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Mazda3 Climate Control Questions

155 messages,  Last post on Sep 24, 2009 at 7:30 AM

You are in the Mazda3 Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer

What is this discussion about? Mazda MAZDA3, Mazda MAZDASPEED MAZDA3, Heating / Cooling, Hatchback, Sedan


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#61 of 155
Re: A/C issue with 06 [ex_tdier] by fugufish
Jul 11, 2006 (4:11 am)
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Replying to: ex_tdier (Jun 24, 2006 11:45 am)

That's because the auto climate control sets the system to recirculate by default until the set temperature equals the ambient (outside) temperature. You can manually override it without taking the system out of "auto" but I'll bet most people never notice.
 
On a hot day, the system will constantly recirculate. Sounds like a kludgy way to compensate for a weak A/C system.
#62 of 155
Re: A/C issue with 06 [fugufish] by Mr_Shiftright HOST
Jul 11, 2006 (8:30 am)
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Replying to: fugufish (Jul 11, 2006 4:11 am)

I always thought that switching to recirc was what you were supposed to do after the car got cool? Am I wrong about that?
#63 of 155
Re: A/C issue with 06 [Mr_Shiftright] by dc_driver
Jul 11, 2006 (10:38 am)
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jul 11, 2006 8:30 am)

Yes. You use recir to quickly cool or if you are in dusty/foul air. You should switch to outside or fresh air once the car is cool. I checked and my 06 Honda gives the same guidance.
#64 of 155
Re: A/C issue with 06 [Mr_Shiftright] by nifty56
Jul 11, 2006 (11:02 am)
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jul 11, 2006 8:30 am)

Mr Shiftright you are correct sir, don't listen to dc_driver as he is just trying to confuse us. No where in the Mazda manual does it say to switch to outside air mode after the car has cooled down when using the A/C. Who cares what Honda suggests, besides it sounds like they are wrong.
#65 of 155
Re: A/C issue with 06 [nifty56] by Mr_Shiftright HOST
Jul 11, 2006 (11:27 am)
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Replying to: nifty56 (Jul 11, 2006 11:02 am)

whoa, nifty, thanks for the heads up, but let's be nice.
 
I think we could compromise here...would it make sense to advise people to use recirc to cool the car down quickly and then say occasionally switch to outside air setting for a few minutes to refresh the air in the cabin?
#66 of 155
Re: A/C issue with 06 [Mr_Shiftright] by dc_driver
Jul 11, 2006 (12:32 pm)
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jul 11, 2006 11:27 am)

Sure.
 
Look, people can run their A/C in recir all day long if they wish, it should not hurt their vehicle. Nifty is right in the fact that the Mazda manual suggests using recirc to cool the car down as quick as possible. But they also state on page 8-2 of the manual to use outside air for normal driving conditions. If you ask me, the Mazda manual is a little lacking in detail, so I reference the Honda manual because, well, it is a little better written
 
For folks that live in a hot climate (especially if they have a dark interior like mine) here is a climate control tip posted on the Honda Owners website. I have found this to work well for my Mazda3 and am passing this information along to anyone who might find it useful:
 
(Q) How can I cool my vehicle down quickly after it's been sitting in the sun?
 
(A) Start the engine and push the A/C Button to turn on the A/C. Make sure the temperature control lever is all the way to the left. Set the fan to maximum speed. Open the windows partially and select Recirculation Mode. Once the cool air has replaced the warm air, close the windows, switch to Fresh Air Mode and turn the fan to the desired setting.
 
** Note "Fresh Air Mode" is "Outside Air" in the 3..
 
Enjoy..
#68 of 155
Still unsolved? by chacobleu
Jul 12, 2006 (6:45 am)
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Replying to: dc_driver (Jul 11, 2006 12:32 pm)

Compressor on/off time
Some say their's is on for 15 seconds and off for 30+ Contributing factors could be overfill/underfill of refrig. or just a computer issue. Mine is on for 15 seconds and off for 5 or less and it works great.
 
Normal fresh air vent temp is 8-12 degrees higher than outside temp.
Insulation problem, perhaps? Hot/Cold air door not tracking correctly? Maybe stays open a bit and allows hot air to mix with cold air? Maybe the door is not well insulated or not insulated at all? Perhaps the black dash absorbs so much heat under direct sunlight that the entire dash area from door to door, from floor to windshield, and from fire wall to steering wheel retains and radiates the heat no matter how long the a/c air is on for or how cold the a/c unit emits? And what about the air ducts, are they well insulated or insulated at all from the rest of the dash? BTW - I don't have my window's tinted, but I do have and use the Mazda 3 sunshield for the front - makes a hell of a difference.
#69 of 155
Re: A/C issue with 06 [dc_driver] by nifty56
Jul 12, 2006 (5:47 pm)
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Replying to: dc_driver (Jul 11, 2006 12:32 pm)

What I do is roll the windows down, turn A/C to 4 and temp to cold and bring in outside air. If the air outside is cooler, the car is sun soaked so the temp inside will be higher than the outside air. As the car feels to cool down and vent temp feels some what cool turn to recirc to stop bringing in hotter air from outside.
If you use the recirc to try and cool the car all you are doing is circulating the hot air in the car which will really mean you are taking a longer time to cool the interior. Of course with the windows down the air coming through the windows circulating in the interior will help cool the interior. So my theory to cool the car quicker use outside are mode first than switch to recirc.
Hope this helps...
#70 of 155
Re: Still unsolved? [chacobleu] by nifty56
Jul 12, 2006 (6:03 pm)
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Replying to: chacobleu (Jul 12, 2006 6:45 am)

What year is your Mazda? do you have manual or auto climate control?
You are the first I have heard that has the compressor cycle 15secs. on and off 5 sec. and back on again.
As for a sunshield, ya they work great when parked but is no use when it sits in your trunk or back seat and driving into the sun with the hot rays bouncing off the dash and hitting ones face and body.
But a good observation on why most might have issues. If the dash plays a part in the poor A/C Mazda should have known this and built a kick a** A/C to compensate

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