Now that we're getting snow and frost in the mornings, the automatic controls on the heating system is annoying me (again).

What I want to be able to do is run the engine and use the heat to defrost the car and screens. Problem is, if I put the airflow onto the windscreen, I can't use the recirculate as the aircon comes on automatically. Logically, the last thing I want is to draw in cold air from outside and then cool it further (not to mention the fact that I am also using extra fuel to try to warm the air with the auxiliary heater) before it hits the screen - much more sensible to recirculate the warm air inside the car to melt the ice as quickly as possible. Is there any way to disable the auto aircon when the air is directed to the screen?

 

I found that if you put the heater selector half way between the screen and the car (I think it is the footwell area icon) then the recirculate button will work and stay on recirculate. I think this was the same on previous voyagers, dont think its a fault.

 

Yes, itr does - it's the last 3 stops on the postion switch that switch off the recirculate and switch on the aircon, but there si a huge difference in the amount of air getting to the windscreen - I agree it's not a fault, more an oversight in the design.

 

I used to have a chrysler neon that did this. My Voyager has climate control and does not turn the aircon on when you switch to demist (although it does switch off recirc)

On my neon, the aircon coming on when selecting demist really annoyed me. So I took the heating controls apart and found there was a simple switch on the demist selector. I just cut through the track on the circuit board connecting this switch with a dremel. I could still select air con via the air con button as normal when I actually wanted it.
Worked a treat.

Do you have manual heating controls on your voyager? If so this mod should be possible.

 

Sorry Actd, misread your thread. Like booke23 my Voyager (2005 with cimate control) does not switch aircon on when you select recirculate.

 

No problem.

It's annoying - my wife's Honda allows aircon and recirculate at the same time, and also allows you to switch off aircon when airflow is on windscreeen - screen defrosted on her car in no time today when it was frosted up.

 

I know, this thread is ancient, but so is my car ;-): Grand Voyager from 2000. I am also annoyed by the autimatic air condition when puting the air flow to screen. I suspect there would by one wire which I can cut to prevent the air condition tuning on when I choose to blow air to the screen... if this is true, does anyone still know which one this might be ?

Thanks...

 

Well this is a blast from the past! It's been 9 years since I've owned a Voyager!

@Danio I had a 2004 Voyager, so the next gen to yours. Does your Voyager have manual heating controls or auto climate control? If manual then you could probably do what I did in my Neon all those years ago to disable that function as detailed above. If you have auto climate control I think you might be out if luck, as it's all computer controlled.

 

Hi booke23,Many thanks for still replying to this thread.
In my Voyager everything is manual (including the cruise control pulling the gas pedal ;-)). Having said this, I just looked at the air flow control panel and the rotary switches (sorry, my English is not so good when it comes to parts of a car ;-)) seem to be connected to a rather complicated circuit board.

But let's start from the beginning. Whenever I put the air flow to the screen or even screen with something else, the air condition is turned on. I do not have a dedicated demist position.

There is a variety of colourful wires connected to the circuit board and I hoped that one is solely responsible for tuning on the aircon and can be interrupted. But if I got you right, you took apart the actual rotary switch ? Or did you have a dedicated button for that ? Mine seems to be rather glued with no easy way to open it... Another obstacle could be the missing demist position. Whatever turns on my aircon covers about ¼ or so of the positions on the switch (including a grissillion (German for many) positions in between the main directions). I wonder if there is anyone still having experience with such things... after all the car is almost an old-timer now ;-) ...



Cheers,



Th

 

The reason the A/C comes on when you direct the air flow to the windshield is that the A/C will dry the air and cause dryer air to help with fe-fogging the windshield. If you want warm air, just turn the temperature dial to the warm side and the air will warm up as soon as the engine produces enough heat to warm the heater coil. The heater is always able to overwhelm the A/C but the drying effect will still have done the job of drying the air.