord AC not working.
Though the cabin air filter traps most of the dust and other airborne particles, some of it ends up escaping and landing on the evaporator.
These particles may accumulate on the evaporator fins over time and block airflow through it—affecting your AC cooling performance.
Solution: A dirty or clogged evaporator needs to be cleaned by a professional Honda technician.
Sometimes the evaporator may be experiencing a refrigerant leak. In this case, you’ll need to replace it with a new one.
Clogged cabin air filter
Your Honda Accord AC system may also stop functioning if your cabin air filter gets dirty or clogged. The work of the air filter is to filter air coming into your vehicle’s cabin.
That said, if it gets clogged, it will restrict airflow and the overall cooling efficiency of your AC system will be affected.
Even worse, a clogged cabin air filter will put a strain on your entire AC system, which will then affect your vehicle’s fuel consumption.
Solution: We advise you to clean your cabin air filter to see if its performance will improve. If it doesn’t, then you may consider replacing it with a new one.
Note that both the cleaning and replacement process are pretty easy to do on your own and requires no professional help.
For the cleaning part, we advise you to consider a compressed air system or vacuum cleaner for best cleaning results.
However, this cleaning method may only get rid of large pieces of dirt particles but not get into the deeper layers of your filter. Thus, the filter performance may not improve as much.
To prevent your cabin air filter from being clogged in the first place, we advise you to replace it on time as recommended by Honda—usually after every 15,000 to 20,000 miles.
Watch the video below on how to replace the cabin air filter in your Honda Accord:
Video:
Malfunctioning blower motor
Your Honda Accord ac not blowing may also have something to do with a bad blower motor. The work of this moto is to circulate cool air inside your car.
If it stops working, you’ll likely notice a reduced airflow from your AC vents.
If the motor becomes weakened or worn out, it may also start producing strange sounds when it’s running.
Sometimes the motor may fail to work in lower speed settings but works fine when set to high speed. In this case, you likely have a bad blower motor resistor.
Solution: Since it’s not possible to repair a broken blower motor, the best fix is to replace it with a new one.
Note that if you replace your blower motor and it goes bad shortly after, you may want to consider whether you have a blown fuse causing this motor failure.
If you suspect a bad blower motor resistor, you may want to have a professional inspect and test it and replace it with a new one.
Faulty blend door actuator
The blend door actuator in your Honda Accord is tasked with controlling the temperature and direction of air inside your vehicle. However, it’s also prone to malfunctioning.
When this happens, you’ll most probably notice inconsistent temperatures inside your vehicle or no cool air at all.
Key symptoms of a bad blend door actuator in your Honda Accord include a clicking or popping sound when the actuator is in operation. You’ll also experience incorrect heat heater or AC temperatures in your vehicle.
Solution: The best fix for a bad blend door actuator is to replace it since it’s irreparable.
However, note that the replacement of this part isn’t easy as it involves recalibrating the actuator.
Therefore, we suggest letting a professional check your actuator and fix it for you if necessary.
Electrical system issues
In some cases, the cause for your Honda Accord aircon not working is due to underlying electrical system issues.
For instance, electrical problems in your dash such as malfunctioning A/C switch, blend door command motor problems, faulty computer control head or module defective, etc.
There could also be electrical issues happening under your hood, e.g. bad AC clutch coil, and clutch relay, blown fuse, low-pressure and high-pressure cut-off switches, circuit protection devices, etc.
Solution: Electrical issues in your vehicle may be challenging to examine by yourself, so we recommend getting a professional to do the inspection for you.
They’ll inspect all your electrical connections, relays, fuses, etc. related to the AC system. They’ll then conduct the necessary repairs and replace the faulty components as necessary.
If your Honda Accord is experiencing AC issues, it’s essential to consider other potential challenges that might impact your vehicle. Similar problems could also affect models like the Honda Civic, and there might be other specific concerns, such as a Honda Civic that won’t start but has power or a Honda Accord electric parking brake problem. Our articles on Honda Civic won’t start but has power and Honda Accord electric parking brake problem provide valuable insights into addressing starting and parking brake-related problems specific to these vehicles. Understanding the nuances of starting issues or electric parking brake malfunctions can empower you to take the necessary steps for resolution.FAQs:
Your Honda Accord AC not working on the driver’s side is most probably caused by a bad blend door actuator that leads to consistent temperature and airflow.
If your Honda Accord won’t blow cold, the most likely causes include low refrigerant, a faulty compressor, a clogged condenser or evaporator, or a defective blower motor.
If you have issues with your Honda Accord AC not blowing hard, the most possible causes include a bad blower motor, the blower motor resistor issues, or a clogged cabin air filter.
Conclusion
When your Honda Accord air conditioner stops working, there could be many potential causes behind it as we’ve just discussed in the above article. Some of these include a faulty compressor, low refrigerant, clogged cabin air filter, clogged confessor, clogged evaporator, electrical issues, bad blower motor, and others.
However, troubleshooting each of these issues is the surest way to help you identify the exact culprit causing the AC problem. We have discussed how to fix each of these issues to help restore your AC system. Remember, timely maintenance of your AC system is the key to avoiding most of these issues and keeping it in optimal working condition.