Air conditioner leak

We have had our ridge since mid Feb. of this year and had the air re-charged twice. First time we were traveling and it cost us $135.00 to get it taken care of.

Unless you are Donald Trump, why in G-d's name haven't you gone to the dealer and gotten this fixed for free? It is a simple job to trace a leak for someone who does this for a living.

Had the same problem. There was a very slow leak in the condensor. Replaced under warranty.

We have had our ridge since mid Feb. of this year and had the air re-charged twice. First time we were traveling and it cost us $135.00 to get it taken care of.

First off - I should be covered by the warranty and not cost you a cent.

Second - A/C is a sealed system. If you need a charge, you have a leak somewhere. If a repair shop (including the dealer) tried to use a recharge as anything more than a temporary fix while waiting for parts, I'd run away quickly and complainng to Honda if it's a dealer.

If it leaks there is a cause...it is a sealed system. Bring your receipt with you to the dealer, get it fixed, and give them the receipt to reimberse you!!!

Vinnie:D

I just finished a 1200 mile round trip and on 2 different days the AC stopped blowing cold air and the force of the fan was reduced by more than 50% when turned to the highest fan position. On both occassions, I turned the system off and rolled the windows down for 15 minutes (it was in excess of 90 degrees). I restarted the system and everything worked as if it never happened? A leak that froze somewhere and turning it off during the 90 degree plus heat helped the system not be froze somewhere?:confused:

I haven't thrown a gauge on mine yet, but in the last week I've noticed a significant difference in my a/c performance. I suspect a leak.

The above info is correct it should not be acceptable to simply recharge the system. If a component is leaking and should be repaired or replaced.

The a/c system will eventually leak down even if there were no true leaks, but this would take years. No Ridgeline is old enough to simply need a recharge.

If the unit were not properly charged at the factory it would have never performed properly.

I just finished a 1200 mile round trip and on 2 different days the AC stopped blowing cold air and the force of the fan was reduced by more than 50% when turned to the highest fan position. On both occassions, I turned the system off and rolled the windows down for 15 minutes (it was in excess of 90 degrees). I restarted the system and everything worked as if it never happened? A leak that froze somewhere and turning it off during the 90 degree plus heat helped the system not be froze somewhere?:confused:
Ok guys please listen. I am an HVAC mechanic. I've been doing this for over 30 years. I gave up the trade 5 years ago. I got tired of rooftops at -20 and +120. If your ac stops cooling mid-stream you have a problem. The most likely cause, moisture inside the system that freezes and blocks the metering device, i.e. cap tube or TXV. This symptom is common when it is not evacuated thoroughly before the charge was put in. This can also cause premature failure of major system components, i.e.compressor. The common misconception people have is my AC needs a charge and it will be ok. This can't be farther from the truth. If your ac needs a charge it has a leak! Please don't bring it in for service and let the mechanic tell you he re-charged the system without properly leak checking. You will be back sooner than later to have it worked on again. There is money in this theory. I hope I've explained this in terms that people can understand. If you have any questions please ask.:)

I just took my RL into the dealer this past weekend to have the A/C checked because it takes 15-20 minutes to get cold, where my CR-V will get cold in just a few minutes (both in 90 degree heat). They did a full check on the system and said that it checked out just fine. They think that the reason that it takes longer to get cold is because of the larger size of the vehicle and the dash, A/C ducts, etc, when compared to the CR-V... which makes sense. They recommended that I get the windows tinted to help reduce the internal heat.

My A/C will get cold, but it takes a little longer than I would like. If it's cooler outside, it gets cold very quickly.

Perhaps the RL's A/C simply does not get as cold as some of the other Hondas will. I don't know for sure, but I thought I'd share the info to see if it helps anyone.

I just finished a 1200 mile round trip and on 2 different days the AC stopped blowing cold air and the force of the fan was reduced by more than 50% when turned to the highest fan position. On both occassions, I turned the system off and rolled the windows down for 15 minutes (it was in excess of 90 degrees). I restarted the system and everything worked as if it never happened? A leak that froze somewhere and turning it off during the 90 degree plus heat helped the system not be froze somewhere?:confused: In the 70s I had a Plymouth that did this to me once. I was driving from FL to NY on a hot summer day and the AC suddenly went 'pssssssssss' and stopped blowing cold air. I assumed it sprung a leak so I shut it off and opened the windows. After an hour I was roasting and in desperation I tried the AC and to my amazement, it worked! I figured something froze up somewhere and turning it off gave it a chance to thaw out. It was also an after-market unit, not a factory install, and that might have had something to do with it.

My A/C will get cold, but it takes a little longer than I would like. If it's cooler outside, it gets cold very quickly.

The first thing to check is how long it takes for really cold air to come out of the vents. If that takes longer than a few minutes you have a malfunction.

That said, here's my procedure for cool-down after sitting in the sun all day:

Open rear window
A/C on
max fan
recirc off
mode set to dash+floor

drive a while to exhaust all the superheated air in the cabin.

once discharge air is cold, and cabin temp seems to match outside:

close rear window
recirc on
mode to dash-only

I just finished a 1200 mile round trip and on 2 different days the AC stopped blowing cold air and the force of the fan was reduced by more than 50% when turned to the highest fan position. On both occassions, I turned the system off and rolled the windows down for 15 minutes (it was in excess of 90 degrees). I restarted the system and everything worked as if it never happened? A leak that froze somewhere and turning it off during the 90 degree plus heat helped the system not be froze somewhere?:confused:

My '96 Astro van and I think my '90 Caravan would shut down the A/C under heavy load condition - including backing down on the fan speed.

In my case I usually noticed it while towing up a steep incline with max throttle and high outside temp.

Someone with a service manual may be able to determine if the RL does this, too.