Find another dealer, anything more than a week is WAY too much.

 

I don't mean to ask a dumb question, but have you checked the owner's manual for the location of the A/C fuses?

 

Yes, I actually did this and I found no reference to air conditioner fuses.
I even reread the instructions on AC use. Still can't get any cool air.

 

Have you changed your cabin air filter? It wouldn't make the air hot, but it greatly impedes air flow if it's dirty.

http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/...-tos/9130-clean-replace-your-own-cabin-filter-improve-air-flow-save-bundle.html

 

You have a 2007 is your truck still covered by warranty?

 

Did you turn down the temp settings ? If you had it on 68 one chilly morning it will stay at 68 with the air on.

 

The A/C compressor clutch is protected by fuse #12 (7.5A) in the primary underhood fuse box. Your owner's manual has this listed as "MG Clutch". MG must be Japanese for "air conditioning".

If that fuse is good, it's probably something else. My first guess would be low freon.

 

"MG clutch" means magnetic clutch.

 

99% of A/C failures are caused by low refrigerant. As the refrigerant leaks out, the pressure inside the system drops. If the pressure gets low enough, the compressor will not engage. The typical leak is from the a/c condenser - located right in front of the radiator and subjected to impact damage from all varieties of road debris. I'd have the system checked out. It's a typical complaint as the weather warms up, and many shops run A/C specials early in the season.



HT

 

I finally got my RL into the dealer. The diagnosis was a hole in the air conditioner condensor caused by a rock or something thrown into it.
This is not a part failure therefore it is not covered under warranty. I called my auto insurance carrier and they will probably cover the damage, but I am stuck with paying the deductible. They should also cover car rental while the RL is being fixed.

There is nothing in the front to protect the condensor. Is there any product available that will protect this area?

 

There is nothing in the front to protect the condensor. Is there any product available that will protect this area?

You could rig some netting on the inside of the bumper

 

The service manager told me that I was the third Ridgeline is the past week to come in with the same problem. She said that there were also several Odysseys with the same issue.

I've gotta find something to protect the area.

2007 RTL with NAVI.

 

Sounds like a design flaw that needs to be addressed by Honda.

 

Question.....doesn't this sort of thing occur with almost all vehicles made, or is it because of where the condenser is located by the bumper on a Ridgeline? Does anyone have a schematic?

 

It does occur with every vehicle made. It has just gotten more and more widespread in the last, say, 5 years. As metal prices go up, the companies that manufacture condensers, radiators, etc (knows as heat exchangers) are using thinner tubing and fins to reduce weight and cost. Unfortunately sometimes it costs the customer more in the end.



HT

 

Well Rusty, I respectfully disagree. If thousands of people reported a problem, then Honda should address it. 4 people? You gotta be kidding me.

America's roads are in the worst condition since WWII. Sooner or later that is going to catch up with you.

Check any modern vehicle. The A/C condenser is right up front in the airstream.

 

As my pastor father always said, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. And we don't know that this hasn't happened to thousands, since thousands of Ridgeline owners, unfortunately, are unaware of this venue. As in all things, time will tell.

 

Making a tradeoff of "weaker" parts to save money at the expense of reliability to the point of early failure is a design flaw.

While Honda may make millions of vehicles, they have only made a limited production run of Ridgelines. I would guess that the R and D costs per vehicle sold are extremely high for the Ridgeline in comparison to say the Accord, and the budget to "bury" better parts in the accord production run are likely higher than in the Ridgeline. Bottom line is we are paying for the penny pinching necessary to put the Ridgeline in the marketplace with the hope that it would catch on and then more effort to be placed in the redesign generation. Unfortunately I thing the Honda strategy is backfiring and the lack of perceived quality for a somewhat expensive vehicle is going to backfire and keep the Ridgeline as a "unique" and "special" use vehicle that will never make it a profit for Honda.

 

It would take some more research, but a suggestion I got from ROC and ODY member Vertrkr is something I've done on one of my two Hondas (dropped the ball on the RL, but did it with my wife's Ody....

I used a mesh wire similar to one that is used for eaves on a house. You can get it at any hardware store.

I painted it black, used ties and it works just fine. It leaves ample air flow. The Ody has a 'lower' ground clearance and I was more concerned about that vehicle since I live on dirt/gravel roads. I did this three years ago and it looks like it may have taken a hit or two but no penetration, and no affect on the A/C or vehicle performance.

My wife has her Ody at work, so I can't grab a pic now, and I don't think I took pics of it.

I could not find Vertrkr's post on OdyClub.com -- The Honda Odyssey Online Community but perhaps an email to him might yield some pics. He's still a member here and logs on so perhaps he can help out.

If I find a pic, I'll let you know, or post a link if I find is thread on that site.

 

exactly what meanmachine19... said Ive done the same

I just don’t think there is a lot of incentive to improve the durability. Might be lots of affected folks, but statistically not a huge number. Of course if it affects you than who cars about the odds of it actually happening. A Ford site I occasionally visit is discussing the same thing. The condenser on most recent cars is susceptible to the same puncture from road debris. The 1999-2007 Odyssey certainly suffers from this, possibly not more than any other vehicle, but it’s was seen as an issue when we had the 99 Ody, so its been a source of discussion for a somewhat longer than the Ridge has been around. I haven’t looked for myself, but I did read on an Ody forum that the lower grill on the 08 Ody was changed to help limit stone damage. Of course, that’s more than hearsay, but I can see that on our 07 Ody that the condenser is lower to the ground than on the Ridge and there is nothing in front of it that would deflect anything. It “appears” to be more susceptible to stone damage than the Ridge. It wouldn’t be rocket science to substantially improve the situation.

