Hello everyone. I'm having a hard time finding straight answers to my issues with my Sunfire. First off its a 2002 Sunfire 2.2L. When I turn on my A/C it revs and accelerates periodically until I turn off the A/C. This is not normal for this car as I have been driving it since 24k miles. It currently has 109k miles and seemed to start this at about 90k. It seems less noticeable at higher speeds. The check engine light is on and I had the code read. I don't have the code on me at the moment, but I'll post it when I get home. I do know that the code translated to a large leak in the emissions system and have been told that it may be the problem I'm having. Anyone know what could be causing this issue or where I should be looking?
02 Sunfire revs and accelerates when A/C is on
- Thread starter Eagleeye
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So I did a bit more research on my symptoms and found out that some people seem to think that the problem could be the A/C compressor or clutch going bad. Does that sound like something that could be causing the issue? If so how do you check for such a thing?
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I assume you would have mentioned if the AC also was not working. The engine control system automatically adds a little power for you when the A/C compressor is on to compensate for the increased workload. Normally the added power and the drag from the A/C cancel each other out so you don't notice this. However if the computer thinks the A/C is running when it is not for some reason, you will notice a small but significant surge in engine power.
To check this, watch the A/C clutch. This is the center part of the pully. When the compressor is off, the clutch will disengage and allow the belt to spin the pully without spinning the compressor. When the clutch engages, the center part of the pully (and thus the compressor) will spin with the pully.
If the A/C cycles on and off frequently and the engine surges correspond, it would probably indicate a low refrigerant condition.
To check this, watch the A/C clutch. This is the center part of the pully. When the compressor is off, the clutch will disengage and allow the belt to spin the pully without spinning the compressor. When the clutch engages, the center part of the pully (and thus the compressor) will spin with the pully.
If the A/C cycles on and off frequently and the engine surges correspond, it would probably indicate a low refrigerant condition.