A/C clutch Cycles every 30 seconds

[rwb137]

I own a 2007 Civic Si 4dr. I've noticed that when I'm driving down the road with the a/c on that the temperature fluctuates while driving at a constant speed. When idling I notice the a/c compressor clutch is turning off and on every 30 seconds. Know that this isn't normal it too my vehicle to the dealer.

They check the a/c system evacuated the system and recharged to proper levels but the a/c still cycles. They're telling me that this is normal. My friend has a 07 civic si 2dr and his a/c stays running all the time. I know that there are sensor like the evaporator temp sensor that could be faulty causing my a/c concern.

My question is to the si owners. Does your a/c compressor turn off and on every 30 seconds? Do you think this is a normal operation of the a/c system?


Thanks,
Rob

[nolimit179]

i don't have an SI but i have a 08 civic ex. mine cycles on and off every 30 seconds or so including the a/c fan, it did it on my 04 rsx, 05 xterra and the civic. i've never heard of the a/c staying on all the time. you don't have a problem, it's working normally.

[volvo9]

On the older cars I have owned the AC stayed on but when I had my Si the compressor cycled when idling and when driving. When idling the compressor and the fan would be turning on and off togeather. When in a drive through waiting for coffee I could hear the compressor click on and off. I also noticed a temp fluctuation when the ac was turning on and off on the highway.

If you are complaining that the AC is weak then do some searching, many have complained, it's just the way the car is. The car is engineered for fuel economy and putting a large AC system in it will kill mileage. I went from a Ford Taurus with great AC to my Civic and I thought the AC sucked, esp when idling or going slow. It wasn't too bad on the highway once the car cooled down. My mothers corolla is similar, small fuel efficient car, weak AC.

[SoCal07Si]

got ur defroster on?

[rwb137]

Yes the front defroster is on.

[peter_x]

Originally Posted by volvo9

I also noticed a temp fluctuation when the ac was turning on and off on the highway.

Same here. I think it's normal.

[jasongg06]

yea apparently it's normal..

poor implementation IMO. In many cars I've been in, I don't notice the compressor kicking in/out. Even when it does, the temperature usually stays the same..

It's not the same for my civic however, every time the compressor kicks in, there's a noticeable "thud", every time it kicks out, the temps starts going up...

[Bertelicious]

Good thread. I was wondering the same thing. I guess the cycling of the system is just more noticeable in this Civic than in my previous vehicles. I thought it was kind of odd but if y'all say it is normal, Ill buy it.

[rwb137]

I talked to a guy today who owns a 07 4dr civic si and he says that his doesn't do it. I think we need some more input.

[SoCal07Si]

Originally Posted by rwb137

Yes the front defroster is on.

Thats why.

[08LX]

Ya I complained about it to cause I had my heater controls on a setting where it uses the A/C and didn't think it was. So I heard it going off like every 5 seconds it seemed. It's normal.

[nolimit179]

like i said in my earlier post my a/c cycles on and off but i've NEVER had the temp gauge get hotter even sitting in traffic on a 80+ degree day.

[illusionstwice]

Mine does it every 30 sec wehter AC is on or off, when I have the vents on of course. Its annoying, but it is normal. Had it checked out by honda back when I was at mile 100. Im at 33k+ now and its still the same.

[volvo9]

Originally Posted by nolimit179

like i said in my earlier post my a/c cycles on and off but i've NEVER had the temp gauge get hotter even sitting in traffic on a 80+ degree day.

air temp out of the ac vents, not the coolant temp.

[rwb137]

I just don't get why my friends 2dr SI a/c compressor doesn't cycle at all but when my a/c is on panel it cycles every 30 seconds. So far I found out that the evaporator temp sensors are different due the the different size of the cockpit. You would think that because a 4dr has more area that the a/c compressor would cycle less than a smaller 2dr. I found specs on this site for checking the sensor will let you guys know what I find.

[OrdnanceMarine]

I've only had my FA5 for 4 months and just over 4000 miles so not a huge pile of Si experience to draw from, but enough to have observed some of the characteristics of the A/C on the car. I put 1000 of those miles on it in the past week with many of them with the A/C on. My compressor does cycle every 30 seconds or so, maybe more frequently. If I'm at idle I can hear the change in sound easily since I've got the Ingalls engine torque damper and it transmits some extra noise to the cabin, especially when the A/C compressor is running. I've also got a ScanGaugeII and I can see the increase in fuel consumption at idle (~.20 GPH vs. ~.30 GPH).

Bottom line: My compressor cycles and I notice no change in the air temp.

[rwb137]

alright still not satisfied with the a/c I have investigated the a/c concern further. I found that my low side pressure is 30 and my high side pressure is around 75 on a 70 degree day with low humidity. I believe that that the high side pressure is showing that there is some kind of problem.

Does anyone else have a/c pressure they can post. I'm going to check my buddies a/c pressure this weekend to compare.

[nevertofast]

hmmmm i hate the fact that my car cycles every 30 seconds its freeking disgusting to me so much so that i barely use my a/c or defroster only when neccessary

[rwb137]

I can relate. That's why I am on a mission to find a fix for this. I know for a fact that some SI do it and some don't. I've owned a lot of toyota and the 05 corolla that i have doesn't cycle. It just runs for 10 minutes or more. An a/c systems should be no different. All a/c systems work the same.

[Silver8th]

Mine does it too. I don't know if its doing it while driving, but definatly doing it while idling.