| sailor |
I have a 2 month old MDX and live in North Carolina. I turned on the heat (actually, in auto mode - outside and inside temp was about 40 deg F). The compressor turned on and never stopped. I played with it and found that, in auto mode, the only time it did quit was when I ran the temp up to 90.
Is this normal???:confused: |
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| acuruss |
Yes, this is normal with auto climate control vehicles. Even with manual controls, the AC compressor works when the defrost is on to remove humidity from the air flow so it's not deposited on the windshield.
If you want to work your system in "semi-auto" mode, use the A/C button on the trip computer, or the A/C soft button on the Navi screen, to turn the compressor off.
While the compressor does suck some power and fuel, it's not nearly as much as when you're cooling the vehicle on a hot day; it should cycle on and off as needed. |
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| sailor |
Thanks for the response. The issue, though, is not one of humidity. I do not think that the compressor should run all of the time when the temperature is cold and the humidity is very low. It never even cycled (over 3 hours of use).
I can manually turn it off, but should not have to (my other cars with fully auto systems are smart enough to handle this...). |
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| donsev |
quote:
Originally posted by sailor
Thanks for the response. The issue, though, is not one of humidity. I do not think that the compressor should run all of the time when the temperature is cold and the humidity is very low. It never even cycled (over 3 hours of use).
I can manually turn it off, but should not have to (my other cars with fully auto systems are smart enough to handle this...).
Sailor,
I realize you are new to this forum (welcome by the way!), but I have to laugh whenever a user says the car should be "smart enough" to do this or "smart enough" to do that when it is usually the user who has not done his/her homework on how to operate the car/controls etc.
There are many discussion about the MDX's HVAC system on this forum (including one from just a day or so ago):
Ignition/Heat/Cooling Question....
And...
In short, the AC-on indicator simply means that the AC unit will monitor temp and humidity and start the compressor/condessors IF conditions warrant. It does NOT mean that the compressor is running all the time (it is smart after all!)
If you are saying that you opened the hood of the MDX and actually watched the AC compressor run for three hours then you do have a problem ;)
When you set the temp control to Max (90) or Min (65?) this overrides the AUTO (smart) feature of the system - activating the heat for the 90 degree setting and the AC for the 65 degree setting. |
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| sailor |
Well, my wife often points out that a car frequently behaves better and smarter than I do at times, so I am simply echoing her thoughts...
I was travelling in the mountains on a long trip with frequent stops. I did check the compressor at many stops and never saw or heard it stop (auxiliary radiator fan also on)... In fact, ever since it got cooler here, I have never found the compressor not running . This MDX only has 2000 miles on it and I am not used to it yet. If this is normal, then so be it. I just find it odd that it would be engineered to constantly run the compressor... |
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| donsev |
quote:
Originally posted by sailor
Well, my wife often points out that a car frequently behaves better and smarter than I do at times, so I am simply echoing her thoughts...
I was travelling in the mountains on a long trip with frequent stops. I did check the compressor at many stops and never saw or heard it stop (auxiliary radiator fan also on)... In fact, ever since it got cooler here, I have never found the compressor not running . This MDX only has 2000 miles on it and I am not used to it yet. If this is normal, then so be it. I just find it odd that it would be engineered to constantly run the compressor...
I believe that the aux. fan will switch on/off regardless of AC setting to provide additional engine cooling.
How were you able to tell that the clutch in the compressor was actually engaged and not just spinning the idler pulley (just curious, I haven't delved under the hood to check this out yet) |
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