I wanted to start a discussion with everyone to throw around ideas on how to keep the interior of our cars cooler.

I recorded 148 degrees surface temperature on the roof of my car the other day and an interior temp of 132 degrees. This was taken 2 1/2 hours after I got to work using the same thermometers I use to surface temp my equipment and food daily.

My A/C blows out at 41 degrees but that is not enough to cool the car down to a comfortable temp while I drive to work. It's not until the sun goes down that my A/C is cool enough. I do the usual to keep the car cool, windshield shade, crack the windows etc.

I was thinking about replacing the seat heaters since I will never use them and installing a seat cooling systems. Fans? ducting from A/C? I was also thinking about the possibility of adding a reflective material to the roofs exterior like reflective tint or mylar? What about changing the blower motor out with one that pushes more CFM? Would the factory A/C system be able to handle additional CFM and still keep cool?

These are just some ideas I am having and want to hear what everyone has to say?

 

Other than tinting your windows, the seat cooling system is something I have been considering doing.

 

Not much you can really do, except get the hell out of Arizona. I know I wouldn't be able to deal with that kind of heat.

 

Car sunglasses ( shades ) .. for UV
Bright interior suffer less than darker/black interior
Tint windows
Crack Windows
Tilt sunroof but keep the sun blocker thingy almost closed
Park in shade
Window visors, keep the windows open a crack and the difference in temp. Getting air circulation is key, move the hot air out of the car and it stays cooler

 

In regards to tinting windows...I just learned of a "tint exemption" from a guy today. Guy essentially has a legal limo tint on his vehicle through a doctor's note.

 

psh....there are other materials of tint that block the same amount of heat than 5% at legal percentages.

I would, however, use that "doctors note" for windshield tint.

the windshield has the largest real estate of all the windows. thats where your heat is coming in from

 

My brother in law has the doctors note. I'm surprised that no one has ideas though about modifications to keep the car cooler.

For seat coolers it seams most cars use small fans to circulate air. To me that will just blow hot are up my back. The Lincoln navigator ducts air from the A/C up threw the seats. If I were to install the seat fans I would remove the seat heaters and install the seat fans on the oem switches.

The other thing I'm thinking is change the blower motor with one from a new model vehicle or one that is rated to move more air than the oem unit.

 

I 100% totally agree with maintaining air circulation as its stale air (lack of flow) that's saturating the inside of the car. First law of thermodynamics states that "heat goes where there is less heat"...that's simplified of course but its the logic. Also, heat naturally rises. Assuming that, simply cracking a window doesn't do much for an actual air "flow" because there's no ventilation coming from below to allow this happen. If you imagine the heat like a liquid and flipped the car over, the water would pour out much faster if you made several relief vents on the bottom (which is now facing up) of the car to encourage flow. THAT'S why window cracking hardly does anything at all unless the windows are lowered enough to allow any outside airflow to carry the heat out by draft.

I'd consider adding a few ventilation points in kick panels and/or under seats that can be easily opened/closed during vehicle operation...if you're really serious about this that is. This combined with keeping windows cracked will remove some heat.

Also, try rolling all your windows down when you first enter the car to help the heat escape faster than what the evaporator can absorb and disperse into the engine compartment. You're relying on a small 8"x8" aluminum coil to remove a crap ton of heat. If you really knew how many BTU's of heat are sitting in your car when you enter it on a hot day, most people would laugh when they realized how much they are really expecting from a vehicles AC system. Although I believe the typical automotive AC system runs about 12-15 tons (your house runs 2.5-5 tons on average), you're still asking alot by keeping the heat in during the "hot pull down" phase of the refrigeration process.

Another extreme measure (but feasible) that can be performed is increasing the efficiency or capacity of the stock AC system. The three largest, and most important, components of an AC system are the evaporator, condenser and the compressor. These components are necessarily matched in accordance to the rated capacity of whatever it is they're refrigerating so naturally if you increase the size of the size components, you will increase the systems cooling efficiency.

The evaporator literally absorbs the heat from the cabin and carries it back out to the compressor where the refrigerant (aka Freon) is compressed and as a result this increases the line pressure but also reveals the heat of which is then removed from the refrigerant by the condenser and then the process starts over again. If the condenser can reject more heat, by any other supplemental means, than the AC system will gain efficiency. And here's my absolute best idea for doing this....

