There are plenty of cars out there with a quarter-million-mile reputation for reliability other than “that one thing”. Toyota trucks rust very easily, the Chevy 6.5L diesel has PMD that overheats, and for many Honda models, it’s the air conditioning. Owners and skilled mechanics call it the “Black Death” because it describes the color that is attracted to their AC lines when the system stops working. It influenced many Hondas since the 2000s, but from our experience it looks like the CR-V compact SUV is most at risk.

Air conditioning compressors are a pretty well established item at this point, they all work the same way, and as cars get older, they all seem to fail the same way. The clutch may be worn out, preventing you from starting the compressor. Leaks can develop over time, and if one of them causes the system to dry out, it can even cause the compressor to lock up completely. What is unique about Honda compressors of this era is that while the internals of the compressor may begin to separate, the compressor itself may remain in operation for some time, pushing that debris through the rest of your system. is.

When you install a new air conditioning compressor in any car, you need to replace the dryer and thoroughly flush the air conditioning lines. The dryer acts as a filter for your air conditioning system; In addition to trapping contaminants, it also captures any moisture in your AC lines, hence the name. Moisture can build up in your AC lines, creating a blockage that prevents refrigerant from circulating. In most cars, replacing the filter and flushing the rest of the lines is enough to keep your air conditioner running like new after replacing the compressor.

Because the compressors on Honda and Acura models decompose slowly, they send more debris and shrapnel through the rest of your air conditioning system and into smaller passages in your condenser, where it can be more difficult to remove. By the time your air conditioner stops working completely, the compressor will have pushed some of it into the evaporator under your dash, which is even more laborious to replace. Because of this, simply replacing the compressor is not enough, and doing so without any support work means that your new compressor will fail very quickly because parts of your old compressor are still running through the lines and into the pipeline. Huh. Part.

This is a problem in many Honda models, but we see it more on CRVs. It could just be because the Civic has always been seen as a semi-throwaway economy car, or because the automatic transmission fails in the Odyssey before the AC. The CR-V is a bit more practical than the Accord with cargo space and all-wheel drive, so you can keep them in service for a little longer. The popularity of SUVs in general also makes older models more in demand, with CRVs currently edging out the Civic and Accord. If you need to replace the air conditioning in your CR-V, we have a few different options available.

1) Replacing the compressor alone – not recommended, but we still have parts available. The compressor has a one-year unlimited mileage warranty, but only if you have proof that the dryer was replaced and the system flushed. If you do not receive the dryer from us, make sure you have a receipt for the dryer, either from a different auto parts source or from your mechanic, ready to use in the event of a warranty claim.

2) Order one of our 5-piece kits; These include compressor with clutch, dryer, expansion valve (the other part that is easy to gum up and relatively easy/cheap to replace with everything else), new oil for compressor, and o-ring to prevent any One set is included. In other leak systems. The kit that includes all these 5 parts is warranted for two years, while there is one year for the compressor alone.

3) Order one of our Master AC Kits; These include the 5 main parts from the above kit, as well as the condenser, evaporator and AC lines. This is a much more complicated installation process, but it is also the best way to ensure the long-term reliability of your Honda. It has the same two-year warranty, and as more people become aware of the problem, having receipts for replacing the entire air conditioning system will improve your car’s resale value as well.