Hi All!

2000 Civic LX Automatic

I am asking for help in diagnosing this problem:

AC compressor cycles on and off continuously every 10-15 seconds, with an audible click and engine idle up and down with the on and off. When I rev it up to 3000 or so the compressor still cycles on and off when I let the revs come down. Freon charge is ok. Cleaned out the evaporator box, it was dirty. What to do next?

I'm stumped. Can anyone help?

Thanks,

John

 

What are the high and low side pressures?

Does the condenser fan run?

Did you recently recharge the system?

Is the A/C working well?

 

If you're saying it only cycles on and off at idle (and runs normally at 3000 rpm), it's because the engine is idling too low (clogged IACV, etc). The ECU is programmed to kill the A/C whenever the rpm drops too low, to prevent stalling. When that's the case it'll also be worse sitting still in drive than in park or neutral since the transmission in gear puts additional load on the engine.