A/C Compressor/ Rough Idle problem.

[jpetrovic]

I see Alot of A/C questions Due to the weather warming up :)


I havent seen my question though.

Here it goes. 88 Lxi MT

My A/C would Click On and Off Constantly, I Figured The freon was low so I had the system Recharged with the R-12. Cost me 270 Bucks. The Compressor Still kicks On and Off Constantly. It Runs for a good 5 to 10 mins after start Up.
Then It starts to Click on and off Quickly. Sometimes i can leave the car at Idle For 30mins and it wont Cycle on and Off constantly.

When the compressor turns on It Runs Like a Champ! But after awhile it Just clicks as if its trying to activate then it comes on for a while then Goes right back to The On/Off Cycleing Process.

When the A/C Cycles On and Off Fast It dosnt Hurt the Rmps.
But When The A/C actually Engages Idle Drops to about 200rpms JUST as the car seems to stall the Idle Come right back to Normal With The A/c Clutch still engaged.
The car Vibrates Violently, When the A/C activates as if i tried to start the car in 4 gear. Very Rough.


Is the Compressor gona take a shit on me??
Or does this have something to do with the idle?
ha.. Or both??

[Toneloc5145]

How is your cooling system? Does you car ever "overheat" or "underheat"? Is your coolant level correct?

[jpetrovic]

How is your cooling system? Does you car ever "overheat" or "underheat"? Is your coolant level correct?


My thermostat when bad in 2006 i replaced it along wiith the coolant.

also I changed my Coolant again Last Summer. But the car has never overheated. as for the Underheat. The Needle on the dash gauges for the Coolant temp stays a little Under the halfway mark. I dont know if its supposed to be Right on the halfway mark?? IF The Needle is supposed to be Right in the center then How do i Bring it Up to temp?
I use the 50/50 Coolant mixture and I Bled the system. No air bubbles.

[Toneloc5145]

My thermostat when bad in 2006 i replaced it along wiith the coolant.

also I changed my Coolant again Last Summer. But the car has never overheated. as for the Underheat. The Needle on the dash gauges for the Coolant temp stays a little Under the halfway mark. I dont know if its supposed to be Right on the halfway mark?? IF The Needle is supposed to be Right in the center then How do i Bring it Up to temp?
I use the 50/50 Coolant mixture and I Bled the system. No air bubbles.

I asked because last year my car did the same thing. The compressor would turn on, then turn off, then turn on, then turn off. I charged the system and the compressor still did that. I figured out that my coolant was low for some reason, and without that coolant, the a/c would not work correctly. I flushed my coolant and refilled it and it worked fine.

I also had that problem the year before and found out that one of the connections to the compressor had corroded and come loose. I cleaned the connections and reconnected it and the A/C worked fine.

[Toneloc5145]

Also I don't know if F.I. cars have an A/C idle screw but Carb'd cars do, and you may be able to fix your idle by adjusting that screw. The Idle should raise a little when the compressor kicks on (and it should not drop at all). But again, my car is carb'd so maybe the f.i. cars are different.

[1987AccordLx-i]

honestly man.. our cars barely make enough power to get up on the road.. just dump the a/c system if you cant fix it.. that compressor just takes too much power from the engine.. but if you need a compressor i got one..

[jpetrovic]

Also I don't know if F.I. cars have an A/C idle screw but Carb'd cars do, and you may be able to fix your idle by adjusting that screw. The Idle should raise a little when the compressor kicks on (and it should not drop at all). But again, my car is carb'd so maybe the f.i. cars are different.

The Idle Screw for the A/C. Where is that? on the compressor?
I'm going to Check The wires Going to the compressor as well to make sure they aren't corroded. Also. im going to double check the coolant again.

Thanks a bunch man. I'll keep u updated

[jpetrovic]

honestly man.. our cars barely make enough power to get up on the road.. just dump the a/c system if you cant fix it.. that compressor just takes too much power from the engine.. but if you need a compressor i got one..

man.. I need A/C!! I dont want to show up to my appointment with a client and have a Sweaty V mark on my chest. Thats a No No. ;)

[nswst8]

Remove & clean your IACV, Check your timing 15+2degrees (17 degrees) and RPM adjustment. This helped the rough idle with the A/C engaged on mine.

Your idle adjustment is on the throttle body just above the opening. Disconnect 2P connector on the IACV when adjust the RPM (800RPMs) You will have to pull the fuse (In the fuse box under the hood) to clear the memory code on the ECU I think is the #10 fuse

[jpetrovic]

Remove & clean your IACV, Check your timing 15+2degrees (17 degrees) and RPM adjustment. This helped the rough idle with the A/C engaged on mine.

Your idle adjustment is on the throttle body just above the opening. Disconnect 2P connector on the IACV when adjust the RPM (800RPMs) You will have to pull the fuse (In the fuse box under the hood) to clear the memory code on the ECU I think is the #10 fuse

Im going to Check the IACV. I did some reasearch on it and found a Great article that explains IAVC for our cars. after reading that Im pretty postive its the IACV. http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/honda-iacv-explained-967.html
Im going to clean out the IACV, if that doesnt work then im going to Get into the timing and Idle adjustments. ALSO i havent Checked the Connection on the compressor to see if it was crudded out. Soo i have a few things to do. i'll keep ya posted

[Xulfiqar]

your problem is with the ac thermostat sitting under the glovebox - its a little chrome box with 2 wires and a sensing bulb going into the evaporator coil
it is adjustable - but just remove it and dump it in IPA or spray IPA in it where the adjustment screw is