Question for you...any issues with your A/C not cooling properly in temps of 90F? Mine is four days old and seems to be the only problem I am having, the A/C just cannot cool the car well in very hot weather. You?

 

I have the 06 Civic Coupe.

Yesterday my car was 131 degrees inside and I turned on the A/C and drove 20 miles with the setting at Max. The temp of the air coming out of the vents was 54 degrees. The outside air temp was close to 100.

I think that should be good enough.

I say get a thermometer and check it yourself and see what it is doing.

 

I have similar problem except that I can physically feel the compressor turning on and off.. It turns off for about 5 seconds and then turns on for about 20 seconds.. then the cycle repeats itself.. This only seems to occur at high speeds (55mph and greater). I called two separate honda dealerships and spoke w/ their service managers.. Both said this is completely normal.. I find hard to believe. Anyone have any further input on this?

 

That is what is called "Cycling".

It does that because if it ran continuously then it would freeze up. This way it will get as cold as it should and shut off for a few minutes and then come back on. All cars do that.

 

Ron,
Thx 4 your reply. The only thing I have an issue w/ is you say it gets as cold as it should and then cycles.. Mine cycles all the time, even before I reach a comfortable temp... Is this normal?

 

Mine will have cold air coming out of the vents and then there will be not so cold air coming out. This is when it is cycling. The system cycles on, then off, then on, then off. I put the thermometer on the vent and it cooled down to 54 degrees while driving and system was cyclingso it must be working ok.

Have you tried using a thermometer on yours to see what it does?

 

Guys - the anti-freezing temperature sensor/shut-off switch is factory set for 37F. 54F coming out of the A/C vents is WAY unacceptable. The temps coming from the vents should be in the 38-42F range.

If the car is still under warranty, I would definitely take it up with the service department. And if the technician says 'it's good enough,' ask him to show you in the manual where it says the vent temp should only be XX degrees. If that doesn't work, ask to speak to the service manager or take your car to another mechanic who has an A/C technician on staff.

Cycling is exactly what the compressor's doing when it shuts off and comes back on. However, excessive cycling (especially without cold air) points to other problems.

 

yup 54 out of the vents is way to high, at work when doing a/c the acceptable range is 38-42F like type rb said, so if its coming out at over 50 you should probly take that back to the dealership

 

how about sitting at a light and it get almost warm, then when i start moving it cools down. 54 degrees seems a little high to me, but then again i would love my house to be as cold as a refrigerator if it was affordable.