Hey everyone,

First timer here! I'm actually here about my wife's car, a 2003 Sebring, 2.4 V4, 122,xxx miles on it, Minnesota climate. We recently replaced the timing belt ($1400!) so we need to run this car for awhile still to get our money out of it :-) It's in good shape and we give it the normal maintenance it needs so overall, its a decent vehicle in decent shape.

However, since it's been hot as hell out lately, she's been using the AC almost the whole time she's driving and has told me that when she is at a full stop, like at a stop light, the car "jumps forward". I'm no car genius but what I think she means is the RPMs rev up and the car wants to move forward since it's in Drive. I rode with her today and felt what she is talking about. I'm a handy guy but by no means a car mechanic and my assessment/guess is that the engine is revving up to get the compressor to get moving/charged up to keep the AC pumping out cool air. Please excuse any mislabeling of actual mechanical terms and/or processes.

The car only does this when the AC is on and the RPMs are low/idle. I haven't added any coolant to the AC system yet this summer because it's still pumping out cold air really well, it's just the problem of the car jumping forward when the RPMs are low.

Any ideas or help is greatly appreciated. Thanks new friends and I'm looking forward to checking out this site more deeply!

-Trevor

 

Could be the idle air control motor or maybe the throttle body needs cleaning. A dirty throttle body may be causing the throttle to stick and act weird.
Idle speed is supposed to be controlled by the computer and it's supposed to compensate for the extra load of the A/C by kicking up the idle air a little when the compressor clutch engages. If things are gummed up in there it may misbehave.

 

Make sure the cooling fans are running when the AC is on. If the AC head pressure stays high the engine will respond with an increase in idle to compensate.

 

dcotter0579, thanks for the ideas. My follow up would be can I clean teh throttle body myself? is that DIY project for someone who hasnt done it before or do I need to bring it ito a mechanic for that? If that doesnt fix it, what would I look for concerning the air control motor? Thanks again for the help!

-Trevor

 

TNTech, thank you too for the response! How do I check to make sure the cooling fans are running when the AC is on. I know my questions here may sound simple or dumb and for that I apologize :-) I'm pretty good once I get my hands in there and get dirty, but that intuition of what to look for and where is it could use some improvement. Thanks again!

-Trevor

 

Trevor,
I have no idea of your abilities and tools. You, on the other hand know what you can do. Invest in a Haynes or Chilton's manual for your vehicle and read up on the project. Then you can decide if you can handle it, or not. If you decide to hire it done, what you have read will help you discuss it intelligently with your mechanic.
Consider the book an investment. It will eventually pay off.

 

Hi, I wondered if you ever resolved your problem because I am having the identical problem with my 2004 sebring..