My A/C seemed fine when I made the drive out here to Arizona. Since being here (I moved to the East Valley from the upper midwest), my A/C compressor has been acting funny. When the compressor engages, it really drains power, enough to interrupt driving. The real problem is that after the engine has warmed up, the compressor constantly cycles on and off, making for a very jerky ride when the compressor engages and disengages. This has become so annoying that I've reverted to just having the windows down and avoiding use of this car. When engaged, the compressor is quite noisy, too. Not a LOUD noise, but definitely noticeable. FYI, I'm getting cold air.

Is this normal? Normal for S2000's in the Arizona heat? Anyone else experiencing this? Any ideas for a fix?

Thanks for any help.

 

does not sound normal to me. could be low of R12 or the compresser is on its way out.
if you can't work on it take it to a good shop.

480-894-6277 / ph
480-452-0964 / fx
info@ScienceofSpeed.com

1115 W Fairmont Dr
Tempe, AZ 85282
United States


+1 for SoS

 

Thanks.

When this started happening, I thought that the system might be low on refrigerant, too. After two cans (and the gauge said system was full), the problem is not fixed.

 

So, the freon was low? A/C is a closed system so you probably have a leak somewhere. I have over 200k miles on my original A/C system and freon but have never touched it. Also, if you over filled the system the compressor will cycle a lot and possibly stop working. I did this on our old Subaru.

 

BTW, welcome to AZ!

 

If the compressor is noisy its going bad, sorry...

 

QFT, alot of people over look this fact as well.

 

True

Empty or very very low = Wont turn on at all
Slightly under filled system = Compressor runs all the time but wont get really cold
Perfectly filled = Compressor runs almost all the time with occasional shut off for a few seconds to prevent icing of the evap
Slightly overfilled = Compressor cycles more often
Very overfilled = Wont turn on at all or only for 1 to 2 seconds

But none of these conditions will cause a compressor to be loud and make ill sounding noises so.... Compressor is bad

 

If the compressor is indeed bad, see Robert (HWY88) over at NAPA for an aftermarket compressor or Ben (3en) over at Bell Honda for an OEM one. These guys will take care of you.

 

If the compressor goes bad there is a good chance it can throw metal shit into the system and really tank it