I was driving with my windows down today so of course the AC wasn't on, until my son in the back seat didn't want the windows down (going 70mph probably gets a bit windy back there), so I rolled up the windows and turned on the AC. A few thing happened. My temp went up by probably 10 degrees and also I lost quite a bit of power. I know I will loose some power with the AC on but this was more than usual. The whole shudder that has been talked about recently showed back up. So I am thinking there is something wrong with my AC system. I did a few more test and while going about 45 with AC on temp gets almost to 210 to 220 but with the AC off it will drop back down to 200.

Hi Michael the compressor on my 96 is going bad too. These compressors are called V5'*, and are known for front seal, and side case leaks. Mine started leaking oil where the cases come togathe. Before i knew oil was lost the compressor started rattleing slightly when on.

Mine was making some noise at the beginning of the summer and I put some oil in it and the noise stopped.

That shouldn't happen. On mine, the temperature actually goes _down_ slightly with the A/C on, because the system overrides the thermal switch and runs the cooling fans continuously while the A/C is operating.

1) Do you have the electronic A/C controls? If so, do you have a blinking temperature display for the first two minutes of driving? If so, there'* an error code you need to extract.

2) Have you verified that the cooling fans are operating while the A/C is on?

Try turning the compressor by hand to see if it locks or binds up anywhere.

I do not have the Electronic AC controls, and the fans run when the AC is turned on.
Would this throw any minor codes I would need a reader to look at?

How do I do that. Doesn't the Compressor have a clutch in it that is electronically controlled.

Not to my knowledge. The manual A/C doesn't have a processor to display its own error codes, since it doesn't have a controller that would detect them or need to display them.

Yes, but it'* deactivated when the engine is off. Just grab the hub with your hand and try to turn it. It should turn relatively freely.