AC cycles on/off every 10 seconds

I don't know if my car has always done this, but I realized recently
that my AC compressor cycles on/off every 10 seconds when idling at a
stop light. Is that normal?

I have a 2001 Civic. The outside temp was about 80s, low humidity
(maybe 25%). In terms of cooling the cabin, the AC works fine. But
when I'm idling, I notice the AC compressor will turn on for about 10
seconds, then turn off for 10 seconds, which seems too frequent to me.
(I can't tell what it does when I'm driving because I can't hear the
compressor).

 

Several threads at honda-tech.com have discussions of a/c
problems like yours. I suggest registering there (no charge
and no spam) and then searching the site. For best results
when searching there, check off "Data Set... Archived
content" and "Search In... Post Bodies." It should give you
some ideas on whether you need to troubleshoot this.

 

That's a classic sign of low refrigerant.

 

Agreed on this year Civic I would say so.

On the newer 08 Accords the compressor kicks on more frequently than I
have ever seen in any car before. The question that we will need to
start asking is does it cycle faster than in the past?

 

If when the clutch switches off, the vent temp is 8C approx, it's normal
evaporator ice stat activity.

If when the clutch switches off the vent temp is much more than 12C, it's
low on gas (or some other problem)


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