Hi,
When I turn the air flow control to defrost orfloor & defrost, the a/c kicks in (expected) when I turn the control to floor only the a/c kicks in as well (not expected) Does this seem right? I would think at the floor setting you'd mainly want heat, so why the a/c kicks in, I don't know.
Any comments?
Thanks

 

The A/C is going to kick on based on temperature and humidity, not direction of flow. What you are doing when you move the lever to different positions is redirecting the air to different positions.

 

You don't have a separate AC button?
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Yes, there is the normal a/c button. Previous vehicles I've had - the a/c didn't kick in on the floor / heat setting.

 

With most foreign cars that have a separate AC on/off switch, the AC compressor is going to kick on as long as you have the switch in the "on" position, and the outside temperature is high enough. (Usually around 40 degrees F) Don't forget, you are also using the AC to control interior humidity also. That is what clears up your foggy windshield on a rainy day.

 

In addition to what has been posted, don't forget you have a "sliding temperature selector". If you keep the slide all the way down into the blue area the A/C will operate according to the inside temp. So to avoid using A/C when you don't need or want it raise the slide toward the Red zone until the compressor kicks off.

One misnomer is that the A/C will only cool down to 20 degrees below the outside ambient temp. If you keep the vent from the outside closed and not allow outside air to come in the A/C will cool to approx 20 degrees below the inside air temp....and this 20 degree is if everything is working properly.

 

On my 2003 Protege (and other AC equipped cars I've owned) the air temp (heater) control seems to work independently of the AC. I can run both the heater on the full red setting and the AC at the same time. This is the fastest way to defrost the inside of the windows and dry things out on a cold rainy day.
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