Why do vents default to outside air?

On Wed, 22 Sep 2004 00:51:19 -0400, Jeff >
wrote:

>Just wondering--whenever I use the AC, my Accord keeps defaulting to
>outside air (as do most newer vehicles, I've noticed). I drive mostly
>in traffic and don't like to breathe exhaust fumes filling the car, so
>I'm continually resetting it to recirc. But I'm curious as to why
>outside air is the default setting. (?)
>
>2000 Accord v6 sedan
>
>Jeff

My '04 Acura TL runs this way:

If you run in manual mode, it runs on outside air unless you
press the recirculate button.

If you run in Auto mode where it controls everything as required
to maintain temperature, it (of course) does what it wants to.
But it's automatic behavior is to start in recirculate mode until
the internal temperature stabilizes and then turns the
recirculate button off.

(Sparky) wrote:

>>It's like turning your amp to 11 instead >>of 10.

>Is that you, Nigel?

<grin> One moment in a great movie.
Has anyone seen my cucumber?

(E.=A0Meyer)
wrote:

>Another interesting side-light - the
>mid-'90s Nissans with automatic
>systems (the two I30s) ignore the recirc
>button when they are in automatic mode
>and you select a temperature at least
>10-15 degrees below ambient (which is
>most of the time here in Texas).

This is true in my '99 G20T. But, this little thing has an a/c like no
other. If it used recirc in auto mode, I'd prolly freeze to death before
I could change it over. This car has the best a/c and seating comfort of
any car I've owned.

>They go into recirc and you can't switch
>it off. The light goes on and off when
>you push the button, but nothing
>changes.

I'll have to test mine to see what happens. Seriously, the outside
settings blow so hard, I've never had a need to use the recirc and since
it's not part of the auto climate system, it will get used only when I
want to block outside air that's icky.

I wonder why Nissan chose to leave the recirc function out of their
system's auto mode?

On Fri, 24 Sep 2004 12:59:09 GMT, "E. Meyer" >
wrote:

>> So, if your car has been sitting in the sun, start with
>> "fresh" until the inside air is at the same temperature as the outside
>> air. Then switch to "recirc" until it gets comfortably cool inside. From
>> this point on, keeping it in "recirc" will give you the best fuel
>> economy,
>
>Say what? It takes less gas to have the AC in recirc mode vs. fresh air
>mode? I'd like to see the data that supports this assertion.

You get better fuel economy on recirculate. On a long highway journey
with the cruise on and nothing else to do, I timed the time the
compressor was ON/OFF while on recirculate and while on fresh. It was
ON for about 30 seconds on Recirc but more than a minute on Fresh (the
car's interior had already cooled down completely). Also, OFF times
were higher for recirc but don't remember them.

If it's extremely humid outside I would expect the compressor to stay
ON all the time on fresh. Air "quality" (temperature? humidity?) is
always better on fresh instead of hours on recirculate.

Bye,
Leon

On 9/25/04 4:52 AM, in article ,
"Dave Kelsen" > wrote:

> On 9/24/2004 9:26 AM E. Meyer spake these words of knowledge:
>
>> On 9/24/04 6:57 AM, in article
>> , "Dave Kelsen"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> On 9/23/2004 10:52 AM Elmo P. Shagnasty spake these words of knowledge:
>>>
>>>> In article >,
>>>> "E. Meyer" > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>> 1. Start in recirc and then switch to fresh after temp stabilization.
>>>>>> 2. Start in fresh and then switch to recirc.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I think 2 is more intuitive and that's what I do!
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I don't see why there should be a "camp". Get out your thermometer and a
>>>>> stop watch and try it both ways.
>>>>>
>>>>> I would be willing to bet that number one will win, and is, in fact, the
>>>>> recommended procedure in every owner's manual I have seen in the past 15
>>>>> years or more.
>>>>
>>>> It is not the recommended procedure in any owner's manual I've seen in
>>>> the last 15 years, and I will take your bet.
>>>
>>> You don't read much, apparently. Or you have misread what was said
>>> above. Look again.
>>>
>>>
>>> RFT!!!
>>> Dave Kelsen
>>
>>
>> What does "RFT!!!" mean?
>
> It means "Roll Tide" (the teams of the athletic department of the
> University of Alabama).
>
>
>> Well, I double checked the manuals for the 15 years of cars my immediate
>> family currently uses. The '91 240SX, '96 I30, '96 Odyssey, '97 I30t, '98
>> Maxima, and '02 Pathfinder all say what I said they say.
>
> Yes. Well, if you look at the message I typed, I was responding to
> Elmo. He has some unusual ideas at times, but he's not an idiot, so I
> figured that perhaps he had misread your message and thought that you
> were saying the opposite of what you were actually saying. Sorta like
> you just thought about my message.
>
> I agree with you, and so do the manuals of my automobiles.
>
> RFT!!!
> Dave Kelsen

