Originally posted by AcuraTL
When you turn the A/C on, it puts a load on the charging/electrical system. If you don't believe me, go get a volt meter and take a reading at idle with no A/C on. It would probably read somewhere between 12-14 volts. Turn the A/C on and you'll probably see it drop to 10-12 volts for a few seconds and then it will return to normal.
The small current drain caused by the electrical controls related to the a/c puts a small load on the alternator and is negligable compared to the hp drain required to operate th a/c compressor which is belt driven off the engine. The a/c compressor is what causes the drop in rpm & hp and is most noticable on smaller hp motors.
If this was the cause of the problems that started this thread, it would happen everytime the a/c kicked in and not just once or twice when just starting up and cold.