Does idling a car with the air conditioning on harm the vehicle?

[JulietDella]

Running the air conditioning while the car is idling in place does not harm the vehicle in the short term, but it consumes gasoline, which can lead to carbon buildup in the engine and potentially damage it over time. Below are specific details about idling: 1. Idling can cause oil burning: During idling, the throttle valve opening is small, and the vacuum inside the intake manifold is high, making it easy for oil vapor to be drawn into the intake manifold. Some of this oil vapor deposits inside the intake manifold, forming carbon-like substances or coking. Prolonged low-speed operation or idling, especially in turbocharged models, can result in a pool of oil forming inside the intake manifold behind the throttle valve. 2. Idling promotes carbon buildup: During idling, the air-fuel mixture tends to be richer. A prolonged rich mixture during idling can easily cause carbon buildup in the engine.