Trouble with air con

[rba55]

I have a 98 4.2, had it for about 4 years now. The air con has never been that great but just recently something strange has been happening. If I turn on the air con the engine seems to run quite a bit hotter, well, according to the gauge! The air is chilled but I always get nervous about the running temperature!
Anyone else experience this?

[shpub]

Normal. The air con requires that the excess heat goes somewhere and this is removed by a rad in front of the cooling rad. As a result the cooling system has to cope with the extra stress. A 5 degree rise is typical. If in doubt turn the air con off.

[rba55]

Thanks. Good to know its normal. I guess the cooling system could have been struggling with this year's summer temperatures. I haven't noticed the difference until this year.