I have a 2000 honda civic ex coupe with 78,000 miles and the a/c turns hot when it idle.

I took it to my mechanic last week and they did a recharge and evac on the a/c and filed a hole in the hose.

That did not fix the problem!

Whenever the car is in idle the air turns hot. I lifted the hood and noticed the fan on the right side of the vehicle does not turn on unless the car maintains around 1,200 rpm's.

I switched the a/c condenser fuse with the compressor fuse and it was the same situation. The air gets cold as soon as it hits 1,200 rpms and that is when the fan turns on.

any ideas?

 

The condenser fan (condenser is near the compressor, on the driver's side, conventionally called the LEFT side of the car) must run constantly whenever the compressor is engaged. Does the compressor stay engaged at idle rpm? Look down at the compressor and watch the plate on the front of the pulley. It spins when compressor is engaged and stops when it is not.

 

yes the compressor fan stays on - - the other fan does not however.

 

That "other fan" is the radiator fan. It should only come on when the car reaches "operating temperature" which takes about 5-10 minutes depending on if the car is sitting still or you're driving it. It shouldn't have anything to do with your AC tho.

 

you did not answer mk's question about whether the compressor is engaging at idle. that might be your problem.