Air coming through air con vents...

[power_of_dreams]

As title states, sometimes I'm getting air through the air con vents when the AC is off. I've noticed it a couple times on the freeway. Sometimes the air is quite cool, other times quite hot.

Any underlying problems?

[SiReal]

its cos the air vents are open. if u put it on recycle, then the air vents close and no external air will be 'forced' in when you drive.

[power_of_dreams]

does recylce sap power/economy?

pardon the nubness, I hardly even have the AC on

[tron07]

Air recycle close the external intake only... also keeps the dust and smelly exhaust, etc out.

[Jegi#5]

It doesn't sap power. If you keep it on recycle, all it means is the vents are shut, not allowing air to pass. Hence if you leave your windows up, it could become quite stuffy. Seems like you are like me and don't use air con much at all, hence you should keep the vents open whether your windows are up and down. Has nothing to do with sapping power like air con. Just like leaving your windows either open or closed except that we are talking about the vents.

[viper8548]

Heres a question I've been argueing with a friend of mine,
Should you keep the vent on recycle when you turn on the air con?
I say yes but my friend says no.
My arguement is that mixing outside air with air con reduces the effect of air con as the outside air is not cool.
His arguement is that if you dont let outside air in while aircon is on we will suffocate.
But I think when the aircon is on, even if air vents are on recycle there is still oxygen coming from the ac compressor, he says no because if the car is not in motion when the ac is on we will suffocate which I know is also true, anyone know how it works?

[r-r-redEuro]

well IMO your right. but also, if you always leave it on recycle it builds up this weird smell, and might form mold in our car air vents,

its colder to use recycled air, but its more fresh if its through the outside ... if i made any sense lol i discussed this with aaron ages ago when i first got my car, he told me 5 mins before you arrive home or arriving to a destination, switch the recycled to the outside so its cleanses the air vents =)

[lysp]

Heres a question I've been argueing with a friend of mine,
Should you keep the vent on recycle when you turn on the air con?
I say yes but my friend says no.
My arguement is that mixing outside air with air con reduces the effect of air con as the outside air is not cool.
His arguement is that if you dont let outside air in while aircon is on we will suffocate.


Well on the climate control of my berlina, if i jump in the car on a very hot day it does the following:
* Turns fans on
* Turns fans on full because it releases its hot (big temp difference)
Then a few seconds later if its extremely hot:
* Turns recycle on

It only turns recycle on if the temp difference is big, once the car temp normalises it turns it off again.

I agree with the theory, when it needs to cool the car down fast it'll recycle air, when it needs to only keep it at a level it'll use fresh air.

[HondaTechy]

well think about it - if you would suffocate do you think it would be safe for them to design it like that?your car's not 100% sealed. think about it - when a car is driven or flooded the cabin fills with water.there's always boot vents and air comes in from the doors. it is more efficient to run the a/c with recycle on because the air the a/c is cool and will be cooled again and again.out side air temepture will be warm and will take more effeort to cool down.and the a/c will need to work harder.smells will come in if there's no outside air after long peiods of time,so it is recommonded that every now and again you run the a/c with outside air for a bit to refreshen up the system,if that doesn't work get an anti-bac spray, that will solve the problem

[viper8548]

What about the part if one will get suffocated by using aircon and recycle on? When recycle is on, does the ac compressor get air from outside and split hot and cold air apart like a normal household air conditioning unit does? If it does then whats the point of having recycle off when ac is on, or if it doesn't why dont we suffocate when its using recycled air only? lol me and my stupid questions

[EuroAccord13]

The whole point of it all is that the re-circulating function is when you are driving through dusty, smoky or smelly areas but not recommended as something to be used all the time,air gets stale and you start feeling weird. Some if not most modern cars (I know the Magna does) that have electronic switches that automatically changes the mode from re-circulating to venting in outside air 20 minutes after you turn on the re-circulating function.

I'm not saying you shouldn't use recycled air but now and then especially on long journeys, it helps to switch it to outside air or even open the windows to let fresh air enter.

[EuroAccord13]

I have the same question, but why is my aircon not cold???

Get it re-gassed, if you have recently done it and it's not getting cold anymore, there is a leak somewhere. Take it back to the guy that did it for you and he will inject a dye into the lines and where ever it is leaking from, the dye will show on the area.

