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A/C Recirculation: air flow?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Technical Discussion' started by pakitt, Oct 27, 2011.

  1. pakitt

    pakitt Senior Member

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    Does anybody know where the cabin air is taken from to get recirculated?

    I thought it was taken from the foot well of the passenger, but based on the position of the air filter there (behind the glove compartment) and presence of dirt on the top (and not the bottom) of it, it seems that air is pushed out (downwards) and not taken from the foot well.

    So, where does the cabin air being pulled from to get recirculated?
     
    #1 pakitt, Oct 27, 2011
  2. Bob K.

    Bob K. New Member

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    Found it! When you change the cabin air filter you can see an opening into the airbox with a rubber flap. When vents to the outside are closed, the fan pulls open the small rubber flap and cabin air is pulled in.
     
    #2 Bob K., Mar 18, 2012
  3. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    so it pulls in air from behind the glovebox?
     
    #3 Tideland Prius, Mar 18, 2012
  4. Bob K.

    Bob K. New Member

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    Yes, pulls it up from the passenger floorboard area.
     
    #4 Bob K., Mar 19, 2012
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  5. gliderman

    gliderman Active Member

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    So now I know where that stinky foot smell comes from when my son is in the front seat.
     
    #5 gliderman, Mar 19, 2012
  6. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    This is from the 2010 New Car Features:

    AC Recirc.PNG
     
    #6 RRxing, Mar 19, 2012
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  7. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I've heard about a bi-level climate control system and I thought our Prius was equipped with it (at least when the 2G was around). Can anyone confirm that feature (if it exists at all?).

    What it is, is that in recirculation mode, it recirculates the air around the foot to heat up the air faster but blows fresh air near the top to keep the windows clear.

    Looking at that diagram, it appears that there's only one blower fan so all air has to pass through that and then onto the air filter... so this bi-level filter that's somehow stuck in my memory vault seems implausible.
     
    #7 Tideland Prius, Mar 22, 2012
  8. macman408

    macman408 Electron Guidance Counselor

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    The repair manual uses the term bi-level to refer to the face/foot setting of the vent.
     
    #8 macman408, Mar 23, 2012
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