Add a 3-5 gallon tank of water in the trunk of the car that is pressurized by a small electrical pump that routes the water up to spray nozzles that are pointed at the front of the condenser coil and have the pump controlled by a pressure actuated switch in the AC systems high side so that when the pressure inside the line increase (due to excess heat build up) the pump will kick on and supercool the condenser and easily drop evaporator temps by 15-30 degrees...sort of like a methanol injection kit works. Waters cheap, the electric motor causes the engine to slightly increase fuel consumption due to alternator mechanical load, but you know what....you're AC will work two times better!

 

12-15 tons! Not a chance. Just vent the hot air best as possible

 

The ventilated seats would be hard.

you would have to buy new seats, a seat that will allow the air to be pushed through....


i i remember correctly, there are two types of 4G seats...the ones with the ventilated system and the other without.
some one correct me if im wrong

 

If you haven't added window tint (I would assume you did since you're in the Phoenix area) a really good quality tint such as 3M Crystalline (one that reflects both UV, light, and infrared = heat) would work well. It's a bit more expensive, but I got it on the wife's SUV and it works very well. Also, if you're at work and there I assume for at least an 8 hour day, how about an outdoor car cover- it'll take a few minutes to put on and take off, but if you get in white or a light color, it'll reflect a lot of the light, keeping your car cooler. As for adding seat coolers, I like the idea but it's likely to be more expensive as an option (although I would like to see someone do it).


As for the 3M Crystalline- you can get applied to the windshield in a very light tint so it won't be noticeable (comes in as light as 90% light transmittance) but still blocks quite a bit of the heat and 99.9% of the UV).

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...omotive_Films/

Get a windshield sunshade as well for when the car is parked (cheaper option)

What I'd really like to see is just a canopy cover for the 'greenhouse' of the car- I have one for my convertible and when I travel, it's great- keeps out prying eyes, the rain, and heat/light. No one makes one though.

Something like this (this is not my car):

 

I think I found what you may want (I forgot that I have one of these for my 300ZX in South Carolina). It's made of Tyvek (it's strong) and was $69 shipped (I don't know how much they are now). It's from a company called California Pop Top:

 

I'm honestly not sure but I know for a fact the tonnage of an automotive AC system is above most residential AC system. Hard to believe until you really think about how much of a demand is placed on the AC. Especially (as I mentioned above) during a hot pull down.

 

That's an interesting idea. I work from 2pm to 11pm so my issue wis when my car is at home. I my wife would let me throw some of the crap that's in my garage away than my problem would be solved. I am tinted 5% all around except for the windshield. I took some temps today when I got in the car and on the way to work (15 mins). The interior temp was 134 degrees today. The interior temp of the roof was 138 degrees. The coldest the AC got in that 15 minute drive was 60 degrees. The interior temp was 97 when I got to work. I drove 1 mile with all of the windows down and the A/C on to expel the heat.

 

A 15 min drive got you down to 97? Something is most definitely wrong here. My wife's old 98 CL with nearly 350k miles (it was her very first car) will be quite comfortable after no more than 6-8 minutes at most.

Any car that comes into the shop reporting AC problems generally gets the system recovered first before attempting to diagnose anything. I'd say an easy 70% are undercharged and simply require adding refrigerant. I'd suggest doing this first and make sure the shop doing the AC service has an AC service machine or else there's no accurate way to measure the refrigerant coming out and going in.

Also, I'd recommend a product called ICE 32 which is simply a synthetic oil with much better cooling effects. And also using synthetic refrigerant combined with the ICE 32 brings an easy 10 degree drop at the evaporator.

 

If you're serious about rejecting heat, wrap the roof in chrome to reflect the sun away, maybe some kind of thermal barrier under the head liner. My car cools off in 2-3 minutes when it's 90+ out. Definitely check the refrigerant levels.

