A Question. Anyone dealing with temps in the 90s and NOT having this recycling thing I'm talking about? Read Below to see what I am talking about. The reason I am asking is that some are giving me the impression this is what the AC is supposed to do.

My 2012 Fit, which has been fine til now, is having a problem. The AC runs good for several minutes, then seems to shut down for several seconds and I get warm air, then it starts again. It does this in rather regular cycles. Anyone else experience this? I talked to a guy who I deliver parts to that knows about everything you would want to know about a Ford, and he said it is either a sensor falsely thinking I'm close to freeze up and shutting down the compressor, or it is really getting close to freezing up and behaving as it should in that case.

 

The compressor cycles. The outlet temperature varies. Yes it's normal. It is able to cool the car even so. Yes this is a feature to improve MPG. It's different from other cars. Most Fit reviews remark on the inadequacy of the A/C to cool the cabin quickly.

Honda Civics have an ECON button on their A/Cs (at least they did in 2009). The Fit is in constant economy mode.

There is a mod suggested by polaski somewhere (try searches using google) to alter the characteristics of the temperature sensor embedded in the evaporator thus achieving more aggressive cooling at the expense of running the compressor more.

you have 3 threads now with the same question. Why don't you take it in and ask a service adviser and/or A/C tech?

 

The reason I am asking is.......there are many here with the same car. If the fit has some unique characteristic, I am most likely to find it here. You are the very first that has plainly said it is a built in economy feature. At least now I won't think the tech is blowing some smoke when he says that. I have never run across this in ANY vehicle before. Thanks

 

I think it's a poor design. If I didn't have covered parking I'd be adding a resistor parallel to the temp sensor to make it think it's warmer and run the compressor more. But it's not a trivial mod. And as long as my car isn't out in the sun it's comfortable before I exit the parking garage at work, even in 100 degree weather.

 

I just don't see how a shut down of 7 or 8 seconds per minute or so is that big a gas saver. Who knows? You are right, it still cools, but the little shot of warm air is kind of annoying. We just went through brutal heat here in the midwest and it was sufficient. Not anything likt the auto AC we have on our Accord though. That is a dream. I can't bring the temp down on manual as quick as that thing does in AUTO mode. It is SMART!

 

The compressor actually cycles quite a bit. And yes, having it cycle on and off makes a big difference in mpg and drivability. The compressor sucks quite a bit of power from the engine. And with an engine that starts of at 115ish, there's not much power to spare.

 

I have a 2009 civic and there is no ECON button for AC. There is a MAX ac button that does nothing but turn the AC on recirculate for people that don't know it makes it colder. Also from what Ive read the compressor cycling is not a 'gas saver' ..all new cars do this to prevent the condenser or evaporator from freezing up.

 

Mine does the exact same thing.

I am happy with the above answers. It could be that the a/c shuts off for a few seconds to prevent freezing or it is a gas saving measure. Either way the fact that yours does the same thing as mine and with the answers provided means that it is normal in my opinion.

 

All car A/C except GM cycled the compressor to keep the evaporator from freezing up. This goes back to the 50s. (GM used a POA valve to run the compressor constantly and keep the outlet temp consistent up to the 70s but even they have since switched to cycling the compressor).

The Fit cycles its compressor excessively reducing cooling power. Whether this is a design flaw or feature isn't really known. Since all Fits do it over several model years and two generations I tend to go with the latter. Polaski posted a GD mod to change the resistance of the temp sensor achieving greater cooling power without icing up the evaporator (however this is a risk).

I only test drove a civic when I bought the Fit. I noticed the MAX button and I guess equated this with economy rather than recirculate. Hyundai and other makes alter the cooling characteristics of their A/C in economy mode.

 

my fit didn't cycle anymore than my civic. they are exactly the same

 

How does the Civic compare for cooling?

 

I am convinced there is some kind of problem. It is not like this is a gradual change of air temp. It is a sudden burst of air some 35-40 degress warmer than what had been coming out. It seems like the car is throwing heat over the coil to thaw it out or something. I'm gonna take the car in ASAP.

 

Please do report back! I agree this AC behavior is humped up (i am seeing the same thing in my car) but based on what everyone else is saying here I fear the dealer will just tell you that this is a design feature of some sort.

I have to say though, coming from a 2001 civic i never felt the AC just cut out like it does on the fit. Maybe all AC units cycle, but the temperature difference in the Fit unit is above and beyond what i've seen (felt?) in other cars.

 

I will report back. I did not experience this in the first year I owned the car (That I know of). It has become quite evident lately.

 

Both blow pretty much the same coldness. Both cars I would turn the ac on full and wouldn't get real cold until the highway ramp about 4min away. The civic I think gets colder inside because there is less cubic feet to cool and they have the heat rejecting glass... Any 8th gen civic with AC....if you look at it directly in the sun you can see a factory greenish tint on side and back windows.

 

I had a similar problem described in this thread for awhile actually, and like many others, I thought that was just the way the A/C was supposed to work.

It got pretty annoying though, and it was at the point where in a mid-80s day with bright sunlight, the only way I could stay cool was to point the vents directly at me. It was cycling about 2-3 times a minute no matter what the temp outside.

I finally took it to the dealer this morning and they first checked the vent temp, which they found to be out of spec. They then did an evac and refill and found the system was a little low, but not enough to cause the temp to be out of spec by the amount that it was. Finally, they checked the pressures while the car was running after filling it and found the pressures were erratic, which is indicative of a blockage in the condenser or something wrong with the compressor.

*SIGH*

To complicate things, I hit a deer about 2 years ago, so now there's some question about whether it'll be covered by my (extended) warranty or if I'll have to make a follow up claim with my insurance company . And both the condenser and compressor are backordered.

As an aside, if nothing was found to be wrong, it would have cost me $100 for the diagnosis.

 

No, our Fit does not do this. Living in Florida our temps have been in the low to high 90's. Once the vent air gets cold, it stays cold. Sounds like you have a sensor issue.

 

When you step hard on the gas perhaps it shuts off the compressor to put the small amount of power the engine actually produces to work turning the wheels. I'll leave it up to your imagination why someone in Florida wouldn't have this happen.

 

Also with high ambient temps, the outside air requires more cooling so the compressor won't cycle as much.

My own experience spending a week in the Keys was it cooled much better than I expected. I was leaving it in direct sun from 8AM to about 1PM then starting it up. Allowing the superheated air to exhaust with the windows open (about a minute) then closing the windows and switching to recirculate it had the car cooled down in less than 5 minutes (not meat locker cold but comfortable).

On the 11 hour trip there and back I left it on fresh air most of the time. I could feel it cycle by temperature if I held my hand directly in front of the vent. It went from "cold" to "cool" and then back.

When outside temperatures dropped (couple thunderstorms) the temperature variance was much more evident, and I found myself switching to recycle instead of fresh air to keep comfortable (both temp and humidity).

It's not a luxury car system. It's not a system from a V6 or V8. It's from an economy 4cyl car. As such it does well.

 

II'm sure my compressor cycles too, but I was addressing the issue of his air coming out of the vents turning warm. My air flow stays cold.