Cabin Fan W/O AC?

[rsforkner]

Outside the temp is in the low 50s F. I wanted to run the fan on fresh air without running the AC compressor. (Was parked in the sun so it was warm inside) Can't seem to find a way. I turn everything off and turn the fan on low or medium. The AC compressor starts right up. Since the Auto temp is set at 75 the thing goes into heat mode.

Turn off everything again, including Auto Mode, and try again. On goes the compressor.

In town it is VERY noisy with the windows down. Any way to run the cabin fan without the AC on?

Thanks,
Bob

[alanh]

On the climate screen, turn the temperature all the way down, and touch the "A/C" button so it's turned off.

[efusco]

Originally Posted by alanh

On the climate screen, turn the temperature all the way down, and touch the "A/C" button so it's turned off.

If the "auto" feature is on you'll need to manually select a fan speed as well to disable "auto".

[qbee42]

If it's 50 out, the A/C is unlikely to run in auto mode. Just set the temperature where you want it. Otherwise turn off the A/C compressor and set the temperature down, which will cause the fan to run. The lower the temp setting, the faster the fan. Or you can take complete manual control and do as Evan suggests: turn off the A/C compressor, turn off Auto, and set the fan speed.

Tom

[efusco]

Originally Posted by qbee42

If it's 50 out, the A/C is unlikely to run in auto mode. Just set the temperature where you want it. Otherwise turn off the A/C compressor and set the temperature down, which will cause the fan to run. The lower the temp setting, the faster the fan. Or you can take complete manual control and do as Evan suggests: turn off the A/C compressor, turn off Auto, and set the fan speed.

Tom

even with the AC compressor turned off if the auto is not disabled it will adjust the fan speed in odd ways...I find it's easier to just get into the habit of doing the same thing every time---temp to MIN, AC to off, Manually set a fan speed to disable auto.

[qbee42]

Good point, Evan. The fan does seem a bit possessed in Auto mode.

Tom

[dogfriend]

The way I do it is:

Turn Auto AC off on the steering wheel

Push the Climate button on the MFD bezel

Select the Fan Speed from the soft keys on the screen

The AC soft key will show a green bar when you select the Fan Speed (turns itself on) Touch the AC soft key to turn it off.

You can now use the Temp keys on the steering wheel if you want to adjust the temp without the AC coming back on, but if you use the Auto AC button, the AC will come back on and you have to repeat the steps above to turn it off again.

[rsforkner]

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. It appears the AC system is a bit of a "free spirit".

My first step was to go to the Climate screen and turn Auto Off. Then turn AC Off. Then select a fan speed, medium for example. As soon as I hit the fan speed button the AC button comes back on. I'll try setting the temp to minimum but something in my head says that isn't exactly what I want.

Bottom line is I just want fresh air at a medium fan speed with no cooling or heating. It was easy in my Camry.

Still learning... I am keeping a list of "Things I've Learned". Maybe I'll put it together and post the list in one of these forums so that someone else can benefit.

As I read somewhere else in these forums: Repeat after me, "My car is smarter that I am." Well, maybe most of the time.

Bob

[ny biker]

Don't listen to the voice in your head. Turn off AUTO and A/C, set temp to the lowest setting, and choose your fan speed. That gives you fresh air from the outside. I do it all the time.

[Bohous]

This thread is a great example of one of my biggest complaints about this car. I really dislike climate and radio being tied into MFD. Honestly, jumping through all these hoops to simply run a fan, sans AC, is ridiculous. I'll take my old analog buttons and sliders any day, thank you. Same for audio controls.