 

I hate using A/C, I only use it when I have to- phone calls, rain, or when my damn wife doesn't want her hair to get messed up... I do agree that it is way too hot when you first get in the car. I always down the windows with the remote and let it sit for a minute before getting in, then I remove my windshield shade, which is definitely a must have especially to help with dash cracks. By then it is bearable to sit in until I get going and get some air flowing through. I've rode in new Mercedes with the A/C vents that blow on your neck from the seats- holy shit they are amazing. I was thinking about trying to route the air vents that go through the center console up to the neck area of the front seats- I just need to find a way to make it look good. It wouldn't be hard to run the air up through the seats- you could just use some plastic vacuum style flex tubing and cut out a channel in the seat foam on the side maybe- the hard part is finding a vent to go directly behind your neck that matches the seat somewhat... I'm all about making my luxury car more luxurious, while still being a cheap ass.

 

Why is this in the performance section?

 

I dont think it matters in what section these threads go in any more...
so, take that stick outta your....

 

Because we can't race when we are sweaty!

 

Which is why my turbo j35a8 Accord has AC and the j37 will as well.

Why drive a car you invest so much time and money into but can't be comfortable enough while driving to really appreciate it?

 

you're building another one!?

 

Because this is a performance and modification section and the purpose of this thread was to discuss modification ideas to keep the interior of the car cool and to keep increase the efficiency of the A/C.

I have noticed there is very little flow coming out of the rear Vents. Which makes the rear almost unbearable.

 

Its no difference than UCM thread and Aerodynamics thread. This one is in the works.

 

When did you change your cabin air filter last? Could be clogged up, just another thought. I bought a replacement one but it's been 95 all week here so I don't feel like putting it in. Should blow a little better if it's been a while.

 

Good point, I changed my cabin filter a while ago and it was completely clogged with dirt and leaves- it helped my air flow a ton.

 

Not that it really matters, i was just curious as to why the thread was here. This thread just seems like a general 3G TL thread or should be in the problems/fixes category. The passengers inside the car being hot dont make the car slower or faster.

 

Having swampass = -20 HP

 

in all honesty, a great title helps.

even if you werent familiar with how acurazine is set up, reading the title "interior cooling thread discussion" would help you determine if you wanted to click on it or not...

its just not that important,any more for sub-sections...when the car was new, sure.

 

I like the idea of increasing the CFM of the motor. While this would increase the airflow, I think the air will be warmer because the evaporator doesn't have as much time to remove heat. Of course, you can turn the fan speed down after enough of the hot air is removed from the cabin. Maybe it doesn't take a different motor and the existing one can be modified to spin at a higher RPM. Wonder what kind of motor it is.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Solar-Sun-Power-Car-Auto-Air-Vent-Cool-Fan-Cooler-Ventilation-System-Radiator-US-/181039819159?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a26d06997
here you go!

 

I actually change mine very often, probably too often. I change it every oil change especially during the summer with all the dust storms.

Thats what I am wondering. I'd at least like to see what would happen.

This doesn't work if you have tinted windows. I already tried this.


I do have a low refrigerant issue so I am going to have the system evacuated and recharge this weekend. The car still seems to have less air flow though. The fan clearly changes speed so I don't think I have any other issues.

I liked the idea about a reflective material on the roof. I'm going to do a test with car cover and a reflective material to see how much it reduces the temp of the interior of the vehicle while parked.

 

fill your rear seats up with water, like take 6 of those 36 packs and just stack them in the rear seats. Or you can use a couple of those 5 gallon containers. that much water will absorb some of the heat for awhile. Until the water reaches ambient temperature then it wont do anything anymore lol. It's an idea I came up with when I left a pack of water in my car and noticed how it got hot after awhile. I realized it got hot because it absorbed heat, and water has one of the highest heat capacity in the world. Obviously 1 pack of water didnt do much, but I always wondered if a back seat full of water will do anything noticeable. probably not, but I guess I just wanted to put my idea out there. I do realize the downsides though, such as the water needs somewhere to cool down after it absorbs the heat.

but I am sure if you take 2 same cars and put them in the same spot next to each other for couple hours, and one car filled with water cases in the back seats, the car with the water will be cooler....just not sure how significant, if at all, it will be.

 

Film factor is what this would affect. Airflow across a given evaporator coil is generally set to where the coil gains anywhere from 10-20 degrees of heat from the refrigerants boiling temperature. Too much and too little airflow affects any AC systems performance.

