TooCheapToGetANewCar

Hi:

Well, now that the temparatures are getting high here in FL, it's time for the A/C to start F-ing up on me.
My A/C turns on OK and blows cold, and was last charged probably close to a year ago. If the vehicle is actively moving then the A/C runs fine, but once or twice now I've had the engine temperature shoot up on me, which lead me to pull over, kill the motor and wait for it to cool down. If I don't run the A/C at all, then the temp never has any problems.
If I come to a stop and sit at a light or otherwise don't move for a few minutes, then the A/C starts to really have some problems. The air starts warming up on me, and I also hear the engine working as if the compressor went off. I wait a little bit more and then the engine idle/RPM suddely drops as the compressor tries to kick back on (but fails to do so.) Sometimes the engine has even stalled bacause of this sudden drop in power. Once I put it in gear and start moving again, the compressor engages and the air flows cold again. If the A/C is off when I am stopped then no stalling occurs.
My limited experience with auto repair tells me that there is a problem with the compressor, thermostat, or both. Any ideas?

Thanks

tomcool

It might be the engine fan is not working, check it first and check all the fuse, it might be a problem too. hope it helps!!!

rossodsm

It's normal for A/C to stop cooling while your car sits idle, all the vehicles that I own do this, and as soon as I start moving then it starts to cool. But you are talking about the engine overheating which is something else, maybe the A/C compressor is not moving well enough that it causes your Accesories that are driven by the belt to slow. Don't know about 94 accords, but if the water pump is belt driven by the same belts, it will also slow down causing overheating.

TooCheapToGetANewCar

Thanks for your input. As far as belts are concerned, I know that my A/C and power steering has its own belt which had to be replaced about six months ago. Not immediately sure if the water pump is on the same belt, but if so then that leads me to think that the pump might be on its way out; since my initial post I have encountered minor temprature spikes when sitting idle for several minutes, even when the A/C is off, then the temp drops back to normal when moving. Thanks again.

4GAccordEnthusiast

Sounds like your compressor is starting to sieze up. May need a new one. Have a mechanic check it for you. If your compressor pulley is overly hard to rotate then it will drop your RPMs as your idling engine tries to rotate it. Check to make sure both your electric fans are running when your A/C is in use. They come on as needed so give them time if they aren't both on when you first look. You may have to replace a cooling fan relay. Possibly the overheating has to do with the faulty A/C compressor.

TooCheapToGetANewCar

It has been a while now and A/C repair has fallen low on my priorities, but I though I'd post an update just for general info./coda to my problem. When I presented my dilemma to a mechanic, he said the best thing to try first would be to hook a tester-thingy to the A/C, which I had him do for free; according to the guy who did the test, he said that the pressure of the chemicals that handle the refrigeration was too high (overfilled), and said the system needed to be emptied out and re-charged to a more conservative level (quoted me around $30 to do this.) Didn't say anything was wrong with the moving parts or the compressor.
Since it is fall now I am not too worried about fixing it but will keep it in mind when it gets warm again and have spare $$$. Thanks to all that replied, and the dude that suggested a potential problem with the cooling fan relay, this may be useful in troubleshooting another issue I have with this car (see: https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=2120613)

thanks again
MD