Sorry. I missed Elmo completely - he went into my kill file a year ago when
he was advocating feeding false and possibly dangerous answers to anyone who
had the audacity to ask how to turn off the maintenance light. Apparently
my news reader is doing a good job of filtering him out.

On 9/25/04 2:03 PM, in article ,
"Leon" > wrote:

> On Fri, 24 Sep 2004 12:59:09 GMT, "E. Meyer" >
> wrote:
>
>>> So, if your car has been sitting in the sun, start with
>>> "fresh" until the inside air is at the same temperature as the outside
>>> air. Then switch to "recirc" until it gets comfortably cool inside. From
>>> this point on, keeping it in "recirc" will give you the best fuel
>>> economy,
>>
>> Say what? It takes less gas to have the AC in recirc mode vs. fresh air
>> mode? I'd like to see the data that supports this assertion.
>
> You get better fuel economy on recirculate. On a long highway journey
> with the cruise on and nothing else to do, I timed the time the
> compressor was ON/OFF while on recirculate and while on fresh. It was
> ON for about 30 seconds on Recirc but more than a minute on Fresh (the
> car's interior had already cooled down completely). Also, OFF times
> were higher for recirc but don't remember them.
>
> If it's extremely humid outside I would expect the compressor to stay
> ON all the time on fresh. Air "quality" (temperature? humidity?) is
> always better on fresh instead of hours on recirculate.
>
> Bye,
> Leon

This sounds like an experiment I need to try on the trip to Houston next
week.

"Elmo P. Shagnasty" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "E. Meyer" > wrote:
>
>> Sorry. I missed Elmo completely - he went into my kill file a year ago
>> when
>> he was advocating feeding false and possibly dangerous answers to anyone
>> who
>> had the audacity to ask how to turn off the maintenance light.
>> Apparently
>> my news reader is doing a good job of filtering him out.
>
> Ooooooo. <snort>
>
> Obviously, you have no sense of reality.

Says you.
*You're* replying to someone you know has you killfiled!

"Elmo P. Shagnasty" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "Steve Bigelow" > wrote:
>
>> *You're* replying to someone you know has you killfiled!
>
> no, I'm replying to someone who SAYS he has me killfiled.

Touche.

Can you post the instructions or email them to me? Maybe it will work on my
Pilot. The A/C on my Town and Country would allow you to program the
recirc. button either way.

Kerby

"Randy Hunt" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> says...
> > In article >, Jeff
> > > wrote:
> >
> > > Just wondering--whenever I use the AC, my Accord keeps defaulting to
> > > outside air (as do most newer vehicles, I've noticed). I drive mostly
> > > in traffic and don't like to breathe exhaust fumes filling the car, so
> > > I'm continually resetting it to recirc. But I'm curious as to why
> > > outside air is the default setting. (?)
> > >
> > > 2000 Accord v6 sedan
> > >
> > > Jeff
> >
> > I don't believe that it is suppose to work that way. It does NOT work
that
> > way on my 1999 Honda Accord. You either have something wrong with your
> > system or you are not setting the controls correctly. It's my guess that
> > you don't bother turning on the air conditioner after starting your
> > vehicle. Try this experiment for a week:
> > After you start your Accord, turn the heat control to the max. setting.
> > Push the Recir button. It does not matter which vent button you press. I
> > almost forgot to tell you to press the AC button.
> > After you do this experiment for a week, repost and let us know the
results.
> >
> > I usually leave my air conditioner set this way all of the time during
the
> > summer months.
> >
> >
> It tells in my 2000 Accord Owners manual how to program it to work either
> way.
>
> Randy