the dash switch of course? My compressor cycles reguarly even when the dash switch is completly off(fan and ac). I know that it is the AC compressor dragging down the idle cause Ill turn on the fan and the air will be cold. So I hit the ac button and the idle compensator kicks in with it and it idles fine. Is it some sort of switch on the compressor to keep it from freezing up, ECU controlled or what? I would like to know cause its basicly like Im driving around with my AC running all the time and my gas mileage has suffered.

TIA!

BTW: Its a 92, if that matters

 

the other "kicking in" you might be thinking about is probably your radiator fan

mike

 

huh? Maybe I didnt state my question clearly....

What causes the compressor clutch to activate and run the AC?

 

Defrost with the temp. on cold will activate the AC.

 

OK thanks, that makes sense, but what I was looking for is there a switch, relay or valve that I can test that may be malfunctioning or is it ECU controlled?

 

bump.....

 

About 99% sure AC isnt ecu controlled....well not directly.

Sounds pretty odd that it would cycle...even if AC off????

 

is it possible for the Switch in the cabin to malfunction like that?


Has anyone heard of this?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by stumpyf4 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Defrost with the temp. on cold will activate the AC.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

that's what my dad's truck does.....it's supposed to be better for defrosting the windows in high humidty or something dumb like that

 

wow its like pulling teeth to try to get an answer around here.......

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by NeoGSR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

that's what my dad's truck does.....it's supposed to be better for defrosting the windows in high humidty or something dumb like that</TD></TR></TABLE>

thats not dumb. an air conditioner dehumidifies air. moisture in your car that causes frosting is due to moisture. makes sense to me and its why i have to run my a/c in the winter some times. get the girlfriend talking and the pass. side window fogs up.


i really don't know the answer to your question other than a bad relay or a very senstive switch. i have a feeling the switches on the DA and DC are different, but i had problems with mine(the switch wouldn't work at all) and it was the relay, it was the least costly thing i could fix and it ended up working. HTH.

 

[QUOTE=texnteg]

thats not dumb. an air conditioner dehumidifies air. moisture in your car that causes frosting is due to moisture. makes sense to me and its why i have to run my a/c in the winter some times. get the girlfriend talking and the pass. side window fogs up.
[QUOTE]

yes it is dumb!!!!!!!!

naw, i get what you're talking about, makes sense

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nafreak &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
the dash switch of course? My compressor cycles reguarly even when the dash switch is completly off(fan and ac). I know that it is the AC compressor dragging down the idle cause Ill turn on the fan and the air will be cold. So I hit the ac button and the idle compensator kicks in with it and it idles fine. Is it some sort of switch on the compressor to keep it from freezing up, ECU controlled or what? I would like to know cause its basicly like Im driving around with my AC running all the time and my gas mileage has suffered.

TIA!

BTW: Its a 92, if that matters </TD></TR></TABLE>

You say that when you press the cabin switch your idle goes back to normal?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by integra-modder &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

You say that when you press the cabin switch your idle goes back to normal?</TD></TR></TABLE>

That is correct.

Its not like the compressor is on ALL the time, but I will *feel* it engage when I am not running the AC occasionly. Im pretty sure that it does it other times, but the only time I can feel it is when its at idle.

 

You sure its the compressor engaging and not your idle dropping for a sec?

 

Ugh, that doesn't sound fun to fix. If you were nearby, I'd offer up my circuit tester to track down what's gone wrong. I would think if it's the AC pump clutch then it would either be on or off full time instead of cycling as usual. So basically half of your AC electrics thinks it's on and the other half doesn't which is why the idle is only compensating when you hit the button. My money is on a dead/stuck relay somewhere. See if you can get a wiring schematic for your car, and trace backwards from the AC pump clutch wires. Figure out what's telling the clutch to engage, then figure out why that thing thinks the AC is on.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Jet Black &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You sure its the compressor engaging and not your idle dropping for a sec?</TD></TR></TABLE>

He said that the vents blow cold with just the fan on.

