Was wondering if anyone knows whether the climate control running in auto mode always runs with A/C on, or is smart enough to only run the A/C when the outside air needs to be cooled to maintain the cabin temp setting. It seems like my A/C is always running in auto mode, even when the outside temperature is lower than the temp setting in the car. My guess is that the auto mode may run A/C all time to ensure that the cabin humidity is kept low.

 

I have the same impression, but cannot verify for sure.

 

The A/C compressor itself turns on and off via a clutch as needed (as with most automotive A/C systems), so technically no, even when the A/C is on, the compressor only runs when it's necessary.

 

i think it runs A/C all the time, today it was low 70's outside and the sun heated up the interior a bit. wasn't really that hot inside the car but when i turned the climate control on the A/C kicked in. i set it to 75 degrees and drove for a while. the A/C never turned off.

 

Remember the A/C compressor is about compressing the refridgerent, not about interior temperature so even if it's not hot, when you first turn on the A/C it will run for a while even when it's cold.

 

I have been keeping the setting to manual and making sure that the panel shows A/C off. I do find the AUTO setting kicks in the AC too often. I drove one cold morning (not on defrost mode) and right after I parked, I had water discharge coming from the evaporator drain hole which normally occurs when the AC is running.

 

I thought our A/C "light" will always be on while you start your Climate Control. You have to manually turn A/C "light" off if you don't like to use it...

I say "light" because I'm not sure if compressor is always on or only working under the conditions of your setting and temp.



BUT, I guess, when AC "light" is on, the compressor is always working no matter what temp you're having now...

 

In "auto" mode the compressor will run whenever the temperature of the air flowing across the evaporator is above 3degC. It is definitely a waste to run the compressor all the time but the "auto" algorithm becomes less complicated this way. I hope this made sense.

 

i have yet to turn on the "auto" mode and NOT have the A/C on. i'm pretty sure it defaults to having the A/C ON. i dont see any other way for the car to rapidly control the temperature setting that you input. if the A/C is not ON, how does it control the air temperature coming from your vents?? :think:

 

When you set the climate control to auto it turns the A/C on to control the temperature. If the air outside is cool enough it will just use the air from the outside instead of the A/C.
This is how it is for the 03 accords.

 

if that's the case then why does the A/C turn on when i set the temperature to 80 when its about 68 outside? i've done that test and yes, the A/C is ON when i use Auto Mode. you have to remember that Air Conditioning is used for climate control for both humidity control and temp control. most people dont know any better and purely associate A/C with cold temp air use only. :smokin:

 

hehe i just figured that out today...AC always runs execpt if you manually turn it off and it displays A/C off...that would explain that water leakin on the bottom of the car

 

Yes AC will always be running in auto. AC runs not only for cooling but for dehumidifying. SO even in cooler weather it will still be taking moisture out of the air.

 

What settings are you using to have fresh air blow in through the vents without it being heated or cooled? The manual is less than helpful (for me) on this point?

 

Talk to your car.

Say,"Air Conditioner OFF" and/or "Climate Control Fresh Air".

 

I do need to spend more time with the manual, but is it safe mroe me to assuem that the voice commands are only applicable for the TLs with Navis systems?

 

Well...................you can talk to your TL whether it has Navi or not; however it will only follow the voice commands if it has Navi. :lol1:

 

Hit the A/C button until AC OFF is displayed (this will keep the compressor from cycling on), then take your set temperature down to 60 (this will make sure the air mix door is set to by-pass the heater core), and finally make sure that the amber light on the recirc button is not lit (indicating you're in fresh mode).

 

I thought if you run the temp down all the way to LO it runs non-stop, otherwise I beleive is kicks it in as needed based on your temp setting and temp in the car.

 

This thread is really confusing. All the comments are appreciated, but I'm not sure we've heard a definitive answer. The automatic climate control in the TL works pretty much the same as the prior generation TL/CL. I had such a CL. The A/C did not always stay on in full automatic mode in that car; I could hear the A/C clutch click on and off at times.

On the other hand, it DOES seem that the A/C never turns off in the TL. I can't state that with authority, but like others, that's the experience I seem to be having.

If so, isn't that wasteful? Isn't that going to hurt the gas mileage?

 

When it is in the AUTO setting, the A/C is on.

I believe it does this to keep the humitidy at a constant level. You'll notice if you have the fan on at night and the A/C off, the windows will fog up. You'll put the defogger on and the A/C will also come on. It seems wasteful if you have the heater on, I turn it off unless it fogs up my windows then I would turn it back on.

 

yes. in the '04TL, when you hit the defog button, it automatically turns on the A/C for obvious reasons. its about time an automaker did this. i've never understood why it was never a standard feature on cars. why else would i want to shoot air into my windshield??

 

Hmm, both my Inifniti's did this, even my 98 Concorde and my Toyota's. They may not show A/C, but they usually run the compressor to de-humidify the air.

I guess I didn't know they run it all the time in the TL when set to Auto, good then I manually operate the A/C anyway.

 

:banghead:

 

If you turn it to auto. You can change part of the auto functions while still in auto, i.e. turn off ac, change vent locations, and fan speed. Doing any of these still leaves the other functions in auto. Note when these are done the auto indicator turns off but still is in auto if the temperture numbers show.

 

this is probably another reason why some people are getting poor gas mileage.

 

how can u use auto climate control if it don't work. Was 50 out today, cool so I had the auto take care of it at 68 degrees and it only blew cold air out. Useless!

 

In the manual it indicates that even though you have the heat on, the A/C will also run in order to eliminate moisture from the interior.
I turn off the A/C if I want to make sure it's off...

 

68 degrees is not that warm. set it a little warmer if you want heat coming out of it. when the outside temp was about low 60's i set the car to 72 and it blew heat in the beginning and then cool air. the inside of the car will stay pretty warm after being heated up. plus if you have passengers in the car it will also help to keep the temp up. the climate control works great on the TL. this is my first car with climate control and i find it a great way to keep the car comfortable to drive in.