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Car Forum / Hyundai Cars / February 20062006 Tucson: question about defrost/defog
Hello 5 years ago I bought an Accent GSi. I got it in the middle of winter, and I noticed that everytime I turned on the defog mode, the a/c light would come on. I got the dealership to disconnect that since I was under the impression the a/c compressor sucks a lot of gas. I just picked up my Tuc a few days ago and noticed it does the exact same thing. Does the a/c thing affect gas consumption when heat is blowing out instead of cold air? Can I disconnect this without having to go to the dealership? Should I not bother? Thanks for your input Alex > Hello > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Alex Leave it alone. The AC dries the air and is part of the defrost system. Modern cars are mostly economical in the AC systems and do not use up the fuel like a generation ago. >> Hello >> [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > Modern cars are mostly economical in the AC systems and do not > use up the fuel like a generation ago. This same subject was discussed just a few days ago. Untrue. The A/C dries the air, but that not only does no good when you're trying to clear the OUTSIDE of the windshield, it reduces the defroster's effectiveness. If you live up north, it sucks. If you use the defroster to clear the inside of the windshield, then switch to heat once it's clear, the moisture on the condenser coils gets pumped back into the interior of the car and fogs up the windows again. For that reason, I prefer to use heat to clear the windows in the winter. Having the A/C compressor running costs me at least 3 mpg in my Elantra. IMO, that's unacceptable for a "feature" that I don't even want. Unfortunately, this is no longer something that can be easily disconnected. I contacted Hyundai about it when I had a nasty experience with it, but they had nothing to offer. In '04 and up, US market vehicles, the only way to get around this is to splice a switch into the A/C control line that comes out of the heater control module, so you can manually turn the compressor off. It's an inexpensive modification, but it requires removal of the dash facia and a bit of wiring. The switch I used fits where the cigarette lighter was. Since the car has an accessory socket, I didn't mind sacrificing the lighter to get better defroster function. odd I life up north.. and I have NO problem with that at all.. when in defog mode. ya just turn the temp up .. problem solved... Pete... >>> Hello >>> [quoted text clipped - 39 lines] > where the cigarette lighter was. Since the car has an accessory socket, I > didn't mind sacrificing the lighter to get better defroster function. > odd I life up north.. and I have NO problem with that at all.. when in defog > mode. ya just turn the temp up .. problem solved... If only it were that simple. I got into a situation in freezing rain where the defroster could not keep the windshield clear. Another 10 or 20 degrees in the temp of the air from the defroster would likely have made all the difference in the world. Canadian market Hyundai vehicles allow the A/C compressor to be switched off, which tells you something about the effectiveness of this dubious "feature" in cold climates. Brian.. oh, I forgot to tell ya, I AM FROM CANADA..;-) Pete.. >> odd I life up north.. and I have NO problem with that at all.. when in >> defog mode. ya just turn the temp up .. problem solved... [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > the A/C compressor to be switched off, which tells you something about the > effectiveness of this dubious "feature" in cold climates. > Having the A/C compressor running costs me at least 3 mpg in my Elantra. > IMO, that's unacceptable for a "feature" that I don't even want. Something is seriously wrong then with your vehicle. I've never seen the AC consume even 1 MPG on a modern car. Actually, on my minivans and pickup, I can't even tell the difference between using AC and not. I check every tank MPG all year around and the extra gas used by the AC in the summer is lost in the noise of the MPG readings. Matt >> Having the A/C compressor running costs me at least 3 mpg in my >> Elantra. IMO, that's unacceptable for a "feature" that I don't even want. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > check every tank MPG all year around and the extra gas used by the AC in > the summer is lost in the noise of the MPG readings. Sorry Matt, but I'm not buying that and I've never heard anyone else make such a claim. An A/C compressor takes several horspower to run, which does impact fuel mileage. There is still a debate about whether rolling down the windows reduces fuel mileage more than using the A/C, but there is no debate about the fact that either one reduces fuel mileage. Perhaps you do a lot more city driving than I do, where the mileage drop is less obvious, but a 3 mpg drop on the highway is normal. >>> Having the A/C compressor running costs me at least 3 mpg in my >>> Elantra. IMO, that's unacceptable for a "feature" that I don't even [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > rolling down the windows reduces fuel mileage more than using the A/C, > but there is no debate about the fact that either one reduces fuel mileage. I can send you copies of more than 10 years worth of MPG data... I never said it doesn't consume extra fuel, and actually said just the opposite. However, you are talking about what a 10-15% reduction in fuel mileage? I don't know what your Elantra yields normally so I'm just estimating here. In city driving, this amount of reduction is probably easily possible as the AC consumes about the same amount of power per hour, regardless of distance traveled. However, on the highway, this is a terribly high figure. Then again, maybe Chrysler and GM have more efficient AC than Hyundai. I know GM for years was the world leader in AC technology. > Perhaps you do a lot more city driving than I do, where the mileage drop > is less obvious, but a 3 mpg drop on the highway is normal. Actually, just the opposite is true. AC consumes roughly a constant amount of power per unit time. At slow city speeds when the vehicle is using less fuel per unit time, the AC consumption will be a much higher percentage of the total. Matt > This same subject was discussed just a few days ago. > [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > accessory