A/C compressor starts/stops continously

When the engine is idling my a/c compressor from time to time starts/stops
continously. When I speed
up and let the engine fall down to idle it migth stop the flickering between
start and stop.

In general the aircon seems to work although it has difficulties to cool the
cabin down when idling
for long in traffic jams.

Do I need a recharge?

Thanks and regards
Per

 

Check your idle speed setting.

 

It might be a little low, you could have it checked easily enough. What year
is it? If it's an old R12 system it'll probably be cheaper to convert it to
R134, if it's new enough to be 134 then it's easy to top it off.

 

When the engine is idling my a/c compressor from time to time starts/stops

If it goes on and off within af few seconds you are short of gas.
If it runs for like 30 seconds its normal.

You can get a good idea of how well it cools by measuring the temperature of
the air with the system running at lowest temperature.
You should read around 2 deg C. If its higher that that you are normally
short of gas.

Is it AC og ECC you have?

Niels

 

It is an ECC system. The A/C compressor start/stop cycle is 1 sec.

Last year the pressostat stopped working and I had it changed. I think I
lost a little gas
through one of the sealings at that time.

Thanks and regards
Per

 

1 sec sounds very much like low charge - more gas should fix you up.

Mike

 

Probably, but don't overcharge if you can DIY in your country. Too much
does not mean extra cold, it means likely pressure damage somewhere in the
system.

 

Not to mention poor cooling. If it's new enough to use R134 he should be
able to charge it himself, but if it's an old R12 system he'll have to take
it in somewhere.