Car Question

[Ghoulish Delight]

Yes, adding AC would definitely make it more likely to overheat.

[wendybeth]

Well, that's that, then. Ironic, eh?

[DreadPirateRoberts]

Originally Posted by wendybeth

Well, that's that, then. Ironic, eh?

a/c is just a heat pump. You are pumping the heat out of the interior of the car, to a location in front of the radiator.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by DreadPirateRoberts

a/c is just a heat pump. You are pumping the heat out of the interior of the car, to a location in front of the radiator.

Not only that, it's increasing the electrical load on the system which produces more heat, and the compressor get its power directly from the crankshaft, increasing the overall work the engine needs to do which also produces extra heat. All in all, a recipe for overheating in a car that's already prone to it.

[JWBear]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

Yes, adding AC would definitely make it more likely to overheat.

Unless she went with the option you linked to above. And with an independent onboard generator, the accessory options are endless! Gas milage would suck though.

[DreadPirateRoberts]

If you are going to keep the car, a/c would be a good addition. I added it to my jeep, it's great. Every summer, I think about adding it to the miata.

WB, GD is right, they put the a/c condensor in front of the radiator, so it would exacerbate any tendencies to overheat. The fact that yours overheats so easily should be solved first. A normal operating cooling system, under normal conditions, should be able to cool the car, with the a/c on.