socket, I didn't mind sacrificing the lighter to get better > defroster function. From my understanding, after the temperature drops below a certain temperature (usually about 32 degrees) the A/C compressor does not switch on in the defrost mode. John > Hello > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > blowing out instead of cold air? Can I disconnect this without having > to go to the dealership? Should I not bother? Sure, it affects gas consumption some as it is drawing power from the engine. However, most modern compressors are pretty efficient. I'd be surprised if it made 1/2 MPG of difference. And the increased defogging efficiency is worth it. Hitting something you can't see impacts your gas mileage a lot more than running the compressor for a few minutes. And once the windshield is clear, you often get enough defrost airflow even on the normal heat setting to keep it clear. Matt This "feature" has been in place with most automobiles since the early '90s. However, the majority of vehicles disable the AC compressor below a certain temperature not only to protect the compressor due to low ambient temps, but also not to degrade the defrosting abililty. In my 1994 Dodge Grand Caravan ES it disables the compressor when the outside ambient temp is below 30 degrees F. The AC light is on when the outside temp is below 30 degrees, but the compressor is disengaged. I haven't tested this on our new 2006 Elantra, but I would be very suprised if this is not the case with Hyundai as well. Otherwise, all of us who own Hyundai's will be replacing AC compressors at a rapid rate! Turning on the AC in the defrost mode helps the defogging ability of a defroster tremendously by removing the interior humidity. Assuming the disengagement of the AC compressor at low temps, this is actually very good engineering. > This "feature" has been in place with most automobiles since the early > '90s. However, the majority of vehicles disable the AC compressor [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > Turning on the AC in the defrost mode helps the defogging ability of a > defroster tremendously by removing the interior humidity. That's true, but only IF you need it. It's not always necessary. > Assuming the > disengagement of the AC compressor at low temps, this is actually very > good engineering. The devil is in the details. In the Elantra, it doesn't cut out at a high enough temp to suit me. It definitely adversely affects the defroster's ability to keep the outside of the windshield free of snow and ice, especially when the temp is just below the freezing mark. Additionally, I object to being FORCED to use the defroster this way. I used to use the A/C combined with the heater or defroster in my ex-wifes car WHEN I NEEDED IT, but you don't have the option to choose when to use it in the Elantra. Well, at least you don't in a stock Elantra. After the modification I made, I can control mine and use it only when it's beneficial. *** Update *** >Hello >5 years ago I bought an Accent GSi. I got it in the middle of winter, and I noticed that everytime I turned on the defog mode, the a/c light would come on. I got the dealership to disconnect that since I was under the impression the a/c compressor sucks a lot of gas. >I just picked up my Tuc a few days ago and noticed it does the exact same thing. Does the a/c thing affect gas consumption when heat is blowing out instead of cold air? Can I disconnect this without having to go to the dealership? Should I not bother? >Thanks for your input >Alex Unlike my previous car, I found out this morning that I simply had to press the a/c to disengage it! On the Accent, you could press all you wanted on the a/c switch but it would always be on. Anyway, I'll be testing it in the next few days and keep you all informed. Again, thanks for the replies! Alex Elantra 02, and Santa Fe 03, they both work same way, push the buttom, A/C goes OFF. It's a nice feature , here in Florida, were the humidity is always high, maybe not so much in the frigid norther tundra ..... > *** Update *** > [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > Alex had an 04 Elantra GT, now have an 06 Santa Fe.. pushing the A/C button does not turn it off any longer as it did in my Elantra... but still no big deal.. still works the same. clears the windows.. thats what its for..;-) Pete... > Elantra 02, and Santa Fe 03, they both work same way, push the buttom, A/C > goes OFF. [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] >> >> Alex > Elantra 02, and Santa Fe 03, they both work same way, push the buttom, A/C > goes OFF. All it's doing is turning off the light on the switch. It doesn't affect the A/C compressor. > It's a nice feature , here in Florida, were the humidity is always high, > maybe not so much in the frigid norther tundra ..... That's exactly the point. What works great in Florida is less than ideal in New Hampshire. > *** Update *** > [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > wanted on the a/c switch but it would always be on. Anyway, I'll be > testing it in the next few days and keep you all informed. Pressing the A/C button only toggles the light on the button. I has no effect on the compressor, which remains engaged. That is, unless you're driving a Canadian-spec car. > Pressing the A/C button only toggles the light on the button. I has no > effect on the compressor, which remains engaged. That is, unless you're > driving a Canadian-spec car. How about this.... Open the hood, and disconnect the connector for the AC clutch for the winter. Not as easy as doing it from the dashboard, but effective. >>Pressing the A/C button only toggles the light on the button. I has no >>effect on the compressor, which remains engaged. That is, unless you're [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > clutch for the winter. Not as easy as doing it from the dashboard, but > effective. Yeah, but that's a rather Draconian method. I prefer to have the option to use the A/C if necessary. When piling into the car after X/C skiing or sea kayaking, it's helpful to get the humidity out. It's also good on days above freezing where fog on the inside of the windshield can be a problem. I don't object to using the A/C when it's helpful, I just want to choose when I use it. Why is this such a big deal...... > *** Update *** > [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > Alex |
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