Why does my car lose boost while running the air conditioner
I assume you mean it loses power. The A/C compressor takes a certain amount of power to run but the engine is supposed to compensate. If it isn’t, the compressor could be going bad or you could simply have a dirty air filter. A new air filter is a DIY job for most folks and it won’t hurt to replace it in any event. If that doesn’t solve the problem, you need the services of a good shopm
This is a turbo-charged 4 cylinder so it might really be losing boost…
Made by Fiat, sold as a Dodge… It might have been designed that way or it may have failed something.
Frankly, I’m surprised it is still running!
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Now that you mention it, it has been a very long time since I last saw any of these Fiat-Dodges on the road. They never sold in large numbers–thus leading to that model being discontinued–but it has been many months since I have seen even one in my area.
The car is 9 years old with an unspecified number of miles. Depending on factors such as miles, the way it has been driven, and the maintenance regimen, if any, there is also the possibility of the engine being half worn out. That could lead to an abnormal loss of power with the compressor engaged.
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The Chrysler dealer here in cherry Hill told me he sold very few of them when they were new. He said the initial shipments from the factory were all manual transmission cars, and no one in this area wanted one.
Did this loss of boost just begin to happen? Or has it always been acting that way?
That assumes the OP can tell the difference. I’m not sure I could.
I think the problem started about 50 years ago, people driving 4-cylinder cars complaining about reduced power during summer months.
The Dart came with a 1.4 L turbocharged engine or a 2.0 L, 2.4 L N/A engines. The smaller engines will have a noticeable lag when pulling away from a stop in hot weather.
The Dart was manufactured at Chrysler’s Belvidere, IL factory. 334,000 were sold in the states, I see several each week.