 

I like the idea of spraying water on the condensor when it's over 100F and the dry air in AZ is going to evaporate that water almost instantly. So no rust issue. A harmless test would be to rig the windshield washer hose to drizzle water down the front of the coil, you'd get the same effect with less work and easily reversible.

Also in PHX, AZ, my AC gets the car comfortable in about five or six minutes under extreme conditions (like the OP said, parked in direct sun with outside temps 105 to 115F). I have pretty dark tint, black interior, and dark gray paint.

And we all know air has to be passing over the condenser, so don't expect a car to cool off just sitting there idling. Try hitting a car wash on a hot day (probably not good for rotors, etc.) and see what happens when the outside of the car is cooled and cool/air water is pulled over the condensor.

 

Don't forget our TL's have a roll down feature on all the Windows before we even open the car up...even the sunroof opens. First off. Ebrake has to be engaged before leaving the car. Lock the car with the remote like you normally do. When you come back. Press the unlock button once to unlock your car. Then press and hold the unlock button. It takes a couple of secs but eventually all the Windows start to go down. The sunroof takes the longest. You can stop the possess at anytime and continue the process by pressing and holding the unlock button on your remote as long as you haven't started the car...

 

I don't have data yet, but I will do some measurements today, but my butt thermometer (NOT a rectal thermometer, but something kinda like a butt dyno lol) makes me think that the A/C gets MUCH colder than 60 degrees in 15 minutes. I'll see what I get today. It's only going to be 90 today, but the rest of the week is upper mid 90s, so I may do it daily.

 

Totally agree with this. Don't underestimate a quality tint that rejects both the UV and infrared, it does wonders and I have only 30%. You said you have 5% visible light but make sure it can reject the other wavelengths.

Of course I can't compare at all with AZ temps but even the hottest days around here don't bother me at all combined with a window shade when parked. The car gets no more than about 10 degrees hotter than the temperature outside.

Sometimes when I drive with the mid day sun and the windows are down I can feel the sun roast my skin. It is such a contrast when I roll my window up, it's just like being in the shade.

 

I have SOLARGARD tint, high *visible* light transmission (80%) because I like to see at night, but blocks 80% IR and UV. Simply having a 5% tint means nothing, unless it also blocks UV and IR.

My black Camaro roof would get 150degrees in 100 ambient. But my white Chevy SUV interior reads only 135 in 100 ambient. And with the tint above, will cool down inside to 70 in 5 minutes flat, with the car stationary. Of course, humidity has an effect on how quickly the AC can cool, but it should be very dry in Arizona.

My Acura silver RDX AC is not quite as efficient as the Chevy SUV AC, but still will cool in only a bit over 5 minutes. You need to check the AC efficiency - the FSM for the RDX has a specific test procedure - I am sure that the test for the TL is similar. The RDX AC test procedure can be seen here, and can probably produce similar results for your TL, post #6:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?p=13955220#post13955220

 

Bumping this after searching and not finding the answer to what I am looking for....

So recently I have been having an issue with my AC. I took it to the dealer and had them do a diagnostic. They said: low freon, put dye in the system and could not find the leak. Recharged it with R134 or whatever they are using for the TL. They also said all the major components like the compressor and condenser were fine.

Fast forward 30 days, same AC issue. Not blowing cold air, can see the air flowing through the vent and the like. Took it back to the dealer. They said there is no freon leak so they suggested to change the AC relay under the hood. I said go ahead. Left the dealer and it seemed ok at first. Then it reverted back to the same old same old.

I didn't want to take it back to the dealer based on my conversation with the tech and the service advisor and contrasting that with what I have read on various threads here on AcuraZine (honestly I don't think they know how to properly diagnose the issue) so I decided to take it to an indy mechanic that I recently stumbled upon and came highly recommended.

Indy mechanic diagnoses it and says low freon and the evaporator core is bad. Tech seemed knowledgeable based on my conversation with him (again contrasting and comparing what he said with what I have learned here on AzuraZine from prior threads) and troubleshooting. I told him I changed the relay. He checked the clutch and compressor and said they are fine.

So here is my question as I have not seen a thread here in the last 9 years I have been on AcuraZine- does a bad Evaporator sound like a logical reason why the AC is not blowing cold?