[Riviera]

air re-circulation is used to cool down the air inside the car quicker
also to

block outside smells, dust, and other nasties like council workers cutting the
median strip grass.

if u use the outside air function this will put strain on the air-conditioning system much like
leaving your fridge door open, causing you to have to re-gas the system
or get a new AC pump

personally i have it on re-circulating when i use it and i slightly put the rear
windows down, very slightly thus allowing a bit of reconditioned air, but also allowing the air con to
recirculate the cold air at the front of the cabin,
although its not all cold air because warm air is coming in the back, its fresh.
then when a truck comes or some fools with a inky vehicle pulls in front. put the windows up

[aaronng]

if u use the outside air function this will put strain on the air-conditioning system much like
leaving your fridge door open, causing you to have to re-gas the system
or get a new AC pump

Not true. The A/C system is sealed and you won't have to re-gas it unless you have a leak. Putting it into recirculate mode also has the A/C compressor turning on every minute or so to keep condensation levels down, so it still wears the compressor.

[tron07]

I use the re-circulation all the time.... just switch it off for a brief period sometimes during long distance trips when I start to feel sleepy.

You will not suffocate in the car, there are lots of vents around the car, in the boot, in the door, firewall, etc... else your ear drums will pop when someone slams the door due to the preasure.

If the compressor turns on and off every minutes or so, the compressor motor will die faster, turn the termostat to cooler, let it turn on, then when it switch off, turn the thermostat back to your normal settings.

[rambohung]

if the A/C system getting weird smells coming through, beside using the anti-bac spray, u can also try to leave the system on max hot for 10mins on a hot day and it can get rid of the smell as well.

[EuroAccord13]

Could be mould growing inside the system.

On a hot day, I always advise people to switch off the aircon and run it on maximum fan speed to blow the moisture inside the system out to prevent growth of mould, you will find moisture collecting on the vents, better to be there than inside it... Just do this a few minutes before you reach your destination and it will help keep the "bad for breathing" mould out of the system...

[viper8548]

You will not suffocate in the car, there are lots of vents around the car, in the boot, in the door, firewall, etc... else your ear drums will pop when someone slams the door due to the preasure.

I've seen news articles on tv about parents leaving children in cars with engine running for the AC and all windows closed, only to come back finding their children unconscious and/or dead.

[assailant]

Not true. The A/C system is sealed and you won't have to re-gas it unless you have a leak. Putting it into recirculate mode also has the A/C compressor turning on every minute or so to keep condensation levels down, so it still wears the compressor.

yeup.. im a sparky/aircon installer and ill confirm aaronng is correct.
recirculate will actually have the compressor doing less work, as less moist/unconditioned air is entering the cabin.

ps. viper: i think you watch too much aca/tt :p

[viper8548]

ps. viper: i think you watch too much aca/tt :p

It was actually in the news, not australian news tho. Also, my 2000 Camry's and 2001 Echo's AC only gets cold when the car is moving/accelerating, why is this? after stopping for 3-4 mins the AC is the same as turning the fan on without AC, i think this is why the suffocation occurs

[aaronng]

You don't suffocate in the car from lack of oxygen. The car is NOT airtight. The news incident was probably caused by carbon monoxide entering the cabin through an exhaust leak.

Your Camry and Echo's AC only work when the car is moving because the compressor takes power off the alternator. If your car's alternator is not making enough power when stopped, then the compressor can't work at sufficient efficiency.

[Riviera]

Not true. The A/C system is sealed and you won't have to re-gas it unless you have a leak. Putting it into recirculate mode also has the A/C compressor turning on every minute or so to keep condensation levels down, so it still wears the compressor.

wearing out the compressor was spose to be my main focus but nvm lol
didnt seem that way in my post


obviously its alot easier for the air con to keep cold air cold, rather than cooling down warm air constantly thats what i meant

[Jaso]

I just use outside air until i drive through smoke or behind a smelly car or whatever. Works fine for me.

[tron07]

I've seen news articles on tv about parents leaving children in cars with engine running for the AC and all windows closed, only to come back finding their children unconscious and/or dead.

That is not suffocation, but carbon monoxide poisoning....

You can also die of heat stroke in a car with windows up/with a small gap and parked in a hot sunny spot, but not from suffocation

[Crapdaz]

Hi,
Has anyone had a problem with the Recycle button, still letting in Air from the outside?
Has anyone any resolution to this?

Cheers, Daz

[IVTECS4]

Sometimes I feel hot air coming through the right side air vent, and I didn't even have the air intake button switched on... I only turn the air intake on when there is unpleasant air trying to get through. Anyone know what's the deal with it?

[Crapdaz]

Anyone know what it is cause i think the vent shutters dont close and causes air to come in, its really bad when following smelly cars.

Solution: My problem was that the connector to the vents were unplugged, due to my installation of the Tein EDFC wiring.
Removed console and replugged Vent motor plug.