Hi all - I've had the Fit for a month now - and have noticed this since the first day. I was wondering if anyone else has this issue - and if so, I am guessing it is normal, as I haven't owned a Honda before. When I have the A/C on (and I usually do - mostly on the coldest setting), the compressor actually cycles on and off throughout use. Not much rhyme or reason to it - I thought at first it would shut off when I stepped on the gas, but it pretty much happens all the time. Has anyone else noticed this? Akmost like it is low on refrigerant, but the car definitely cools down -- I just like it colder and am not used to the A/C cycling off on any car when I have it on the coldest setting and recirculating. THanks for any input/help.

 

yea it happens.. even when its off it cycles.... its totally normal...

 

thanks for the info and reply.

 

i read this thread a while ago and thought this didnt happen to my fit..

but today, i just blasted it on A/C on, intake air, and fan setting 3 and 4, and definetly noticed periods of really cold -> cool -> cool -> "lukewarm" air -> cool -> cold -> cool -> "lukewarm" air -> ...

very erratic, and found it weird..

usually i had it on just fan setting 1 before and never really noticed it..

so i guess it is normal...

but i never noticed it in my other cars before (nissan pathfinder and mazda 626)

 

I saw this same complaint/comment about the Honda Civic on another web site. One person said his A/C didn't work well in Phoenix (my town), where it gets real hot in summer. If that's the case with the Civic, maybe that's just Honda, and it will be the same with the Fit. How about the Accord?

 

thanks kev01 and siguy - kev01 - that's exactly the same in my fit - so I guess I'll chalk it up to normal behavior in the Hondas - I'm just not used to the compressor kicking on and off -- been driving Jeeps for the last 10 years - only 2 settings on the heeps - works or doesn't work anymore.... Thanks, have a great 4th

 

Absolutely normal. The AC compresses a chemical that absorbs a lot of heat (makes things cold) when released. This is released into the evaporator, which has air drawn over it and blown into the cabin. Sometimes there's enough pressure that the compressor doesn't need to be run to keep the evaporator cold, so it shuts off. When the evaporator warms up again, the compressor turns back on.

This is called it's 'duty cycle'. The cooler it is outside, inside the car, and the less air it has to cool (low fan speeds), the lower the duty cycle will be.

 

awesome Fray, thx for the explaination, makes sense

 

Thx Fray - I work residential HVAC so I know about a/c -- I've just never had a car whose compressor shuts off within a minute of turning on full blast while the inside cabin is still not 'cool'. thx.