tcm_xB

I sometimes wonder if my A/C is working properly. Sometimes I have to turn it up to 3 or 4 just to get any feeling. Other times I'm fine on level 1 or 2. When I ride out today I am bringing the thermostat to stick in the air vent. I believe my 98 Civic gets down to 42 degrees.

I know there are recalls on the a/c. I am just wondering what others A/C's are getting down to in terms of numbers.....

I'll post my numbers when I return home this afternoon.

Just back from the mall



That's with the A/C on highest possible setting. I guess my A/C is fine. Just hardly no flow on the lowest setting. I even close the passenger vent located near the window and the middle vent is aimed toward the driver.

Cybergypsy

No it working on hot days here, i barley feel cool, much less cold.....

XBman

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...r+conditioning

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...r+conditioning

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...r+conditioning

tcm_xB

Those 3 threads have nothing to do with "how cold a/c gets". They are simply gripes about the system in general.

nest

Desert southwest + giant Box with windows + A/C designed for an Echo with 1/6 the interior space =

BLeeK

my nipples get hard then I turn it down..

but that takes at least 10 minutes of running her on full blast..
sometimes I think my A/C is messed up but after a few miles she gets freezing..hence the nipple factor...

mgithens

1/6 the interior space?? I mean come on... 1/6th... you need to rework your fractions... we are talking maybe a 1/4 to 1/3 reduction in total interior volume... so 3/4 or 2/3... but that is a real stretch...

and a BIG HUGE #2... why do you believe that the a/c in one car is identical to another car?? just because the engine is the same doesn't mean that all other parts are... the tranny is different, etc... think first, post second... the compressor in your house is SMALLER than the unit in your car... some smaller airplanes use compressors right out of cars, seriously - a Beechcraft 1900D uses twin Rolls turbines and the a/c compressor is a GM part with one extra mounting bolt - and the cabin is much larger... and not to mention 21 people can be inside the plane - on a summer day the plane can sit on a 110 degree tarmac and keep the temperature reasonable... my point is that they can easily resize the system based on the car's requirements...

interior volume has nothing to do with cooling system requirements... the other environment variables are 100X more a factor... for example - heat shielding from engine compartment, small air leaks, number of warm bodies, ambient temperature, vehicle speed... air is easy to cool, it is the interior pieces like the seats, carpet, headliner, etc that take time to balance the temps... this is referred to thermal mass and takes more effort to cool than the extremely light weight air... (yes air has weight)...

as a side note... the a/c is either on or off, the fan speed will not move any more "cold" just because you crank it up... you have to first realize that there is no such thing as cold, there is only absence of heat... so if 1 cubic foot of air is at 80 degrees and then is passed over the evaporator the slower it passes the more heat energy is removed to the end product could be 78 degrees if it is moved real fast and could be 35 if it is moved real slow... I can' t do a full thermodynamics class here, but this is just some info to throw into the loop...

the ultimate way to get your car cool is to #1 be moving... the more air that passes over the high temperature condensor on the outside of the car the better... more air, more time... so start your car and get rolling, keep moving... #2 recirculate the a/c... otherwise you are having to heat up outside air... for the first minute this isn't as big a deal but from the first to maybe third minute you'll see the biggest difference... #3 park in the shade / crack a window when you are parked / put up a windshield shade... these will help reduce the starting temp... I was born and raised in Louisiana (recently moved to Denver) but I have plenty of experience with hot climates...[/list]

HollyDo

I'm in FL and I don't have a problem, the a/c is usually too cold for me. But, my box is white so that may have something to do with it too.........

TJandBOXCARWILLIE

GREAT thread! I was wondering about this myself. I live in POMPANO BEACH, Florida, and own a '02 new Beetle, (as well as the xB), and that car gets COLD as can be. I mean, FREEZING some times. In fact, I have to dial it back (the temp, that is). And it hardly 'sweats', so to speak. No big puddles. So I went to my dealer and asked him, if the big water puddle was suppose to be there, and if my theory about the larger space (compared to the Bug) has something to do with the less cool air.

