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Hello, almighty Civic guru's! Here's my problem:

My bf has a 2004 Civic w/auto transmission. Nothing special; just the base model w/no pwr options.

About 2 years ago, he jumped a curb and crushed his radiator. Insurance replaced it, and it was fine throughout the winter, but come summertime, he flipped on the AC, and though it blows cool (not cold) air, every time the compressor comes on, the idle drops significantly and nearly stalls out the car. The compressor kicks on for about 4 seconds at intervals of 8 seconds, and there's a clicking sound audible right after the compressor stops.

I wish I could tell you what the rpm's drop to, but his car doesn't have a tach. Comparing it to the sound my manual '01 makes before it stalls out, my GUESS is it's dropping to just over 200rpm's.

Any hints/tips on what could be wrong and how to fix it, or is it time to hit up the shop? AC coolant has been recharged recently and the pressure is fine, too.

 
Rep Power: 812

hmm usually idle issues are caused by the IAC valve on the throttle body getting clogged, which isnt really related to the accident (maybe a coincidence?). you may try cleaning it just to be sure. thats the valve thats supposed to raise the idle when the compressor turns on. sometimes it gets clogged and cant move like it should.

 
Rep Power: 0

Thanks, Gear. I'll have him clean that out on his next day off and see if that fixes the problem. Will let ya know the results!

Anyone else who needs to clean theirs; I found a DIY guide here.