kingbri1

Living here in central Florida A/C is a must...regardless of how hard you try not to use it. That being said, my 04 GT runs terrible with the A/C. It feels like it misses alot, stumbles, and generally just a huge loss of power.... but the air blows cold. I understand that a/c will cause a little performance loss but this is ridiculous.. Any tips on what to check? Took it to a local shop and was told if the air is cold then the A/C works fine, and it must be something with the engine..

any advice??

thanks!

hpwrestler220

That's how my car feels as well.. It's just because keeping it at a low RPM with the AC on is causing the car to work really hard to get going... If you keep it above 2000rpm's at all times, the car will drive fine with the AC on...

getafewlives

I dont have any issues with mine... I can sit there idling with AC on and have no issues. I do feel a slight power loss when it is on, but nothing major.

cliffyk

^+1, I have no issues at all even in 100°F+ heat. At idle you barely notice it cycling, even with a lightweight flywheel.

If the system is overfilled it can take a lot of torque for the first spin-up of the compressor, require more power to drive, and cycle more often--but even at that the engine should not misfire...

hpwrestler220

I as well dont have a "problem".. But if i am driving at lets say 40mph and i turn the AC on, you can feel an initial "tug" on the car, which is normal bc now the car is working much harder to keep the car accelerating...

If i am in a low RPM, my car will sputter... I thought my spark plugs were messed up or something, but i narrowed it down to only when the AC is on and only when i am at a LOW rpm...

liljojo4711

mine at idle throws the rpms up to like 1400 then down to 400 and lunges when the a/c is on. i have almost rear ended someone at a light with the break held down lol. i have to just turn it off if im sitting at a light. its ridiculous. i actually noticed that if it is on low or low/medium it is fine but when i turn it to medium/high or high it lunges. no idea.

smitty2919

Mine idles better at a stop with the AC on lol I can feel the car vibrate due to the motor but with the AC on it actually idles smoother lol.

But I also feel the inital "tug" when driving and the relaitve "power loss" when it's on.

Have you ever been in a car that had a missfire? It's something very noticeable. If you are in tune with the car, you will mostly notice an "odd" idle exhaust tone.

Off the top of my head I don't know what to look into for that situation when the AC is on if it feels that bad.

Brute03

thought i was the only one with this "problem". i can feel whenever the compressor kicks on, especially when going up hill. in others cars i've owned it was never this noticable, mileage takes a huge hit too

Cusp

When I drove my 78 HP FIAT, when the AC clutched engaged, I would just about have to down shift to make up for the tap in the engine horse power. There was a clunk I could feel through out the drive train. This car has none of that. No clunk through the drive train. I can't even tell there is a load on the engine except for the MPG is a little lower if it is being run a lot. There is not even a wobble in idle speed at a stop light. The computer kicks the AC clutch out during wot so I don't even notice getting on the freeway is a bit slower. Guess what I am saying is, I have not experienced the AC dragging on the engine in a meaningful way.

DreamerGT

On both my cars It doesn't feel like anything really when I turn the AC on. But back when I owned a 96 dodge neon I would have to turn the ac off just to pull out into traffic. The power lost was that bad.