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I recently bought a new 2005 Civic LX 4sp, and I've noticed that when I run the A/C the compressor seems to turn on and off. It's usually about 15 seconds between cycles. I seem to notice it more at high speeds on smooth freeways than I do at slower speeds. The temp of the air blowing out of the vents remains steady, though. Is this on/off something that's normal?

 
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normal

 
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it happens, only uses it when it needs it

 
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really??? never knew that. What a convenient gas-saving feature

 
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You shouldnt be able to tell when the compressor kicks in on the highway, if you do you have a serious problem.

 
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well yea you can. it makes a noise when the fans turn on and you can hear it click on. also voltage will drop and air flow is affected for a second.

 
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Yeah I can hear the quiet click, but I never notice any difference in air flow. The only time I notice a change in voltage is when the car is in idle and the headlights dim for a second. I'm just going to assume all is normal.

 
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you can do a trick. Hold the power window buttons up even after the window is rolled up. You'll see tons of dimming but yea all normal. the a/c just takes alot of voltage from the alternator as well as engine power.

 
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isn't it bad to turn on/off the AC while driving? that's what I heard....

 
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yea its bad for the compressor to click on at hi rpms. Eventually it will break something. that said, having ac on means it will switch on/off anyway. then again they also say the chemicals eventually corrode the pipes. One member is using envirosafe instead of r134a and its supposed to be alot better for nature and not corrode anything.

 
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when you use a/c it makes your car use alot more gas. you lose one of your cylynders just to power the a/c. when i say lose i mean it drains 25% of your engines power. in my old buick you couldn't feel it cause the engine was big but in my 01 ex 5sp you can feel a difference.

 
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How high rpms are we talking about? Last week while driving up a steep hill I was running the A/C and the rpm was about 4500 for a minute or so. I also remember reading in a previous topic that the compressor doesn't come on while the car is accelerating quickly, although I'm not sure if that's true or not.

 
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if the pedal is far down enough, it turns off. Like if its on at a light and you floor it or give it some good gas, you can feel it kick off until you're done. I would guess over 4k rpms is bad, but again it doesn't happen once. It does take a while and repeated on/off at hi rpms to break.

 
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well for stick, i heard u can just push the clutch down and turn the AC on/off while driving, but for autos, the best thing to do is turn it on when the car is at a dead-stop.

 
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yea but the compressor still turns on and off automatically when you drive.

 
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Most of the driving I do is on the freeway, and I usually wait and turn on the A/C once I'm on the freeway and going at a steady speed. I like the extra power for the acceleration, and I always assumed that would be better for the car too. That hill I drove up last week turned out to be steeper than I thought, and the car really downshifted. I just hate that I may have caused premature wear on the compressor.

 
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listen try to drive with the windows cracked and let the outside air be pulled in through the vents without using the air. or do that without using the compressor. or just roll your windows down. if you need air all the time you bought the wrong car.

 
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