The service guy told me, first, the puddle is going to be bigger then the Bug, since it's going to be working harder, due to the larger space, and that answered my second question; the larger space meant less 'cool air', as it were, compared to the Bug.

I do know that you are removing the hot air from a space, not just putting cool air in there. And, I did look into a factory sized window shield for the car, but Toyota has not put them out yet. So the next step, I think, is to darken the front tint some more. I know this great guy in North Miami that can do my front two windows; he has done my cars in the past and been fair with the price, and does good work.

And, I also notice an odd whistle some times, but I think it's me, and the way the wind sometimes goes by my ear...


I will say it cools, and it's not bad, and it seems to be getting better now that the car is breaking in some.

JdMBboFSD

ditto..... :D

mgithens

the water comes from the condensation that forms on the evaporator... when you chill air you reduce it's ability to "hold" water, warm air has the opposite effect it can hold much more water... so as the warm air passes over the evaporator (this is located inside the car with hoses draining the water to the outside) it gets colder and then loses it's ability to hold the water, so it "condenses" on the evaporator...

for a side science fact... you can see this effect in nature, you see it all the time... but you call them CLOUDS... :D clouds OR FOG, form when the balance between pressure and temperature are met that force the moisture level (humidity) to stop suspending the water... so in effect the clouds (up high) or the fog (down low) is the point where the air is at 100% of it's water capacity...

so now with your new found 'nawledge'... is your mechanic right?? the answer is no... the reason that you will see a larger pool of water on the outside of the car will have more to do with the availability of water in the ambient air... so if you are on recirculate you will see less water outside and if you are on fresh air you will see more water... if you have 1 person in the car (expiring moisture) you will see slightly less water than if you had a 10 passenger van full of people... a humid day will make more water, but from one car to the next there will be no more effort, most cars are insulated approximately the same... exceptions would be found in cars that are decades apart, not different makes... maybe a jeep or a convertible might be different, but for the most part cars will make about the same amount of water when presented with the same external variables...

cool??

tChamp

bill nye the science guyyyy

BILL BILL BILL BILL

elzy0000

ive heard a rumor that the compressor may be recalled and replaced with a better/ larger one... i sure hope that it's true cause it's flippin' hot here

TJandBOXCARWILLIE

Hey thanks!

So, since you know about A/C, (so it seems), then why does my nB, have less of a puddle then my xB?

I don't mean to sound dense, but when my wife, brother, and I drive around in the nB, it 'sweats' less then the xB. The puddle is less. I guess the days and all would have something to do with it....

But I notice this puddle the most at our condo's parking garage. We live right on the Intra Coastal Waterway (it's right at the edge of the garage, it's that close),and we live .02 miles from the ocean.

I just never noticed a very large puddle with the nB in the same space, that is all.

I dunno. It's not much to worry about, I guess. I am just curious.

Thanks for your help.

coasterlvr

Maybe this will help.
http://jtaudioacc.com/ac.pdf

tcm_xB

I guess the 05 models were fixed of this problem since it only states "04". My a/c is cold anyhow as you see in the pic

XBman

huuuuummmmm i wonder if that would work for heat too??

TJandBOXCARWILLIE

I got my windows tinted today, and that made a world of difference, glad to say.

So, perhaps it's just a simple solution I needed.

Thanks for the input.

AKgoalie7

I went to Walmart and bought one of those Metal looking sunshades. ____ the dealer. Just measure your window and go to an autostore or something and buy a shade. I had to bend the corners a little to make it fit right, but for 5-6 bucks, who cares....

tcm_xB

I picked this one up from Wal-Mart ($6). No bending and fits perfectly in the xB's windhshield. It's the kind that folds up into a small circle.



Just curious..... how much do the dealers wnat for a sun shade? What is so special about it?

I haven't used mine in a while since it's been nothing but rain 90% of the time and my entire front windshield is tinted anyhow