I've got a 2007 Honda Civic with a problem w/ the A/C. It's basically had the problem since day 1, where sometimes the A/C simply will not cut on. And, by A/C, I really mean the blower. Doesn't matter which ventilation setting is chosen, or whether it's on any combo of Max/AC/Recirc. Hot/cold setting doesn't matter, either, though when putting it towards hot with recirc off, you can tell the air is heating up. It will eventually come back on while I am driving to wherever, and it does so with no rhyme or reason. It's not like I hit a bump and then it cuts on. It just cuts on randomly. Plus, when it comes back on, if I want to use the A/C or Max A/C, I have to cut the air off and turn it back on again, then I get cool air. BTW, all the lights on the A/C console are still on, and it will switch modes when I press the various buttons, it just won't come on.

It's gradually gotten worse, to the point where I took it to the shop a couple months ago. Some guy comes out of the back, kicks the center console and declares that "it's the resistor". I say "whatever, fix it," and they do. A week later, same shit happens, but then it "goes away." Now, it's back with a vengeance. I recognize it more with the A/C, cause I'm hot, but it happens with just Recirc on, too. And, of course, I can never get the damn thing to do it when I have time to take the car to the shop.

I've checked the fuses, and there's no problem with them. I asked them to check the electrical system, and they say there's no problem with it. A sure-fire way to make it cut out, though, is to turn the car off with the A/C running. That will almost always make it not come back on the next time I start the car, except when I am planning to go to the shop, of course.

any ideas WTF is going on?

[Edited on October 17, 2011 at 9:31 PM. Reason : ]

10/17/2011 9:30:53 PM

the first thing I would do is try getting to the blower motor and hit it a few times with a screw driver or something hard to see if that makes it come on if doing that makes the blower motor come on it probaly means the motor is going bad

10/18/2011 12:13:12 AM

Unless a shop knows how to correctly diagnose this system, they're gonna get nowhere with correct results. This system isn't as simple to play with as your run of the mill old school system, and simply replacing a blower motor resistor pack probably won't cut it. I don't even know if it has one. The control unit handles all of the component functions, and there's a high likelihood that the unit itself is malfunctioning.

The cool thing about the control unit is that you can retrieve diagnostic trouble codes much like you can with the engine control units on earlier cars. You don't even need a code scanner.

My advice is to think twice about the shop you take it to if they don't perform this check before throwing diagnoses at you. Ask if they did this. I would bet a dozen Krispy Kremes that they didn't.

10/18/2011 1:00:44 AM