Hesitation Acceleration From Stop When AC Engaged

[Dieter]

I own a 2016 4 liter Accord Sport with CVT transmission. The problem that I’m having is when I accelerate from a stop with the AC engaged, the car hesitates. When I disengage the AC the car accelerates normally. What I have noticed is that the AC Compressor seems to always want to engage just as I accelerate. It’s quite irritating and frustrating not to mention dangerous in my opinion in case I need to accelerate in a hurry and the car wants to bog down. As said I mostly notice the hesitation just as I accelerate when the AC compressor kicks in. I was told that it’s normal for a 4 liter engine to behave like that since the compressor “robs” the 4 liter engine of power upon acceleration but why does the AC Compressor need to engage at that particular time always? Is there a way to retard the AC Compressor as to when it engages? By the way I don’t use the Econo feature and the car temperature gets cold when the AC is engaged. When I’m cruising there doesn’t seem to be any noticeable hesitation or bucking when the compressor kicks in. Glad to hear anyone’s advice or if anyone is experiencing the same problem.

Topic

[Richard Kirshy]

Just my thought …
Assuming
The engine is in tune and properly maintained
The entire AC system ( including the fan(s)) is good operating order, has no debris blocking airflow to the coils and has the proper Freon charge.
Consider:
1 – While operating your AC at maximum, or I assume near its highest setting, your putting a load on the engine.
2 – When your stopped it will be difficult for the AC system to keep up with the demand at idle.
3 – The compressor is doing what it can to fulfill the demand asked of it, IE. draw more power from the engine when accelerating to meet the required AC demand.
You might consider reducing the demands on the system IE. use the Econo feature and see if the hesitation improves or stops all together.

I’m left to assume that you own the vehicle from new?
That this issue is recent?
That ALL vehicle maintenance and up keep has been performed.

[Dieter]

Thank you Richard for taking the time to read through my question. Yes I purchased the vehicle new. It now has approximately 26k miles. I’ve always noticed the hesitation from the beginning and I thought it was my imagination but clearly it wasn’t. The dealer told me that it was normal but then again most of the time they tell you it’s normal for just about anything. I thought that perhaps someone else was complaining about the sane problem. I guess for a small engine I’ll have to live with the issue. And yes all the maintenance has been done up to date. I’m going to try switching the Econo on and off as you suggested and see if that makes a difference. I don’t like driving with the Econo on as it just performs so poorly (lack of power) but for experimental purposes I’ll flip the Econo on. Stay tuned!

[Author]

Replies