Question on 8th gen Civic A/C
07-21-2014
#1
"Honda - tried, true & tested...!"
Thread Starter
Question on 8th gen Civic A/C
I have a 2008 8th Gen Civic sedan my question is.? when driving my
A/C works cold. but when my car is at a idle like at a stop light it gets less cold but still is cold but not as cold as when the car is moving. I have checked the front A/C condenser for any debris or leaves and found nothing and yes the fan is working.
is this normal on 2008 8th gen Civic sedans to do..?
A/C works cold. but when my car is at a idle like at a stop light it gets less cold but still is cold but not as cold as when the car is moving. I have checked the front A/C condenser for any debris or leaves and found nothing and yes the fan is working.
is this normal on 2008 8th gen Civic sedans to do..?
07-21-2014
#2
If you think a good mechanic is expensive, try hiring a bad one
Re: Question on 8th gen Civic A/C
It's normal on any AC system. Some are more obvious than others, Civic has a quite small compressor.
When sitting still, the compressor isn't being spun as fast and there isn't as much air flow across the condenser to remove heat (even though these use electric fans on the condenser).
At idle the compressor is spinning slower (belt driven compressor, engine idle RPM), thus it isn't as efficient as when you are moving down the road @ over 1500 RPM.
But if it's a horrible situation at idle, there could be a compressor pumping problem at low RPM or something. Pressure gauge checks and a trained eye should tell if there is a real problem.
When I do an AC performance test, I'm supposed to keep the engine RPM at 1500 or so, and it helps to put a fan in front of the car too.
When sitting still, the compressor isn't being spun as fast and there isn't as much air flow across the condenser to remove heat (even though these use electric fans on the condenser).
At idle the compressor is spinning slower (belt driven compressor, engine idle RPM), thus it isn't as efficient as when you are moving down the road @ over 1500 RPM.
But if it's a horrible situation at idle, there could be a compressor pumping problem at low RPM or something. Pressure gauge checks and a trained eye should tell if there is a real problem.
When I do an AC performance test, I'm supposed to keep the engine RPM at 1500 or so, and it helps to put a fan in front of the car too.
07-22-2014
#3
"Honda - tried, true & tested...!"
Thread Starter
Re: Question on 8th gen Civic A/C
It's normal on any AC system. Some are more obvious than others, Civic has a quite small compressor.
When sitting still, the compressor isn't being spun as fast and there isn't as much air flow across the condenser to remove heat (even though these use electric fans on the condenser).
At idle the compressor is spinning slower (belt driven compressor, engine idle RPM), thus it isn't as efficient as when you are moving down the road @ over 1500 RPM.
But if it's a horrible situation at idle, there could be a compressor pumping problem at low RPM or something. Pressure gauge checks and a trained eye should tell if there is a real problem.
When I do an AC performance test, I'm supposed to keep the engine RPM at 1500 or so, and it helps to put a fan in front of the car too.
When sitting still, the compressor isn't being spun as fast and there isn't as much air flow across the condenser to remove heat (even though these use electric fans on the condenser).
At idle the compressor is spinning slower (belt driven compressor, engine idle RPM), thus it isn't as efficient as when you are moving down the road @ over 1500 RPM.
But if it's a horrible situation at idle, there could be a compressor pumping problem at low RPM or something. Pressure gauge checks and a trained eye should tell if there is a real problem.
When I do an AC performance test, I'm supposed to keep the engine RPM at 1500 or so, and it helps to put a fan in front of the car too.
and they say Freon is full and report no Leaks either. service advisor "also did mention the compressor on civics are lighter and smaller for weight savings for fuel econo savings." guess its a common thing on the 8th gen
2008 sedan Civics.
07-22-2014
#4
If you think a good mechanic is expensive, try hiring a bad one
Re: Question on 8th gen Civic A/C
I notice it a lot in most of the small Hondas, even if the owners are used to it and don't complain (much).
My own 12 Civic is this way too, and it's a dark color so it soaks up the daytime heat really good. It could be 150-180*F inside after sitting in the blazing sun with the windows up all day. (Yeah, I've actually checked that with an infrared temp gun.)
It's super obvious at stoplights for the first several minutes of driving when it's got a real hot interior temperature, but after about 10-15 minutes of driving with the AC on full blast and it's *finally* getting cooler inside the car-- the vent temp rise at stoplights isn't quite so apparent.
(I drive around with a digital thermometer stuck in the dash vent all the time too.)
My own 12 Civic is this way too, and it's a dark color so it soaks up the daytime heat really good. It could be 150-180*F inside after sitting in the blazing sun with the windows up all day. (Yeah, I've actually checked that with an infrared temp gun.)
It's super obvious at stoplights for the first several minutes of driving when it's got a real hot interior temperature, but after about 10-15 minutes of driving with the AC on full blast and it's *finally* getting cooler inside the car-- the vent temp rise at stoplights isn't quite so apparent.
(I drive around with a digital thermometer stuck in the dash vent all the time too.)
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