[ds968]

I'm pretty sure I asked about this long time ago, but search did not produce any results :


I recall a few people suggested that starting the car with the AC engaged ( left at the on position when parking it ) places undue stress on something or another when starting it that way ; either on the alternator , or the starter , or both , or another component , and it's advisable not to to that because it expedites wear and tear and consequently quicker failure of those parts . Correct ? ( and which parts ). Or, is it a myth or , maybe just not that big of an added wear and tear factor ?

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[paulzebo]

I think that's a myth brought about "freon slugging". Freon slugging is when the ambient temp is, say 105 degrees when the engine is shut off. The next morning,  if the temperature has dropped to, say 75 degrees, the gaseous freon which "normalized pressure" when turned off at a higher temperature has now turned back to a liquid on the low side. When you start up the vehicle there is a horrible knocking sound for about a half second. That's a long time when you hear it but it has no effect on compressor life. Most makers now  energize the compressor on start which effectively eliminates the knocking.

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[flash]

not a myth.  not related to freon surging though.  the ac compressor adds as much as a 25hp drag to the engine (the supercharger add drag too).  that resistance is added to the starter and battery during startup.  this can not only add load to the bearings in the starter, but can also cause the starter to take longer to get to the magic speed where the engine starts, and starts pumping oil to the bearings.  dry bearings are bad.  all things in top condition, the car will start just fine.  it does wear things out earlier though.  in a normally aspirated car, you can probably get away with it, but in a supercharged car, i would not start it with the ac engaged.

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[ds968]

Yeah, I just have to remember to push that button every time I park .

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[az968]

I didn't think people in the Bay area needed a/c.

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[ds968]

I keep the AC on anytime / all the time when the temp gets above 60. Until icicles form on the windows I'm not comfortable, lol.

At least when I drive solo it's my refuge, at home both my son and I like to live at meat locker temps, while my wife and my son's girlfriend are scrambling to find their sweaters and parkas .


Thus, my cars' gas mileage suffers and my electricity bills at home are not a welcome sight . But, I don't care as long as I don't destroy engine parts way before their due time . I can live with a 20 % accelerated wear and tear rate I suppose, but not much more than that .

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[robadams56]

I have always taken the position as Flash points out, that the A/C compressor puts additional drag on the engine and as a routine in my shut down sequence I always make sure the compressor is off, recirculator button is off and the fan speed set at the lowest setting.

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[Rap]

Without knowing anything, I’ve never started the car with the a/c or heater on. Just seemed like a bad idea. It’s nice to see it substantiated. Dan why don’t you just open your windows? Half the joy in these cars is to listen to them. You big city folk gots to learn to appreciate the great outdoors and smell the roses. Or perhaps whatever particular smell might be emanating from your car that day! Please don’t tell me it’s because you don’t want your hair to get mussed up

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[ds968]

I do open the windows when the weather is cold enough , and the air much fresher as well .


As for the hair part, may I remind you that Flash has driven only convertibles all of his life, and look what happened to his hair !! ;-) :-).


p.s - hey, what the heck, all the emojis disappeared off the site ( at least on this device and browser I'm using )

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[94SilverCab]

I have emojis...maybe you should upgrade from the rotary dial phone...

 

Jay

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[Rap]

I can't believe you dissed Flash like that. Hope he hasn't acquired any of that drunken Irish anger. He choose to look that way because he is cool.

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[ds968]

I have emojis...maybe you should upgrade from the rotary dial phone..Jay

Hey ! Wait a darn minute , the emojis were all there on my rotary phone until just recently when you probably " upgraded " the site and it no longer synchs with Apple's mojo ..

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[ds968]

I can't believe you dissed Flash like that. Hope he hasn't acquired any of that drunken Irish anger. He choose to look that way because he is cool.

Bob not only has thick skin and can take it as well as he can dish it, especially among friends, but he may find your remarks about Irish people drinking and / or having a temper stereotypical and simply without merit . He said all the so-called pubs in Ireland about which we hear are no more than empty shells serving as a money laundering operation for the country's infamous potato mafia ( or " potatoe " if you're Dan Quayle ) .

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