Question

Why does my car's performance decrease when the air conditioner is turned on?

Answer 1

It's an electrical issue. Check your battery, alternator and distributor. Your car might be an early model and you live in a hot climate. Your might try adjusting your idle on your car.

Answer 2

idle air control motor could be sticking due to carbon build up.try cleaning with carb cleaner and see if that helps.

Answer 3

its the battery and\or the fuel. a\c takes up more power and increases fuel comsumtion. i think invest in a new car battery or get a qualified mech to look over it

Answer 4

There is a faster idle setup for the engine when the A/C kicks in. Sounds like this has stopped working.

Answer 5

your alternator might be in trouble, or if the air conditioner is run off the serpentine belt it might need to be replaced. . . Maybe the water pump? I know when iam low on antifreeze my truck has some issues with chugging because the heat gauge goes up and it thinks it needs to shut off to save the engine or something.

Answer 6

The A/C draws alot of power from your engine, in turn lowering your rpms, and resulting in loss of power from your engine. Solution: give it a little more gas until the engine is warmed up a bit more. Or roll down the windows and leave the a/c off! It kills your gas mileage too when you run the a/c all the time.

Answer 7

A/C take up alot of power, make sure that the compressor pulley is not binding, the belt isn't too tight, and the condition of your alternator and battery. You should also clean all of your battery connections for corrosion which cause resistance. If all else fails drive really fast with all the windows open, lol.

Answer 8

The AC belt may be too tight and might be sucking too much power from the crankshaft pully, depending on what kind of car it is.

Answer 9

It's probably something to do with the battery or fuel.