A/C question reminder.....

in the spirit of our friend biju, it is important to remind us in the cold weather area to run our AC for a few minutes in the winter time once or twice a month. I was just told this years ago, and have always done it. keeps seals in good condition, and runs the compressor, etc

Anyway, heres the question part..........I have started spoiling myself with the auto-thermostat this week. when the heat is in this mode, the ac button is lit up. (heres where i may sound like a moron......wait for it..........here it comes.....)

Uhhhhhhh, does that mean the AC is on????

if so, wouldnt i get better mileage if i just pushed the warm lever to the right, and use the fan, instead of auto???? or will the ac come on as needed to maintaine the temp you want, and so saving gas by only comming on every now and then, and not like summer time where its running all the time.


anything to squeeze another mile, or half mile out of the gas tank.

am i makin sense??
thanks
david

In my "old" 1999 VX...without the fancy-schmancy "Climate Control", that is...I've noticed that the AC light is on when the heater is in defrost mode.

That's bcause the AC takes the humidity out of the cabin air, which speeds up the de-fogging on a rainy Seattle day.

Probably the same deal with you. if the AC light is on, then it's probably running.

Note: "Is your AC running?...well, you'd better go catch it!"

Along the same lines, I've heard that if you start having heavy moisture buildup inside that it could be an indicator that your AC needs servicing. The idea I guess is that the condensor pulls the moisture out of the cabin. Can anyone confirm that?

Well the only time i get fog on my windows inside is when i have the recirculation set to on,as soon as i shut that off the windows clear up.I still have not figured out why the ac comes on when you turn the defrost to the on position,i turn it off when i turn the defrost on,i sure dont need the ac compressor running when i want to thaw or clear the windshield. :p

good call on the running the AC.. it does help extend the life of your ac system

anytime my windows fog up (in any car) ive run the air conditioner with the heater/defroster.. because yes the AC takes the moisture out of the air too.. with less moisture in the air, the air can accept more moisture back into it, so the moisture causing the fog can evaporate into the air.. and the rushing air helps speed up the evaporation process.. (sorry... i design AC systems for buildings)

when the light is on the ac is running, doesnt really need to be on and probably makes the air feel a little cooler than it actually is when the heater is on... but works well for defrosting purposes

I've noticed that the AC light comes on too. I also discovered that you can set the fan and temp to "Auto" then just push the AC button to turn it off. That way the AC is off and all you're blowing (HEY, easy now) is hot air.

I've been told before, though, that I'm always blowing hot air. :p

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Originally Posted by etlsport

anytime my windows fog up (in any car) ive run the air conditioner with the heater/defroster.. because yes the AC takes the moisture out of the air too.. with less moisture in the air, the air can accept more moisture back into it, so the moisture causing the fog can evaporate into the air.. and the rushing air helps speed up the evaporation process..

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Nice explanation. So if you're running your defroster with the AC on and the vents are open (recirc off) and you STILL have moisture building up... could it be just out of freon or would that be something more serious like a bad condensor?

i dont think you could pinpoint the problem that quickly... it could be that theres lots of moisture in the air so its taking longer to evaporate.. could be that the condenser just doesnt work anymore.. but more than likely its just due to lack of refrigerant (do vx's use freon or r-134a?) , esp in VXs that are bumpy, its likely that the system would need to be refilled every couple years

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Originally Posted by MSHardeman

I've noticed that the AC light comes on too. I also discovered that you can set the fan and temp to "Auto" then just push the AC button to turn it off. That way the AC is off and all you're blowing (HEY, easy now) is hot air.

I've been told before, though, that I'm always blowing hot air. :p

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Has anyone found a way to turn off the Air conditioner, like this, in the (old) ;) 99 models?

As already stated: When in Defrost mode, the Air runs (Not all the time, it actually cycles on and off). I think the ice would melt a lot faster in the mornings if I could just use plain old HOT air. Maybe I could find a wire and put in a switch, if there isn't already a way around this with the original controls. This should help with the initial ice melting, then I could flip a switch and go back to the factory method, of running the compressor, to control "the fog", as I Zoooom towards work looking throgh an ice free windshield!

Anyone try this, or think it's a bad idea? :confused:

The a/c is connected to the defrost control for two reasons...on purpose.

It lessens the amount of humidity when defrosting.

It regularly runs the a/c pump during the winter months to keep things lubricated & pliable, so you don't have to think about it. (and probably forget)

I usually just use the fan with the climate control to the right. Once the VX gets warmed up, it is like running the heat....but the A/C button is not on. You just have to make sure the button to get outside air is on...I only run the heat when the windows get foggy or frosty...

Bart

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Originally Posted by IndianaVX

in the spirit of our friend biju, it is important to remind us in the cold weather area to run our AC for a few minutes in the winter time once or twice a month. I was just told this years ago, and have always done it. keeps seals in good condition, and runs the compressor, etc

Anyway, heres the question part..........I have started spoiling myself with the auto-thermostat this week. when the heat is in this mode, the ac button is lit up. (heres where i may sound like a moron......wait for it..........here it comes.....)

