A/C question reminder.....

[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

[PHO2GR4]

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!"

[kpaske]

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?

[WILLY]

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.

[etlsport]

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

[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.

[kpaske]

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..

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?

[nfpgasmask]

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

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