I have a '99 Civic and was told a couple years ago it was in need of a new compressor when I took it in to have the ac re-charged. We haven't driven the car much in the past couple of year's, but now I've decided it's time to put a little work into it. The ac barely puts out cold air, and that's only when the car is moving. After driving it for about 15-20 minutes in 80-degree + weather, the temp guage creeps all the way to red. It may be a stupid question, but as my thread title asks, could this be caused by a bad ac compressor?

 

no you have a different problem.
replace the thermostat and see if that helps.

 

On a '99 the engine cooling and the A/C are completely independent.

If the A/C only works when the car is moving, it is generally a problem with the condenser fan. But again this won't cause the engine to overheat. The radiator and condenser are side by side and operate independently from each other.