Uhhhhhhh, does that mean the AC is on????

if so, wouldnt i get better mileage if i just pushed the warm lever to the right, and use the fan, instead of auto???? or will the ac come on as needed to maintaine the temp you want, and so saving gas by only comming on every now and then, and not like summer time where its running all the time.


anything to squeeze another mile, or half mile out of the gas tank.

am i makin sense??
thanks
david

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Originally Posted by Techy-D

Has anyone found a way to turn off the Air conditioner, like this, in the (old) ;) 99 models?

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I set up an A/C kill switch in my '99, as well an ABS kill switch using this method-
http://www.wtv-zone.com/markg/switch.html

I've been using these switches for almost four years and I use the A/C kill switch almost every day in the winter. Selective use of the A/C saves wear 'n tear on the A/C system and also wear on the engine, saving gas and money. I have saved countless hours of A/C use with this switch. There are several other ways of doing this, such as simply cutting the wire that comes from the contact point when the lever goes to a defrost mode. You can still operate the A/C in defrost manually with the button that way.

The two reasons Ldub gave for vehicles to have auto-A/C in defrost are good ones. However, we're all smart enough to know when we need A/C defrost due to inside fogging and when we don't. If I see fogging I run the compressor just long enough till the fog is gone. If my A/C hasn't run in about two weeks, I turn it on for a short time to keep everything lubed and working right. Without any fogging, there is absolutely no reason to have the A/C compressor running all the time in the defrost mode.

My A/C compressor runs only when I want it to, not one second more. Kill switches for A/C, ABS, airbags, TOD and other systems put us in control instead of these things coming on automatically when we don't want them. And that's a good thing. :)

Mark

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Originally Posted by Techy-D

Has anyone found a way to turn off the Air conditioner, like this, in the (old) ;) 99 models?

As already stated: When in Defrost mode, the Air runs (Not all the time, it actually cycles on and off). I think the ice would melt a lot faster in the mornings if I could just use plain old HOT air. Maybe I could find a wire and put in a switch, if there isn't already a way around this with the original controls. This should help with the initial ice melting, then I could flip a switch and go back to the factory method, of running the compressor, to control "the fog", as I Zoooom towards work looking throgh an ice free windshield!

Anyone try this, or think it's a bad idea? :confused:

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Huh? :confused: Mine doesn't behave that way at all. If I put it on defrost and turn the heat to high, it blows hot air until I tell it to stop. And if I'm not mistaken, pressing the "AC" button makes the "AC" light go out, which I was assuming meant it was off.

Thanks DeerMagnet! That's good stuff... I agree with being able to control this beast! It's been controling me too long. I think I will make an AC disconnect and put the button in one of the blank spots.

Kpaske - I've tried a few things to get only hot air, but will be sure and check it again tonight. I will report if I find something other than what I've seen.

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Originally Posted by Techy-D

Kpaske - I've tried a few things to get only hot air, but will be sure and check it again tonight. I will report if I find something other than what I've seen.

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Maybe the early VXes were setup different? I notice that yours was built very late in the model year. I'm assuming you have the "old" style AC, as they changed it for the 00/01 model years, but it's possible they started incorporating the new climate control system late in 99. I got all sorts of extras on my mid model year Jetta that way.

My '99 is the same way - the two right-most positions (feet + windshield and all-windshield, IIRC) automatically turn the A/C compressor on, and you cannot shut it off by pressing A/C button.

Many cars do this for the all-windshield setting so that drivers who don't understand the complexities of their HVAC systems and controls can still defrost their windshields effectively just by moving the selector to that position.

kpaske - If you have it set on defrost and the A/C light is lit and you still have moisture, then set the temp control to the hot position. If you still have moisture, then maybe your A/C needs recharging or (and this became a family joke after I said it once to my sister in reference to her Cherokee) maybe your flap-valves are not actuating. That is, maybe the flaps in the ventilation ducts are not switching to direct air to the windshield. You should be able to figure out which it is by checking if you're getting airflow and by the temp of the air.

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Originally Posted by VehiGAZ

kpaske - If you have it set on defrost and the A/C light is lit and you still have moisture, then set the temp control to the hot position. If you still have moisture, then maybe your A/C needs recharging or (and this became a family joke after I said it once to my sister in reference to her Cherokee) maybe your flap-valves are not actuating. That is, maybe the flaps in the ventilation ducts are not switching to direct air to the windshield. You should be able to figure out which it is by checking if you're getting airflow and by the temp of the air.

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Yep, tried that stuff. It blows plenty hot, but the moisture always returns. I probably just need an AC recharge, like you say. At least that's what I'm hoping.

My flap valves are actuating quite nicely, thank you. ;)

I would like to put a kill switch in for the tod,it sucks my wallet dry with all the extra fuel it consumes.

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Originally Posted by WILLY

I would like to put a kill switch in for the tod,it sucks my wallet dry with all the extra fuel it consumes.

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Wouldn't installing manual hubs and unlocking them effectively do the same thing, as well as decreasing driveline drag?

Even with unlocked hubs, you would still be spinning the t-case and front axles, sp the fuel savings would not be as significant.