can using the ac on a hot day make your car overheat?

Question

can it? cuz for some reason, i think it could and thats why i try not to use the ac as much as possible. if its not true, what conditions on a hot day can make your car overheat?

Answer 1

Yes it can. It puts more stress on the engine and on a pretty hot day, can make it overheat. I know it's been an especially troublesome problem with my car, because it's also black, so it gets pretty hot on it's own. Just keep track of the temperature gauge if you have the AC on, and if it gets really hot, switch it off. To really cool down your engine in an emergency, you could also try putting the heat on max, because the heater actually takes heat from the engine.

Answer 2

Possible. The A/C pumps heat out of your car, usually to a place in front of the radiator. If the car were poorly designed, or in bad condition, it might be enought to cause overheat. Expect a light to come on, or steam to come from the radiator. Sometime after that, maybe engine damage.

A broken fan, belt, or water pump could cause overheat. Thermostat stuck closed could do it.

Answer 3

Yes, although that usually means something else is wrong. The additional load put on the engine by the a/c compressor will cause the engine to produce more heat however the engines cooling system has been designed to handle that so usually if it does overheat there is an underlying problem (low coolant level, loose fan belt, electric fan malfunction, etc.)

Answer 4

Well, the AC makes your car work harder, so on a hot day it could make it more likely especially in stop and go traffic.

If you are worried about overheating though just keep an eye on the temperature gauge. If it starts to get high then turn off the AC. No need to forego it altogether.

Answer 5

it would only cause overheating if there is some other problem with the car