On my 95 Legacy Outback the A/C clutch cycles on & off as I drive or sit & idle. The air is cold but I have never seen a compressor cycle unless there was a problem. I have a little froth in the sight glass. Any suggestions? Is this normal? Thanks.

Well, the compressor is supposed to cycle on and off, stops things freezing.

 

Froth in the sighglass is a sign that you need to top off, or replace the fluid.

The AC compression on my 91 Legacy also sometimes cycles on and off when I'm idling or even driving in very hot weather (35 degrees C) around town. I'm not sure if this is normal, but it sure doesn't help cool down the car! I assume it's doing it to protect the AC system becuase maybe it can't handle the heat. I don't know.

Legacy compressors are variable-displacement type. They can cycle but it's not designed as the main way of regulating the temperature.

MY 95 does it all the time. It's normal.

Thanks for the replies guys. I am going to buy a kit to fill it up. The kit comes with a pressure gauge so I should be able to get a accurate reading of how much R-134 to put in. I willl see what that does first. Anything more is probably out of my league.