Finally figured out why my car AC was blowing hot air - after 4 hours of YouTube

I spent a whole Saturday chasing a refrigerant leak on my 2012 Honda Civic up near Portland. Turns out it was just a 5 dollar relay switch behind the glove box that was clicking but not engaging the compressor. Worst part was I had the part in my garage the whole time from a previous Amazon order.

3 comments

3 Comments

sethhernandez11d ago

Spent a similar Saturday on my old Corolla chasing a phantom AC issue too... tore half the dash apart only to find a loose ground wire that I probably bumped when I changed the cabin filter the week before. Felt like a real genius sitting there with a multimeter and a bag of parts I didn't need.

felix_williams7111d ago

Honestly, does it ever feel like these cars just play with our heads? I swear I spent three Sundays on my old Tacoma chasing a charging issue, replaced the alternator and battery, only to find a corroded connector hiding behind the headlight. Ngl, I had all these fancy tools laid out and felt like a total clown when I just scraped the corrosion off with a screwdriver. Tbh, I think every project car has that one gremlin that makes you question your whole life choices.

the_jordan10d ago

Six hours into my AC nightmare on a 2005 Camry, I was ready to sell the thing for scrap. Turned out the blend door actuator just needed a little tap with a hammer to unstick it. My multimeter, vacuum pump, and three different cans of refrigerant all just sat there judging me. I tell myself I'm saving money by DIY'ing it but those YouTube rabbit holes cost me weekends I'll never get back.