91Accord

My 91 does that, too. I think it is because of the load that the A/C compressor puts on that LEEEDLE, TEEENY engine....I don't think there's anything abnormal about it.

JimBlake

Yeah, the AC puts a big extra load on the engine, and the system is supposed to compensate for that to hold a steady idle. But it never holds it PERFECTLY steady.

But he says the compressor cycles about every 5 seconds? That's way to often. Should be more like every couple minutes. I guess the fast-cycling is a symptom of low refrigerant charge?

AccordCoup94

yea.. it keeps recycling every 5 seconds. its not an exageration. i dont knnow why. yesterday it was only 71 degrees here in philly and i ran the ac to see what would happen and it ran like normal. i will try again today and see if it was a heat related problem. i was thinking i might have too much refrigerant in there instead of too little since i just added a whole can. the ac never did this before i added it in...

JimBlake

Fast cycling due to overcharging makes sense to me. Too much liquid inventory in the condenser, so there's not much vapor space to compress.

But people who seem to know Honda's system have said that fast cycling can be due to low charge. I actually can't claim any personal experience since my R134a systems haven't leaked out (yet).

AccordCoup94

i just tried to charge the system again after reading this post and the can i bought isnt charging into the system anymore. i think it is already full.

JimBlake

Or maybe it's way overfilled...

Lager

I think Jims on to something here,, Accord Coupe 94,, quit charging your AC,, you might be doing more harm then you realize..Even tho, I have been working on these cars for the past 22 years, its really difficult to diagnose someones problem with out even being able to hear the car,, much less having it in front of me,,One persons idea of a an idle fluctuation is different then anothers,, How much is acceptable or normal,, 100 rpm or 500 rpm..Really dosent matter once we get to 94s real problem and that is his AC system,, Since the problem didnt start till he added freon,, I have to ask,,, " Why did you think you needed freon and Im hopeing you added 134a freon only" Instead of anything else.. Since I cant see the car, I cant experience what the car is doing,, I cant read pressure readings from your AC system,, I really suggest that you bring your car to someone that is qualified to diagnose youir car correctly..Spend the money wisely,, select the right person,, I cant stress this enough. I suggest your local dealer and ask for the best person they have experienced in AC repair.. You might the cost will be high,, but consider the consequences.. A Misdiagnosis that can cost you a LOT more, a ruined AC system that Will cost you thousands.. Do the right thing,.. This forum is nice to throw around ideas and to discuss engineering,, But its not a place for someone like me to give you suggestions ( when I cant even see the car) and have you try them that could lead to serious problems for your car.. I appologise,, Im new to the forum, Im skilled in these cars and I have the tendency to expect the same with the people that I talk with..I mean this with NO offence to you Accord 94, im sure you are very skilled in your profession and I would have no idea what you are talking about if you were to ask me something about yours,, Sometimes,,, you just need to throw in the towel, and I think its that time for you and I,, because I really dont want to hurt your car more then it already has.. Do the right thing.. Lager

Mr White

I had a similar problem once.

For some odd reason I wanted to add a can of freon into my Accords A/C.
So me and my nephew did it and went on our way.

After awhile the compressor kept going on and off and the RPMs went up and down.
At the same time the A/C was blowing less cold air.
So we go to an A/C shop and the guy hooks up the car and does his thing.
Tells me there is no reading which means my A/C is shot.

Ask him how much, tells me that everything needs to be replaced at a cost of $1300.
Now I live in Florida where A/C isn't an option, its a necessity.
So after feeling beat we left the shop and my nephew says pull the car over.
He goes under the hood and with a key releases a sh*t load of air from my A/C line.
(Seems when we added freon we got too much air in there)

And what do you know, perfect A/C.
Still cold to this day (1 year later).

The moral of this story is, becareful who you go to for car repairs.
Cause a $1300 job can sometimes be fixed with a simple key.

Shane M Plusfam

I have a 99 Civic and my idol jumps up and down bad and car will run like crap and sputtery sometimes even stall out trying to take off if I unplug a sensor on the intake it only does it with AC off but once ac kicks on idles fine most of the time but loss of power please help once I plug that plug on intake it idles fine intill I push clutch and try take off most time note ac does work on highway but sucks in town or at idol