AC Compressor Cycling On and Off

Honestly, no, it doesn't sound normal. I do hear the compressor kick on first thing in the morning, but that's it. You A/C works okay otherwise?

This happens to me all the time. It actually jolts my car forward when idling and it kicks on and off over and over and I sometimes shut the AC off just so I don't have to listen to it and feel it vibrating and jolting the car. So I can tell you this happens to someone else too. I assumed it was normal for the vehicle. My other vehicles cycle too (obviously that's what ac compressor do) but they don't shake the car.

Lunatic59 said:

Honestly, no, it doesn't sound normal. I do hear the compressor kick on first thing in the morning, but that's it. You A/C works okay otherwise?

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Yea AC works fine. Just never seen or owned any other car that cycles the conpressor this quickly

betha_b1 said:

This happens to me all the time. It actually jolts my car forward when idling and it kicks on and off over and over and I sometimes shut the AC off just so I don't have to listen to it and feel it vibrating and jolting the car. So I can tell you this happens to someone else too. I assumed it was normal for the vehicle. My other vehicles cycle too (obviously that's what ac compressor do) but they don't shake the car.

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Yessss. Its a clear difference with conprrssor on vs off in terms of car feel/car sound. I honestly dont feel it much while driving except when in very low speeds like slowing to a stop or first accelerating. How long have u owned urs? Mitsubishi dealer checked it out said it was perfectly normal today. 🤷‍♂️

Leevega7720 said:

Yessss. Its a clear difference with conprrssor on vs off in terms of car feel/car sound. I honestly dont feel it much while driving except when in very low speeds like slowing to a stop or first accelerating. How long have u owned urs? Mitsubishi dealer checked it out said it was perfectly normal today. 🤷‍♂️

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I bought mine in December 2019. I live in the Midwest so I only use AC for a couple months a year. So I didn't notice it until Julyish. You are right in that I have thought about mentioning it to the dealer because I think the gusto in which it turns on and moves the car it doesn't seem right. I haven't looked into it much. Do you have ECO mode on? Wondering if it changes with that? (I guess I could go try it, considering mine does the same thing...lol... Although the temperature is about 50 F out so AC isn't really a concern until summer again)

You guys had me curious, so this morning I sat in my garage for a few minutes with the windows open and the A/C on so I could listen. I guess I never noticed before, but my A/C does indeed cycle on and off with a bit of a thud. Here's my take on it. We've got a 1.5L engine which doesn't engage the turbo until around 2K rpm. The engine is most likely set to boost the idle speed when under load at low rpm's like when the A/C engages. In order to prevent the engine from stalling, the boost happens simultaneously with the compressor clutch engaging causing a bit of a jolt. Like hitting the gas and popping the clutch in a manual transmission car.

The cycling could be to keep the coils from freezing up. At low rpm and a cold engine, the compressor could freeze the coils relatively easily if left on continuously until the engine reaches operating temperature. @Leevega7720 , do you still feel the compressor kick the car at idle after you've driven for a while?

Mine also cycles the AC, and sometimes it revs up on its own while in park without the AC. Usually diesels do that but I don't think it's an issue but its doing it for a reason, maybe to spin up alternator?

But the other day i was adjusting my ebay fog lights and it started to rev higher and it scared the crap out of me.

What's that movie when the kids car tries to kill him? Christine or something came to mind lol

I've experienced same A/C on off regiment. Hooked up my obd2 reader and graphed the coolant temp. Whats happening is the fans are kicking on and off, to keep the car temp between 190F and 195F. Also unless you turn off A/C the A/C indicator will always stay lit, because even if your warming the car, the climate control will help maintain a set humidity level, so your windows rarely will ever fog while idle or moving.

This evolution the car is cycling through is normal and does not adversely damage the car.

Leevega7720 said:

Hey all, new owner here. Loveing this car. First car I own that is not a sedan! Everything is great but had a concern about the AC kicking on and off very frequently. You can clearly tell when the compressor kicks in as ita louder, vibrates more, etc. The compressor seems to be kicking on and off every 7 to 15 seconds when Idle. Cant really tell if it does it while driving due to ambient sound but just got back from Misubishi and they said this was normal. Just seems like its way too soon for it to comenon and off like that. Never seen it on any other vehicle. So, is it normal for you all? If you just leave the car in park/idle, does your conpressor cycle on and off this frequently?

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I just got this car as well in December of 2021 and it also makes a constance nose while idle turning on and off... the last time this happened to me was when I had a 1997 Honda Accord with a v6 the fans would turn on and off within seconds, so I had to replace the fan and after that it went away. I may just have to do that for the eclipse cross and hope it stops the issue.

The A/C compressor is designed to cycle on and off all the time.