 

Have you confirmed it's the AC compressor? Try leaving the ventilation controls with the fan off vent position at face level, and temperature control at cold. The air will still flow when your moving. If the AC cycles on, you will feel the temperature drop in the air.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by roadrunner &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Have you confirmed it's the AC compressor? Try leaving the ventilation controls with the fan off vent position at face level, and temperature control at cold. The air will still flow when your moving. If the AC cycles on, you will feel the temperature drop in the air. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Uhm ... no, there's a temperature sensor on the evap. core that keeps it at the same temperature whenever the AC is on. When it gets cold enough the AC clutch disengages, when it warms up the clutch engages and the pump starts pressurizing the condensor again. Hence the air coming out of the vents is going to stay at more or less the same (cold) temperature regardless of whether or not the compressor pump is actually turning over.

I'm pretty sure he's diagnosed the problem correctly based on his posts. I'm assuming two things ...

1. He knows what cold air is and
2. He knows the "feel" of when the AC clutch engages. (I know I do)

Also the fact that the idle only compensates when he hits the AC button would leave me to believe that he's diagnosed the problem correctly. In that some part of the electronics thinks the AC is always on.

 

wcsinx:
nafreak mentioned that he tried it with the fan on, but that is only one of two paired conditions required for normal operation, so I wanted to know if it would cycle with both conditions off (AC switch and fan control both off).

I'm not sure why you seem to be responding to other people's posts rather than nafreak's post as that is the original problem. We're all trying to get more info to help him, but I haven't seen anything constructive yet in your posts...

...and yes, I'm quite familiar with how AC systems work, thank you...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by roadrunner &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">wcsinx:
nafreak mentioned that he tried it with the fan on, but that is only one of two paired conditions required for normal operation, so I wanted to know if it would cycle with both conditions off (AC switch and fan control both off).

I'm not sure why you seem to be responding to other people's posts rather than nafreak's post as that is the original problem. We're all trying to get more info to help him, but I haven't seen anything constructive yet in your posts...</TD></TR></TABLE>

Nice try at a red herring there but no dice buddy. All I saw in your post was utter b.s. that'll do nothing but lead him astray. I suggested that he trace it electrically starting with the pump clutch. Somehow I feel this is far more constructive than your suggestion.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">...and yes, I'm quite familiar with how AC systems work, thank you...</TD></TR></TABLE>

Apparently you're not if you think he's going to be able to feel a temperature drop when the compressor engages. Trust me, he won't. If the AC system back of the ECU and console switches thinks the AC is on, then the evap is going to be at a constant temperature. He will not feel a temp drop when the compressor starts up. Sorry, but that is just flat out wrong. So take your little sensitive *** and sulk in a corner whilst you come to the slow realization that you WERE WRONG. Get over it.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by roadrunner &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">wcsinx:
nafreak mentioned that he tried it with the fan on, but that is only one of two paired conditions required for normal operation, so I wanted to know if it would cycle with both conditions off (AC switch and fan control both off).</TD></TR></TABLE>

Try reading nafreak's first post carefully this time. He answered this question in the first damn post. So who's not being helpful again?

 

One thing I haven't seen in this thread...

This happens at idle, right? If it really is the compressor clutching in, you can open the hood & look. You can SEE the compressor clutch. Either it starts spinning or it doesn't. Don't rely on something like 'I know it was dragging down the idle'. There's other things that can drag down the idle.

If the clutch doesn't engage, then this whole AC thing was a wild goose chase.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JimBlake &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">One thing I haven't seen in this thread...

This happens at idle, right? If it really is the compressor clutching in, you can open the hood & look. You can SEE the compressor clutch. Either it starts spinning or it doesn't. Don't rely on something like 'I know it was dragging down the idle'. There's other things that can drag down the idle.

If the clutch doesn't engage, then this whole AC thing was a wild goose chase.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

good point do what he says

 

wcsinx:

My feathers aren't ruffled, but it seems yours are by the tone of your post.

My mistake in not drawing a conclusion based on what nafreak had stated, but there's no reason for your attitude with people that are trying to help. I haven't exactly seen anything that you've posted that has helped him cure the problem. The boards are meant to help each other, so your negativity only serves to prevent others from learning. Please let nafreak answer for himself.