A/C recirculation hack?

[Aaron_in_MO]

Before the server crash, there was a thread showing how to take control over the ventilation system, so you could recirculate inside air with the A/C on. I already did it to my car, but I don't remember the steps, and figured it'd help someone out if it got posted again.

[talonXracer]

Hmmm, my EP3 does that stock.....the only option I have seen was to disable the A/C with the defrost selected.

[Aaron_in_MO]

Yeah, that's correct. Sorry, watching Conan and not paying attention to what I was saying...

[sLiCk]

Speaking of this topic. Few weeks ago I was cleaning my interior and I must have bumped a sequence of buttons and knobs on the dash. Now in ALL modes position(vent, vent/foot, foot, defrost/foot, defrost) my compressor will come on. How do I get back out of this?

[talonXracer]

I copied this from a post back in 08', the search function works fine.....


What you will need: Two Fingers

Time Needed: 10 seconds.

Annoyed with how you can't turn off the A/C when you turn to defog? Here's the override (realize that A/C expediates the defog process).

These steps are taken from a discussion thread on 2k1civic.com


Turn Car Off
Turn Temperature Knob To Full Blue (All the way to the left - Counter-Clock Wise)
Turn Vent Knob To Off (All the way to the left - Counter-Clock Wise)
Hold Down Air Recirculation Button As Well As A/C Button
Keep Both Buttons Depressed and Start Car
Keep Both Buttons Depressed for 7 Seconds
*AC LIGHT SHOULD BLINK*

You will now have control of your A/C regardless of what setting you are in, to revert back, simply repeat the procedue.

[Aaron_in_MO]

Yeah, that's what I was looking for, thanks!

[talonXracer]

let me know if that is the correct sequence

[siege911]

I copied this from a post back in 08', the search function works fine.....


What you will need: Two Fingers

Time Needed: 10 seconds.

Annoyed with how you can't turn off the A/C when you turn to defog? Here's the override (realize that A/C expediates the defog process).

These steps are taken from a discussion thread on 2k1civic.com


Turn Car Off
Turn Temperature Knob To Full Blue (All the way to the left - Counter-Clock Wise)
Turn Vent Knob To Off (All the way to the left - Counter-Clock Wise)
Hold Down Air Recirculation Button As Well As A/C Button
Keep Both Buttons Depressed and Start Car
Keep Both Buttons Depressed for 7 Seconds
*AC LIGHT SHOULD BLINK*

You will now have control of your A/C regardless of what setting you are in, to revert back, simply repeat the procedue.

Tried this today on my '05 and it didn't work... No blinking a/c light, and I still can't turn off the a/c with the defroster on...

[monjarassi]

Just did it on my 04 n it worked..

[Aaron_in_MO]

Tried this today on my '05 and it didn't work... No blinking a/c light, and I still can't turn off the a/c with the defroster on...

Try it again, and make sure you do it exactly as stated. It took me a couple tries back when I did it because I missed a step somewhere along the way.

[RotaryGreg]

yeah, retry indeed.

I had all three knobs to the left (its not mentioned about the fan speed knob, but i figured may as well) and on my firts attempt i released the buttons after the recirc light started to flash. that didnt do it.
you have to hold it until that light (recirc) stops flashing and then the AC light should come on. then you are good to let go of the bottons and everything should be good to go.

I did it because i was going on a very long drive last weekend and was hoping to gain a little MPG where ever possible. i figured being able to have it on defrost without the compressor running at all would be ideal on this long run. i know its a scroll type compressor which take very little power to run but still, anything helps right?

for the record, i dont know if it was just the roads i was on or whatever or if its me getting used to how to drive the car properly, but i got the best mileage to date. 28.something MPG when i've been averaging down around 25.something. I know, not the greatest in the world but i've been driving it hard whenever the mood should strike me because its my new (to me) car.

[Aaron_in_MO]

I'm lucky to get 30mpg in my car on the highway. It's rated at 26/30, and those are under ideal conditions, so your results will always be lower.

[siege911]

yeah, retry indeed.

I had all three knobs to the left (its not mentioned about the fan speed knob, but i figured may as well) and on my firts attempt i released the buttons after the recirc light started to flash. that didnt do it.
you have to hold it until that light (recirc) stops flashing and then the AC light should come on. then you are good to let go of the bottons and everything should be good to go.

I did it because i was going on a very long drive last weekend and was hoping to gain a little MPG where ever possible. i figured being able to have it on defrost without the compressor running at all would be ideal on this long run. i know its a scroll type compressor which take very little power to run but still, anything helps right?

for the record, i dont know if it was just the roads i was on or whatever or if its me getting used to how to drive the car properly, but i got the best mileage to date. 28.something MPG when i've been averaging down around 25.something. I know, not the greatest in the world but i've been driving it hard whenever the mood should strike me because its my new (to me) car.

Yeah, I retried shortly after and did that, turned all three knobs full left (counter-clockwise) and it worked. Good to know!

[ttttrigg3r]

What about a hack to stop the AC from kicking on when defrost is turned on? I don't get why the AC kicks on when defrost is on. I want heat to clear the fog, not cold air.

[Aaron_in_MO]

The heat does kick on with the A/C, so long as you have the temp set to hot. The A/C helps get rid of moisture in the air, aiding in reducing fog on the insides of the windows.

[siege911]

What about a hack to stop the AC from kicking on when defrost is turned on? I don't get why the AC kicks on when defrost is on. I want heat to clear the fog, not cold air.

I thought that's what we were talking about... the fix above allows you to turn off the A/C while in defrost mode.

[Aaron_in_MO]

I thought that's what we were talking about... the fix above allows you to turn off the A/C while in defrost mode.

Yeah, it lets you turn it off, but what he wants is for the A/C not to come on in the first place. If you notice, just turning the dial to defrost or defrost+feet kicks the A/C on, and then you have to turn it off manually.

[ttttrigg3r]

wait a minute. I thought having AC on would turn the super cold air on. So wth is AC really?

[PatrickJamesYu]

wait a minute. I thought having AC on would turn the super cold air on. So wth is AC really?

the AC is an Air Conditioner
It changes the current conditions of the air going through the vents
It conditions it to the temperature set by the dial, whether it be cold or hot.
Condition doesn't always mean cold

[Aaron_in_MO]

wait a minute. I thought having AC on would turn the super cold air on. So wth is AC really?

A/C reduces moisture in the air. In the summer, that's what you want, because humidity makes things feel hotter than they are. In the winter, somewhere like your house, you don't have the A/C kick on with the heat, because winter air is already incredibly dry. But in a car, you need to be able to keep fog off the insides of the windows, so it's important to keep it on a lot of the time.

[Paul 631]

Much thanks for the info! The car is alot more comfortable w/ the 'defroster' & floor vents on, but being able to not have the AC on...