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1.8 engine and AC

skhell

skhell

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Location
Portugal
Car
1.8, 6th gen Accord
Hi guys!

Is it just me and my car, or the Accord with the 1.8 engine(F18B2), gets a bit sluggish with the AC on?
I notice this mainly in with low end rpms, and it's even more noticeable when leaving from a stop light with the AC on. Also, I notice the idle gets a bit more rough.

Is this somewhat common in this engines? If not, where should I start to look?

The sparks are almost new, the spark leads are Magnecor and have 3/4 years. The ignition coil, distributor cap and rotor are almost new, and oxygen is about 2 years. Also, the IACV and EGR have been recently cleaned, and the valve gaps have been checked recently. I guess we can rule these out.
 
Does the AC belt have a tensioner pulley? If that is a but too tight wouldn't it put undue strain on the engine.

Just a thought, may be way off the mark...
 
No, it doesn't have a tensioner pulley. The tension is manually set on the alternator.

Also, I don't believe that is the problem, since the belt is always turning, whether the AC is on or off...
 
barneyrubble said:
mine is the same, if it works enjoy it, no point looking for things to worry about
Click to expand...

That's good to know.
Maybe Honda installed used an AC compressor too heavy for this engine... At least it cools the the cabin in a few moments B)
 
Mines the same too :wacko:
 
I was just going to post a thread on a similar thing. Few things I've noticed is that my AC doesn't seem to blow much cold air, would this need regassing? Do the temps go lower than 18c? Also when I stop at traffic lights and the car is idling, the car vibrates with the AC on, like its putting some serious strain on it. Doesnt seem normal!
 
No, the temps do not go under 18º, at least in the dial...
You might need to re-gas the AC if it's not getting much cold air.

AS for the car vibrating a bit more than normal on idling with the AC on, it also happens to me, but the curious thing is it doesn't happen all the time, just on some occasions :unsure:
 
Right, here goes :lol:

The AC will kill a lot of power in the 6th gen. It does on all cars it fitted too. But seems to be more prevelant on the 6th gen.

I used to find this on my old F20B6. It's simply because the AC unit that was fitted to the 6th gen is a big lump of a thing as uses a lot of power to run it. All AC units use engine power to run them, and will kill your MPG. The way the AC is 'driven' on the 6th gne is also an issue.

Pedro, as for the extra vibration at idle it's because idle is the lowest RPM your engine can run (safely) when there is no load on it. When using AC your car needs/uses more power and therefore there is more strain on the engine. At the basic RPM (idle) the car is not 'allowing' for the use of any major system i.e AC, so the engine is under extra strain without giving more power output whilst at idle to power the AC unit. You should find if you press the accelerator when at idle to increase the idle RPM by even as little as 100rpm, you will notice the vibration/shaking stops as the enigne can then put out enough power to run the AC unit.

IIRC the basic unit(s) you use by having the AC on will take (up to) 15% off your MPG, and will use between 8-10bhp to run - on the 6th gen. Have a quick google of 'anti-air con info' and this should give you all the answers you need.

If your AC is not working to the level that you think it should then first thing, get a re-gas. Most garages can do this for £40 or so, and it takes about an hour. If this does not cause your problem, then replace the Pollen Filter - there is a how to on here.

Hope this helps dudes.

Si.
 
Simon, although you are correct, the power drop should not be so noticeable... And yes, as soon as it it the gas pedal, the shake goes away.

I guess the engine is not compensating(or is not able to compensate) the power lost by the AC when on idle, and that's probably the cause of "all" problems.

Honestly I never drove other car with AC, so I can't compare it, but I guess on newer cars, that difference should not be so noticeable.

Conclusions: I will keep using the AC, and ignore the rough idle while using it :D, after all, in a couple of weeks, the temperatures over here will easily reach 38/40º :eek:
 
skhell said:
after all, in a couple of weeks, the temperatures over here will easily reach 38/40º :eek:
Click to expand...
Bu99er me!!!!

How+Hot+Was+It.JPG
 
On every PETROL car i've ever driven that has AC when it's on there is a noticable loss in power. But on every DIESEL car i've ever driven with the AC on, there isn't. All i can think is that on the diesel the tirbo just works that little bit harder to compensate.
 
Love that ice-cream van :lol:

Also, diesel engines have more low-end torque, which makes the power loss less noticeable in lower revs.
 
I know that on the Mk 2 Golf, if you have power steering fitted as an option you also get an extra vacuum line installed - this goes to a unit that can detect when the engine is under load at idle and increases the idle RPM slightly. I'd be surprised if Honda did not engineer their car with some way to compensate for the extra load the ancillaries can put on the engine. Although I do remember that if I turned my AC on at night my headlights went noticeably dimmer :lol: so maybe they didn't :p
 
luvmyaccord said:
Right, here goes :lol:

The AC will kill a lot of power in the 6th gen. It does on all cars it fitted too. But seems to be more prevelant on the 6th gen.

I used to find this on my old F20B6. It's simply because the AC unit that was fitted to the 6th gen is a big lump of a thing as uses a lot of power to run it. All AC units use engine power to run them, and will kill your MPG. The way the AC is 'driven' on the 6th gne is also an issue.

Pedro, as for the extra vibration at idle it's because idle is the lowest RPM your engine can run (safely) when there is no load on it. When using AC your car needs/uses more power and therefore there is more strain on the engine. At the basic RPM (idle) the car is not 'allowing' for the use of any major system i.e AC, so the engine is under extra strain without giving more power output whilst at idle to power the AC unit. You should find if you press the accelerator when at idle to increase the idle RPM by even as little as 100rpm, you will notice the vibration/shaking stops as the enigne can then put out enough power to run the AC unit.

IIRC the basic unit(s) you use by having the AC on will take (up to) 15% off your MPG, and will use between 8-10bhp to run - on the 6th gen. Have a quick google of 'anti-air con info' and this should give you all the answers you need.

If your AC is not working to the level that you think it should then first thing, get a re-gas. Most garages can do this for £40 or so, and it takes about an hour. If this does not cause your problem, then replace the Pollen Filter - there is a how to on here.

Hope this helps dudes.

Si.
Click to expand...

DId mine today £40 and twenty minutes and it is SO NICE :rolleyes: and yes it does slow the car down you get nowt for nowt!
 
Cheers for that post 'luvmyaccord' answers a lot of questions.
 
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