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A/C turns on at full power

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by El Gato, Feb 13, 2010.

  1. El Gato

    El Gato Junior Member

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    So I kind of have a small but kind of annoying problem.

    Every time I turn on my A/C or heater, it always turns on to the maximum setting, not temp wise, but I mean the amount of air coming out. I can turn off the A/C or car and have it on the minimum setting, but the moment I turn it on again it always comes on full blast.

    Like I said, not a major issue, but more of annoyance since I will then have to adjust it while driving so I don't have either the A/C or heater come out at full force.

    Anyone know anything about this or what I can do to address it?
     
  2. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    What mode do you have the climate control set, Auto or Manual? Any chance you have the control on Manual and the fan speed set high?
     
  3. sandsw

    sandsw Member

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    I also have the latest model. Currently its' the end of summer here and still very hot.

    I have both the A/C and the fan set to auto. What I notice is that the fan runs flat out until the interior temperature reaches the specified setting. After that the fan speed drops back to a lower setting.

    Cheers
    Warwick
     
  4. El Gato

    El Gato Junior Member

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    I have it set to auto, and the fan speed will immediately switch to high from the lowest setting. So I then have to switch the speed to low. Like I said, not a major issue, but a annoyance none the less as I hate having to change the speed everytime.

    As far as the poster from Australia, I didn't know that the speed adjusted according to the temp in the car. Is the problem?
     
  5. royrose

    royrose Senior Member

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    Im guessing that you are not driving in ECO mode. That mode moderates the response of the gas pedal but also moderates the heating and air conditioning. In ECO mode the fan speed will not go as high.

    As in all modes, once the cabin temp gets to the target speed, the fan speed will drop more.
     
  6. ABL

    ABL Member

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    Turn it OFF and then turn the Fan ON to the setting U like
    Jim
     
  7. AussieDave

    AussieDave New Member

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    I find the same sort of thing with my climate control. Last week we were up in NSW were it was pretty hot and humid all week. Usually I park the car with the moonroof cracked open and the solar fan on and this reduces the initial load to cool the car.
    When car is in ECO mode it also seems to start the Climate control in recirc mode to get fastest cooling.

    David
     
  8. pakitt

    pakitt Senior Member

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    Automatic A/C try to reach as fast as possible the desired temperature inside the cabin.
    If it is hot and you want, say, 22C, the fan will pump as much cool air to reach the desired temperature. This is why it is helpful to drive with the windows open for a brief while to help reduce the temperature of the cabin. Under the sun a cabin can easily reach 80C - if the air outside is 35C, driving for a few moments with the windows down, will help the A/C job to reach the desired temperature (after the cabin materials have cooled off, that is - they can retain heat for a while).
    In winter, it actually happens something different - you turn the A/C on on Auto and nothing happens - the blower will not start working until the engine is warm enough to enable the fan to blow warm enough air and not freeze the passengers...
    If the fan does not go low after, say, 3-4 mins, then you need to get it checked - this, if you are in AUTO mode, no front defrost and a temperature higher than the "LO" setting, e.g. 22C.
     
  9. Jon S

    Jon S Member

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    just turn off AUTO mode. Auto mode will start the blower at high speed until the cabin temperature reaches your desired settings and then the blower slows down... Setting the a/c to manual will have the blower running at it's last set speed...
     
  10. adrianblack

    adrianblack Member

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    If you have the temp set to something very extreme, it will put the fan on full blast to try to bring the cabin to that temp.

    Set the temp to 72F and as it reaches that temp it will lower to 1 bar .. and if the cabin is close to that temp already, it will start at 1 bar.

    If you want manual control, don't push AUTO to turn the system back on after pushing OFF. Just push the Fan speed button and it will start what whatever you had it at before.

    Also, if it's quite cold in the cabin and the engine is cold, it won't turn on the fan at all until the engine is warmed up a little to start providing you with heat. Then it will ramp up.