Well it was like 75 degrees here in Boston today and i went to the beach with my girlfriend. Well I drove the car for about 10 miles and it was fully warmed up and i turned on the AC for the first time this year, and ran it at "MAX AC" set at 4. And as i was driving i noticed that as i accelerated the acceleration wasn't steady, it felt like it was being tapped on. Like a "spike" in the acceleration, and it did this everytime i had the AC on "Max AC", but not for heat or anything of such. I also noticed a loud clanging/clicking sound that came on (i could also litterally feel it through the clutch and brake pedals...) when i had "Max AC" on. My car's idle did drop once while i was at a light with the ac on, so i just drove there and back with my windows down. Any suggestions? I'm scheduled to go in on the 29th of this month for suspension check up and i'll have them take a look at the HVAC system. I just wanted to know if anyone else experienced this problem, and if not any suggestions that i could give to hint to the mechanic if he says everything looks good.

As for mods, all i have is underseats neon, RRM SRI intake, that's it nothing else.

Thanks for your time guys,
-Jason Lee

 

That's completely normal. The A/C is controled by a magnetic clutch. It kicks on and off. When it is on, it can pull anywhere from 5-15 hp depending on the vehicle. Unlike our foot operated clutch, it engages immediately. No feathering at all. This is the clicking noise you hear. The idle drops when the "compressor" is activated because it causes more strain on the engine. The ECU compensates so the car doesn't stall. This is why the revs fall, rise, and then go back to normal.

I give you my full assurance that all of this happens to all other cars. It is normal.

 

Yep, normal.

 

Great explanation I also wondered about this.

 

all is normal the accel part has to due with your belts powering your a/c now which is robbing power from your motor... which is why you feel a little luggish i guess and your prolly having a harder time shifting smoothly too, also a result of this. That's why i don't use my a/c to much feels like i gotta run my car really hard to get smooth shifts. The power loss from the a/c bothers me to. I can't wait for an underdrive pulley set that should help some.

 

I found that it messes with Mivec. The loss in power from the HVAC makes the changes in MIVEC more noticable.

 

I wouldn't say that it robs the power. I mean, you willfully turned on the A/C right?

 

haha alright, i'm glad that i'm not the only one experiencing it, i guess i'll just tell my dealer to take a look at the suspension only then.