Hesitation when A/C on

[lancesir]

Anyone notice that the car hesitates from first when you have the A/C on on a hot day? I noticed in the last few weeks on those hot humid days.

There is a US TSB regarding hesitation in hot weather but based on the build date I don't think my car is affected. If A/C is off I don't really notice a problem.

Any ideas on this one? Is it a power/electrical issue? Better grounding?

Thanks!

[SilentJay]

If you mean theres a little pause in acceleration when the compressor kicks on, thats normal. I took my 07 into Mississauga Mazda, and apparently I had several PCM updates done.

[lancesir]

well I didn't notice the compressor turning on per say, but yeah it's that pause in acceleration when I get going from a stop.

SilentJay did the PCM updates fix the problem?

I guess I have to ask my dealer to see if there are any PCM updates for my car

[shootemup]

Hesitation is normal when you have the A/C on in any car. The compressor robs the engine of a lot of power. Or are you saying that on hot days, it takes away even more power than normal?

[qycxzerqp]

I was told that you wouldn't notice when A/C is on when driving a V6 or higher(V8...), don't know if it's true.

[shootemup]

It is still there, but less noticable as you have more horsepower turning everything.

[Dyno]

I test drove an 08.5 Sport GX this morning and noticed two things;

1. The A/C did not cool the car very well
2. The car was VERY slow off the line with the A/C on.

The car only had 3 km on the clock so I thought maybe it was just a break in issue. After seeing this thread, perhaps its not.

I will have to test drive some more cars because I could not tolerate that sort of thing.

[shootemup]

Just go WOT and the A/C will turn off when accelerating and back on at cruise speed. That will get rid of the hesitation :chuckle

[bluemazda3]

All the last two cars I drove have the same hesitation when the a/c is on over 1

[SilentJay]

PCM didn't help the hesitation - as it has been posted, its normal.

[bunchi]

I feel this in every car I drive. A/C sucks a lot of power. That's normal... maybe that's why your gas consumption goes up when you have A/C on, you try to step on it more.

[lancesir]

thanks for all the responses! I had a gut feeling this would be a "normal" issue but was hoping there was something out there that can improve it like PCM or something to improve efficiency etc. Just have to live with it I gues :p

[Dyno]

I disagree that it is "normal". It may be for the Mazda 3 but none of the Hondas or Nissans I have had are so affected by the AC. You can barely tell the difference with my Altima or my dads Accord.

If it is "normal" for the 3, it will definitely rule it out as a possible car for me, which would be a shame because Mazda is the only one making a 4 door hatch that is any fun to drive right now.

[shootemup]

I disagree that it is "normal". It may be for the Mazda 3 but none of the Hondas or Nissans I have had are so affected by the AC. You can barely tell the difference with my Altima or my dads Accord.

If it is "normal" for the 3, it will definitely rule it out as a possible car for me, which would be a shame because Mazda is the only one making a 4 door hatch that is any fun to drive right now.

It is normal for all cars... My Nissan Sentra was affected just the same as the 3 is. When your A/C compressor is on, the extra load on the engine requires more gas to obtain the same performance. Now in regards to cars with more horsepower... the affects are felt less. This is also why you commonly hear that your gas mileage is worse when you have A/C on. I even know of stories from the good ol days, when people in their 52whp turbo diesel Jetta could not even climb a hill if their A/C was on.

It is not like it is a huge difference in modern cars, but it's noticeable. I know I sure wouldn't base my decision on purchasing a car I was seriously considering, on the 2 hp the A/C robs from the engine.

[SilentJay]

:D My Ford Tempo couldn't go up a hill with my FAN on. The A/C stopped working after the 2nd year :P

[M3Nick]

I was noticing this too lancesir.... Then I tried this:

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=7639&highlight=tb+ground

It does work moreso for automatic transmissions. If you have a manual I wouldn't bother, but, I did notice the "slouchiness" from having the A/C on resided slightly. Perhaps evening out the powerband for lower RPM helps with this issue as well. Cost me 5 dollars to do this.

Good luck :)

[Dyno]

I know AC will reduce performance slightly, I have been driving cars with AC for over twenty years and the GX I tested was the so sluggish, it felt almost like a car with a bad fuel filter that was ready to stall.

i tested a GT today and while still a bit sluggish off the line, it was much better with the AC than the GX. The GX was slooooow from a stop.

I will have to test another GX to make sure it wasnt just that car but based on the number of ac threads here, I suspect it is "normal" on the GX.

[sudz]

Not slightly, I think i read that AC takes approximately 15-30 horsepower... That basically reduces our useable engine output to slightly above a toyota yaris, for a much heavier car!

I had a 4 cylindar Toyota camry... I timed it taking 19 seconds to reach 100kph with the AC on. (11seconds with it off, but this was a 130hp BOAT) When i was looking around, I test drove: Cobalt, Caliber, Saturn ION3 (2.4) Lancer, Corolla, Civic.

All of them Manual... The Best of the bunch was the Saturn Ion. I found out it had Electronic Power steering, Electronic AC compressor, Eletric power brakes... and one honkin huge alternator! Next best was the cobalt, but it was the SS and 170HP... again a 2.4 litre. Its built on the same platform is the Ion ("Delta" world platform)

In a nutshell... you're definately going to feel it in a 4 banger!

[Nova 3 GT]

If a person uses constantly the A/C during the summer (*raise hand guilty*:blush), that person should choose the 2.3L in order to compensate the HP loss sucked up by the compressor?

[JiNuWiNe]

I was wondering will a Buddy Club Condenser fix this problem?

[TRICK]

:D My Ford Tempo couldn't go up a hill with my FAN on. The A/C stopped working after the 2nd year :P

:chuckle Now that's funny! Thanks for the laugh.

[sudz]

F.O.R.D: Found On Road Dead
F.O.R.D: Fixed Or Repaird Daily

Nuff said.

[lancesir]

Actually in recent weeks I noticed something else.

With the A/C on, as I am approaching a stop and ease off on the gas, I hear this slight "psss" from the front and the car jerks very slightly, as if an extra load has been place on the drivetrain. Anyone else experienced this?