Why Your AC's Compressor Click Signals Serious Danger

You are driving on a hot summer day. The air conditioning is on. And then you hear it. Click. The engine changes pitch slightly. Cold air flows. Five seconds pass. Click again. The cold air stops. Ten seconds pass. Click. Cold air returns. The cycle repeats endlessly.

That rhythmic clicking is not normal. It is the sound of your AC compressor clutch engaging and disengaging in a frantic, desperate cycle. This is called short cycling, and it is one of the most serious warnings your air conditioning system can give you.

If you hear it, you need to act immediately. Here is why the compressor click of death is destroying your AC, and what you need to do about it.