I got the tensioner on and the problem is not one I thought of. Imbedded in small sections of the grooves in the pulleys and the belt itself is what I believe is burned up remains of the old belt. It is sticky like silicone sealer but with fibrous material like the belt. All the pulleys turn easy so it is just getting a new tensioner, belt and the pulleys cleaned up.

 

That sounds like a real pain to clean that stuff out of all the pulleys...!

Watch the AC compressor pulley. When you spin it, the AC clutch is disengaged so the pulley freewheels.

If the AC compressor is seizing up, you'll only burn up another belt. Engine idling, turn on the AC. Watch the AC pulley & watch the RPM.

Or with the belt off, try to turn the compressor by hand, by turning the hub of the pulley. Not sure how much drag is excessive, but there's a few guys around here with more AC experience than me - maybe PAHonda or TexasHonda.

 

I just put it back together but didn't think to check the compressor with the key on. The old belt wasn’t burned. Whatever was in the pulleys came from somewhere else. I will see what the compressor does as you suggested.

 

A bad compressor fits all the symptoms. A few times it idled really bad with the defrost on and when the belt slipped I just turned the control to defrost. Working on it today I noticed the compressor has oil dripping off and none on the engine. I am going to unplug the compressor and take care of it in the spring.
I really appreciate the help.

 

The defrost may turn on the a/c to dehumidify the air to help defrost the windows. It doesn't on my 95, but the newer accords may do this.

The compressor pulley should spin freely when then a/c is turned off, because it would only use the bearing. I would make sure that the clutch is not engaged when the car is normally running (without a/c turned on). Also spin the compressor pulley to make sure it spins smoothly to ensure it has nothing to do with the bearing.

The compressor may be shot or have a seal that is leaking. When the a/c is turned on, the clutch should engage, and drive the compressor. The shaft seal is one common spot for a seal leak, and may have leaked out all of your R134a. I don't know how the compressor would act if all of the r134a leaked out and the system was full of air.

 

The AC clutch turns just fine as does the PS, water pump, and alternator. On the 2003 the defrost mode puts on the AC.
My 2003 EX sat for a year and I had the dealer put in a used engine. I am paying for letting it sit so long. When I got the car back from the dealer the AC didn’t work as well as it once did.
The belt tensioner had rust pits, grooves worn in it, and almost all of the paint gone(looks like the paint melted) but still turned smooth. There is a lot of back dust on the frame rail which could be from the belt or the paint from the pulleys. The belt only shows wear on the smooth side.

 

My 2003 runs the AC when you set the air-direction to defrost (including the mixed defrost&floor). It runs in stealth mode, without lighting up the green AC lamp. But it DOES run and you can't switch it off. Gotta unplug the little wire at the compressor clutch like you say.

Also, the tensioner pulley lost it's paint under the belt rather quickly, but that didn't hurt anything. It was much MUCH later when the bearing began wobbling & making noise.

If there's any question about alignment of the engine mounts, check very carefully around the belt. There was very little clearance between the crankshaft pulley & parts of the subframe. Is it rubbing on anything?