After i replaced my radiator the other day i was letting the heater go on and then i turned my ac on to check how warm my eninge would be with it on at idle and i heard it cyecle on and off on and off about every 10 seconds is this normal.?

It puts out cool air but not ice cool i filled the system about 2 years ago. If this is not normal what could be the problem. The system was converted to 134 a few years back and since then has not really cooled as well as it used to i would like to get it to the point were i freeze my *** off.

 

when you noticed your compressor cycling, was the **** in "max ac" postion? if so then it is completely normal, as max ac is designed to recirculate cabin air and cycle the compressor for increased fuel economy.

 

Ya it was on max AC so that is no issue then.

But how do i make the system colder everyones car freezes me which i like but mine just puts out cool air not cold air.

 

im having the same issue with mine, but 90% of the problem is the sun, the rays heat up the inside big time, and so the ac has to work harder to compensate. First step would be to get your windows tinted, you dont have to go overboard, as a little goes a long way, second would be to cool the car down as much as you can before you turn the ac on, then leave it in max, as mentioned before max does the better job because it countinues to cool the air inside the car, not outside air. Lastly, put dye in your system to check for leaks, as they can hurt ac performance hope this helps
Derek

 

Wait, I thought when you put it on Max A/C It kept the compressor on and when it's on the normal settings it tends to cycle etc. I have been having a cycling problem with normal settings, bought a can of refrigerant with a gauge. Checked it and it was dead center in the blue (25-45psi I believe) - so I didn't bother adding any. I still think it tends to cycle every ten seconds like this guy, except I didn't have it on max ac (if I do the compressor just stays on.)

Edit: well max ac opens up a little door and re-circulates inside air, both settings will cycle the compressor or it'll freeze the system up. Hopefully I'm not damaging my a/c system, it's been holding that r134a charge for four years perfectly just seems to cycle a lot. clutch adjustment? I don't know, I don't know what the hell I'm doing.

 

is there any play in the climate control ****?

 

Doesn't seem sloppy at all, never had a problem setting it and wondering if it was incorrect. (unlike when my shifter linkage became loose.) I guess I'll just keep a close eye on it and maybe time how long it cycles when the car warmed up or cold start.

 

The compressor circuit is controlled the same in max and norm selections. Both of them power on the compressor circuit all the time. The clutch cycling switch (aka low pressure switch) on the side of the accumulator controls when and how often the compressor cycles.

Rapid compressor cycling is caused by two things.

1) Low load on the cooling system (fan on a slow speed, or cooler ambient temps).

2) Low refrigerant charge.

On a hot day, with the engine at idle, the compressor should not cycle more than once or twice in a minute. If it's hot enough, and the fan is on high, sometimes they won't cycle at all.

Given the information you have provided, everything points to a low refrigerant charge.

Add one can and see what that does. If it cools acceptable then, call it done. If not, let the car idle in park, max ac, blower on high, and post back with the following info:

1) Ambient air temperature during testing.
2) Compressor cycle time. Time it from one time goes off until the next time it goes off. If it runs 3 minutes without cycling, stop timing, and call it "running continuous"
3) Temperature at the center vent. If you don't have a decent digital thermo, a meat thermometer will work ok.
4) If you have the means to measure pressures, that will be helpful, but if not, we can make do without it.

Make sure to let the system run in the above condition for at least 5 minutes prior to taking the listed measurements. The results will be more consistent that way.