 

This is the thread I was looking for that Vertrkr posted on the other website (I hope you don't mind, Vertrkr). Scroll down and he has pics of his install.

Hope this helps.

Now if I can find the spare gutter guard, I can put some on my RL....

 

This is the thread I was looking for that Vertrkr posted on the other website (I hope you don't mind, Vertrkr). Scroll down and he has pics of his install.

Grrr... to view those images, you have to be a member there. oh well

 

I had my RL fixed at the dealer today. Definately a hole in the condensor. Anyway, my Insurance covered the repair under my comprehensive coverage and I only had to pay $100 deductible instead of the $500 for accident coverage. They also reimbursed me for car rental.
I was lucky.

 

Good to hear.... Thanks for the follow up...

 

I have a similar issue. Just got a call from the dealer and it's going to cost one thousand dollars to replace . With a condenser costing under $300 + $100 for the diagnostics, looks like labor costs and replacement / disposal of refrigerant is costing me $600. Seems steep although I really don't know what's involved with replacing the condenser.

I didn't think about calling the insurance company... I'll have to do that and see if they can pickup some of the costs. Thanks for the tip!

 

$600 for refrigerant is a little steep. I would look elsewhere.

 

I am not going to read the who whole thread, but just in case someone didn't mention it, there are 3 fuse boxes. Under the hood there are 2, one is easy to spot on the passenger side, then there a small on on the drivers side under the hood near the battery.

The other is under the dash near the parking brake.

 

It cost $635 to replace my air conditioner condensor. This included the new condensor, labor, recharge and a rental car for one day. The insurance company reimbursed me $535. I have $100 deductible with my comprehensive coverage.
I suggest trying another dealer.
My refrigerant leaked out. There was no disposal.

 

Air conditioning repair is a very lucrative segment of the repair market. As a tech, I cannot control anything in regards to the parts costs. They are what they are. Generally, r134a refrigerant is somewhere around 15-25 dollars per pound. The Ridge's capacity (it's in grams) is somewhere around 2 pounds (to me it's foolish that refrigerant is still sold in 30lb tanks... we should have embraced the metric system years ago).

As for labor... replacing the condenser is not really all that difficult. You remove the front bumper cover, unbolt the two lines going to it and unbolt the brackets securing the condenser to the core support. Quite simple. The profit comes in the diagnosis, and the evacuation and recharging. Every A/C job requires the use of an A/C evac recharge machine. Basically, you hook it up, enter some info, and press start. Then you can walk away and work on something else for the 20 min or so it takes. It is again a situation where the repair facility has a captive customer. The average consumer does not have the knowledge or equipment to fix it themselves. In addition, many states prohibit unlicensed persons from working on A/C systems.



HT

 

Air conditioning repair is a very lucrative segment of the repair market. As a tech, I cannot control anything in regards to the parts costs. They are what they are. Generally, r134a refrigerant is somewhere around 15-25 dollars per pound.
HT

I remember when they had R12 on closeout at Nationwise Auto Parts (now advance auto parts) on closeout for 89 cents/lb. I bought 2 cases. By the time I finally ran out, R12 was over $90/lb. and you had to have a license to dispense it. (which I had at the time)

99% of that $90/lb price was all taxes. From what I understand now, it is over $100/lb even if you buy it in bulk.

 

The most common failure of a vehicle's air conditioning condenser is piercing due to impact from road debris. The second most common failure is outer abrasion caused by chafing or rubbing the soft aluminum piping against a harder steel component such as a condenser support, header plate, etc...

Failure of a component due to road debris excludes the mfr's liability and/or rsponsibility in replacing the given part under warranty. Failure of the same part due to the use of poor engineering practices during the design and testing should be the responsibility of the mfr.

On another note, as of 2011 R-134a will no longer be used in all european-mfd vehicular air conditioning systems. California will also be enforcing new stringent measures in the handling of this refrigerant as it's now believed that R-134a does possess ozone-depleting substances and can contribute to global warming.

 

Just an update...

I called my insurance company and they said they would cover it under comprehensive. (I have a $500 deductable though)

I went to the dealership and told them I would be using insurance instead of paying cash. They said they had a different rate they used with insurance companies. I was thinking it would be more expensive, but it turns out the quote was cheaper!

The quote follows: “using motor (blue) guide 2008”
Part# 80110-SJC-A01 – Condenser $292.40
Add refrigerant $30
Labor – Evac / Recharge 1.4 Hrs @ $98.75
Labor – Condenser 2.1 Hrs @ $98.75
Hazardous Refrigerant Disposal $15
+NJ Sale tax for a grand total of $730.83
Add in about $100 for the initial diagnosis.

 

Cant recall exactly what it cost at the time, a long time ago, but pretty sure I paid ~$60 for a 30lb cylinder way back when you could get them at CostCo or was it Price Club at the time?