Does prolonged use of air conditioning affect the engine?
2 Answers
Prolonged use of air conditioning in a car can be harmful to the engine. Here are the hazards of prolonged air conditioning use in vehicles: 1. The air inside the car can become polluted: If the vehicle is in a poorly ventilated area, it can easily lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. Every summer, there are cases of poisoning due to sleeping in a car with the air conditioning on. Even without poisoning, idling with the air conditioning on for several hours can make the air inside the car very poor, affecting health. 2. It puts a lot of pressure on the cooling system: Since the air conditioning compressor has high power, it adds a significant load to the car. For cars with smaller displacements, the power noticeably drops immediately after turning on the air conditioning. A higher engine load requires a richer air-fuel mixture to generate more power. If there are any minor issues with the cooling system, it can lead to higher water temperatures, adversely affecting the engine. Additionally, a richer mixture can result in incomplete combustion of gasoline, leading to increased carbon deposits over time.
I've been driving for so many years, and it's common for me to run the air conditioning for six or seven hours on long summer trips. To be honest, it does have some impact on the engine, after all, the AC compressor is driven by the engine belt and consumes about 7-10 horsepower. Last time I installed an oil temperature gauge and tested it, the temperature was about 12°C higher with the AC on in traffic compared to when it was off. If the radiator fins get clogged with willow catkins and the fan is lazy, the dashboard water temperature will rise rapidly. I suggest turning off the AC when passing through toll stations to give the engine a break, especially for older cars. Remember to clean the condenser every 20,000 kilometers—better cooling means less pressure. A 15% increase in fuel consumption with the AC on is normal, but it's still better than suffering from heatstroke.