Climate / Heater Question

[Sandemonium]

I have a '13 Explorer Sport and have a question on the climate operation.

When the weather is cool and there is no need for A/C in Phoenix this time of year I turn the A/C off but leave the temperature settings as they were (both set to 74 degrees), but heat blows out of the vent even when the outside temperature is 85. To me since the outside temperature is greater than the set temperature there should be no need for heat. The only way to get outside temperature air to blow out of the vents is to lower the temperature on the climate to LO with the A/C still off.

Is this normal operation? It sure doesn't seem like it should operate like this.

Thank you,
Bob

 

[Hammertime3]

Had the same deal going.....just push the fan button in and everything will go off. Push it in again if you want the fan back on. Sure would be nice if we could get some fresh air into these new cars like the old days. Remember the old triangular side vents you could pop open for fresh air on the older cars??
Oh well..

 

[zpn_by]

Hey there - I've got the same with my 02 EB (automatic climate controls) and have seen it with everything else when I worked at a Ford Dealer. In my experience the only way to get basic outside air to flow in is to set the temp all the way down. In my case that's setting it to 16C on dash vents with no AC. Had to do this a lot this year, as my AC is busted... It's not such a bad thing to do, as you can just leave it at low temp. You will of course have to bring it back to a reasonable level if you have a hot day with AC required...

 

[peterk9]

I have a '13 Explorer Sport and have a question on the climate operation.

When the weather is cool and there is no need for A/C in Phoenix this time of year I turn the A/C off but leave the temperature settings as they were (both set to 74 degrees), but heat blows out of the vent even when the outside temperature is 85. To me since the outside temperature is greater than the set temperature there should be no need for heat. The only way to get outside temperature air to blow out of the vents is to lower the temperature on the climate to LO with the A/C still off.

Is this normal operation? It sure doesn't seem like it should operate like this.

Thank you,
Bob

Welcome to the Forum Sandemonium.:wavey:
Although I'm not expert (disclaimer ), I quite sure the outside temperature has nothing to do as to whether your A/C or heat comes on. It is the cabin temperature that determines that. The cabin temperature sensor is located behind that small grill in the dash just to the right of the steering column.
As for me, I leave mine set to 'Auto' and never need to adjust the controls. In that setting the program determines whether the A/C or heat should be on as governed by your temperature settings.
If you want, you can use the 'Search' (Advanced Search) function and find other threads on Climate, etc scattered throughout the forum.

Peter

 

[Sandemonium]

Thanks for the replies. I did search and was not able to find an answer, that is why I asked the question....

The problem for me is that setting to AUTO and using A/C noticeably increases fuel consumption and when it is nice out just using outside air is more desirable.

Also, if the outside air is warmer than the set temperature the hot air should not be needed and the interior thermometer should be able to determine that.

Just something I have observed and it is annoying to me and I wondered if it is normal operation.

Thank you,

Bob

 

[peterk9]

Thanks for the replies. I did search and was not able to find an answer, that is why I asked the question....

The problem for me is that setting to AUTO and using A/C noticeably increases fuel consumption and when it is nice out just using outside air is more desirable.

Also, if the outside air is warmer than the set temperature the hot air should not be needed and the interior thermometer should be able to determine that.

Just something I have observed and it is annoying to me and I wondered if it is normal operation.

Thank you,

Bob

If heat is coming on when the interior temp is higher than the set temp then you are correct Bob. There is a TSB shown in the TSB thread for issues with the 'Blend Door' not operating properly. It is TSB 12-1-8 but is for 2011 models. I don't know if this is what is causing the problem but I would mention it to your dealer the next time you go there. Things were do much simpler with my first cars when all you had to do to open the vent for outside air was to use a push/pull knob.

Peter

 

[rbreding]

Just as a thought....When I had to replace a "blend" motor on a Jeep Cherokee the door was always in some position of letting heat from the core come by (thus blending) unless the temperature was set at the lowest. It used a potentiometer to set the door at a percentage based on the "auto" setting being used at a requested temperature.

I would venture to guess that the "blend" door operates pretty much the same and will still be partially open to the heater core unless the temp requested is at its lowest on just about any car with an Automatic thermostat.

While I haven't tested this on our '14 sport I would be willing to bet money on the above assumption.


That being said....if you want the outside air to come in unmolested by the heater core then I would personally set the temp to the lowest as you have discovered.....which is what I will do when the Al Gore global warming temps retreat some.

 

[LukerDooker]

In mine it seems to work this way by design. I dont think its a fluke.

Currently internal cabin temp can only be guessed at by raising/lowering
displayed Climate temp and feeling heat or AC increase or decrease in the air mix.

Frequent AC activation when not needed lowers real world gas mileage.
The AC activates even if turning on the fan on the Sony or via steering wheel.
If you do not manually unset 'Auto' the AC will activate to cool the air or the heat will activate to warm the air to your temp setting via the steering wheel.
Without an internal temp display-only external-we are guessing at cabin temp.

So, on mine:

If setting internal Climate temp to match the displayed external temp,
external air coming in is still heated a bit.

When its not hot outside, to have plain external air come in, need to set & lower displayed steering wheel temp setting approx 3* from external temp display, so its just air, no heat, and no need for AC when external air is already cool.

These temp settings are working consistently for me on a daily basis:

Setting temp to 73* is the lowest amount of AC mixed with external air.
Cool but not cold, can feel slight humidity from external air.

Setting temp to 74* or higher allows external air in, no AC.
So on a hot day if external temp = 80*, set to 74*, can feel plain air.

Set temp to 73* minimal AC, set any lower AC increases in power.
AC works well, if set to or lower than 72*, almost froze my arm off
72 is my daily AC temp, and it works well in 90* to 100* heat.

But the AC always activating to mix air is a real pain, and the LEDs in the Sony audio control center cannot be seen during day driving, unless looking at them head on. Its a real distraction.

I suppose all this will be moot once manual controls are returned to the dash.

 

[peterk9]

Has anyone tried this method to bring in outside air?

(Defrost): Distributes outside air through the windshield
defroster vents and demister vents. Can be used to clear the windshield
of fog and thin ice. Press this button again to return to the previous air
flow selection. To return to full automatic control, touch AUTO.

Peter

 

[LukerDooker]

page 166:
Automatic climate settings:

"...In hot weather the system sets the internal temp to 72*"

:...in moderate weather, the system either heats or cools based on
previous settings."

"...in cold weather, the system is set to 72*"
_________________________________________________________

so...the setting of 72* is hard set in the programming.

on a humid day even if the temp reads 68* outside,
I set the AC at 72*, because any lower is not necessary.
Its cold and dehumidifies right away.

If I set it to 68* I would need a jacket and goggles...

 

[peterk9]

page 166:
Automatic climate settings:

"...In hot weather the system sets the internal temp to 72*"

:...in moderate weather, the system either heats or cools based on
previous settings."

"...in cold weather, the system is set to 72*"
_________________________________________________________

so...the setting of 72* is hard set in the programming.

on a humid day even if the temp reads 68* outside,
I set the AC at 72*, because any lower is not necessary.
Its cold and dehumidifies right away.

If I set it to 68* I would need a jacket and goggles...

Don't forget your toque, eh!

Peter