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I know a car question in a region forum, but I didn't have this issue back east when 90 was the high.
Both our cars have cold air blowing while in motion, but when stopped at a light the air comes out kind of muggy/a good bit warmer.
After trying to recharge the freon on my own (clutch and fans were working great so a recharge seemed like the next step, it wasn't, I didn't need freon), I had the wife's car looked at by a local dealer, who reset the system and sent me on my way. However we both still have this issue.
I figure it's just too hot to count on the fans while stopped (why is the A/C condenser on top of the radiator is beyond me). The engine heat radiating into the condenser (combined with ambient heat) just might be too much heat load for the AC system to handle.
Your ac system is weak. It needs a good service, not a half donkey slang term service.
There are several important parts to an ac system, they all have to be in proper working order to function properly at all times. Freon can't do anything if it isn't properly compressed, evaporated, and compressed again.
What kind of cars are they? We have two Nissan delivery cars at work and they both do the same thing in really hot weather. I am a mechanical person and checked them myself, fans are working fine.
Some vehicles need a ton of air moving through the condenser to work properly and I feel that the fan sizing is just too small.
On the other hand however, at one time we had five diesel VW Golfs and the air was ice cold like the old R12 freon days but it all reverts back to system design and VW managed to hit that nail on the head.
They are both 8th generation honda civics. Ones a 2008 the other a 2011. I took the one to a dealer here in the valley because I figured they'd know best, and they got the air at 55° coming out of the vent at a stop, but that's before the car warmed up too much.
Neither car runs hot, but certainly the coolant in both is original (honda coolant is 100k coolant).
I don't have tint on either car (just haven't had time).
I have a 2000 Honda Civic and the AC is pretty much worthless in summer until you're on the freeway for about five minutes. I've replaced nearly the entire system (compressor, condenser, condenser fan, expansion valve, and flush all lines) and recharged by weight and it had nearly no effect.
I've messed with this for a few years now and it seems like the condenser is not large enough or the condenser fan is not powerful enough to work well here.
I just live with it now and I'll definitely be buying my next car in the middle of summer . My Civic AC works wonderful and you'd never know there is a problem except June - Sept.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MDrenter223
They are both 8th generation honda civics. Ones a 2008 the other a 2011. I took the one to a dealer here in the valley because I figured they'd know best, and they got the air at 55° coming out of the vent at a stop, but that's before the car warmed up too much.
Neither car runs hot, but certainly the coolant in both is original (honda coolant is 100k coolant).
I don't have tint on either car (just haven't had time).
FWIW, in my experience it's usually vehicles with engine-driven fans that have weak A/C when stopped and adequate A/C when moving. For those vehicles, a new, or "heavy duty" (earlier fan clutch lockup) fan can help. The way those work is the fan clutch is disengaged when the engine is cold and starts to lock up as it it gets hot.
Since your car is FWD with a transversely mounted engine, it would have electric fan(s) rather than an engine-driven fan, so unless there is something wrong with your electric radiator fan, your problem lies elsewhere. Also, you'd probably see engine temps rise while stopped if the radiator fan were the issue.
I know a car question in a region forum, but I didn't have this issue back east when 90 was the high.
Both our cars have cold air blowing while in motion, but when stopped at a light the air comes out kind of muggy/a good bit warmer.
After trying to recharge the freon on my own (clutch and fans were working great so a recharge seemed like the next step, it wasn't, I didn't need freon), I had the wife's car looked at by a local dealer, who reset the system and sent me on my way. However we both still have this issue.
I figure it's just too hot to count on the fans while stopped (why is the A/C condenser on top of the radiator is beyond me). The engine heat radiating into the condenser (combined with ambient heat) just might be too much heat load for the AC system to handle.
So anyone have this issue?
Some cars have weaker A/C. As long as everything is normal on your car (sounds like it's fine) you get a double whammy while stopped in traffic. For one, the a/c compressor is driven by the engine and when you are at idle, it's "compressing" a lot less than at a higher RPM. Two, less airflow over the condenser meaning a higher temp as it hits the metering device and expands, ergo warmer temps out of the dash.
Of note, a neat thing about hybrid cars is generally the a/c is driven with an electric motor, and as such can match the cooling demands with varying the rpm of the motor, independent of vehicle speed.
Not really much you can do here, except like you mentioned get it tinted. Also consider a windshield tint, 80% is the typical one used, you can hardly tell it's there, but it blocks out a ton of UV and heat.
Thank you for your advice, we have just moved to Vegas from the east coast so we never had this issue before.
It makes a whole lot of sense that it can't quite keep up when stopped, luckily the traffic here is pretty light so we don't stop for long (only my wife picks up on such things, she's extremely perceptive when driving, she can even tell a full tank from a nearly empty one based on the handling of the car).
I appreciate your help, no sense chasing a problem that is inherit to the car (next car will be something a bit larger (mini van or station wagon/CUV)).
Have you tried putting it into recirculation mode in stop and go traffic? That's what I have to do with my 4-cyl car. It's been that way since brand new, the A/C just doesn't cut it when idling in summer. My V6 vehicles, on the other hand, always perform well in the summer.
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. My Civic AC works wonderful and you'd never know there is a problem except June - Sept.
