AC quits after ~15 mins

Question

I have a 2007 Honda CRV and after about 15 mins the AC will stop working.

Before the AC will start to work again, the care must be turned off for a few hours.

Took it to a car shop to have it looked at and they said the refrigerant should be fine. They also said they can't tell what the problem is. So now I'm trying to diagnose this myself.

I've checked that it is not the relays (by swapping similar ones around).

The car has 1 belt that connects the Alternator and AC Compressor; but I don't know how to check if the AC clutch is engaging or not.

If the clutch is NOT engaging, what would be the cause of that?

If the problem is the clutch, is it possible to replace just the clutch? I've seen that the clutch can be bought seperately and is it "wise" to do that, or should I just get a new compressor?

So far the only things I'm aware of that the problem could be is: refrigerant, the relays, or the compressor.

Is there anything else I should be trying to diagnose?

Answer 1

the cause of this is that the clutch is worn out. When the clutch gets hot it starts to slip and need some hours to cool down, you can replace the clutch and will be totally fine. There is other dirty workaround where you put washers before the clutch, this method works fine, but I don't recommend it even if i did it myself last year on my car.

Answer 2

Does the blower motor still work on ALL the different fan speeds when the compressor doesn't come on (not just HIGH only)? Do condenser cooling fans stop working when the compressor stops working? Is the check engine light illuminated? I can get further into the theory of operation of this system, but we need a bit more information 1st. Cheers!