A/C & Recirculation Question

Hi folks.

When I turn on my Air Conditioner, by pressing the A/C button on the dash, the truck automatically reverts to 'Recirculation', rather than pulling in fresh air. I have to manually deselect Recirc every time I use the A/C.

I have looked through 'Set Up' on the radio, and I have searched the features available through Carista. I cannot find a way NOT have Recirc engaged whenever I engage the A/C.

Anyone here know of a way to teach the truck to NOT engage Recirculation when I select the Air Conditioner?

Thanks........................ Frank

 

I find that odd too, should draw fresh air to begin with and then switch to recirculation

 

If the temp knob is turned as far to the cold position as possible, it will default to max AC I believe. Max AC uses recirculation. If that's where the knob is, simply turn the knob one or two clicks away from the max ac and it should no longer default to recirculation next time you turn the ac on.

 

You can change it with Techstream.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...ggfMAE&usg=AFQjCNFjk5awLWZyLwprvBBfEV-Ygvgg8Q

 

Mine defaults to re-circ no matter where the temp selection knob is set, if the outside air temps is 74 or above upon start up. But it does default to fresh air anytime the outside air temp is at 73 or below upon start up it seems.

I'd still prefer it default to fresh air all the time. Between that, ECT defaulting to off, and "TRAC off" defaulting to "on" anytime vehicle is re-started, it's a bit of an annoyance to get in and have to push a bunch of different damn buttons just to get the truck to do what I want it to do. Would be great if the functions these buttons control would "latch" and stay latched upon shut down and re-start.

 

Do you have the auto climate controls or the old school knob?

 

When I loaded the AC settings in Techstream it didn't return anything at all. Do I need the truck running to access them? Maybe it's only available on trucks with climate control?

I'll have to look at it again.

 

Page 355 of the service manual...
https://www.tacomaworld.com/out/?url=https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=E4201B2041C373EC!151&authkey=!AHx1iTrEjYnqJHA&ithint=folder%2cpdf&inner=aHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZvbmVkcml2ZS5saXZlLmNvbSUyRnJlZGlyJTNGcmVzLi4uNTElMjZhdXRoa2V5JTNEIQ==

(1) Connect the Techstream to the DLC3.
(2) Turn the ignition switch to ON.
(3) Turn the Techstream on.
(4) Enter the following menus: Customize Setting / Air Conditioner.
(5) Select the setting by referring to the table below.

 

Yup, that's exactly what I did. I'll have to try again.

Thanks for the service manual link

 

No dual zone climate control or temp selection. Just the knobs.

 

Thanks for the commiseration guys. I appreciate it.

Thanks also for the suggestions. Unfortunately, I do not own Techstream, and am not willing to purchase it for just this one very annoying 'feature'. Too bad Carista does not allow for this change. And, I just now tried repeatedly turning the A/C on with the temperature set to 'Low', then 60F, increasing by 5F increments up to 85F, and then 'High'. In every case, it defaulted to recirculation. I have the upgraded system with an auto setting that I do not use.

Since it is warm here now, I was not able to try starting the A/C when the ambient temperature is 73F or below. I believe what sagexp says, but that is still a pretty poor design, by my thinking. But thanks for helping me understand the system.

It is really aggravating that some designer in Japan thought "Those Americans are too stupid to know how to regulate temperature in our vehicles, so we will do it for them, being sure to NOT allow them to revert to the configuration they prefer."

Again, thanks for the help. I will live with what I have, or maybe at my 20k service I'll ask the dealer to make the Techstream change that splitbolt has suggested.

Frank

 

Toyota isn't the only manufacturer to do this. Having the vehicle on recirculation helps cool down the vehicle faster.

 

It's kinda like the engineers know what they are doing.

 

You can get a VCI cable for $17 on eBay. You can adjust other stuff too, I think it's a worthwhile purchase.

 

if I don't have it on vent fresh air, sometimes there's a real nasty/musty smell in the AC.
Since I don't have it on recirculate, I don't get that musty smell. If it's real hot and I have it on MAX, as long as I vent a few minutes before I turn it off, it doesn't seem to be an issue.

TRDOR without auto temp control: As long as I don't have it on MAX with temp all the way to the left it always stays off recirculate. Strange that recirculation staying on/turning off when not in MAX AC is so variable across owners.

 

Those damn engineers. Solving problems people didn't know they had in ways they can't understand.

 

I thought it was the exact opposite. The air in the car is super heated because of the greenhouse effect. Which means the air outside is cooler than the inside air. If you recirculate the air when it's hot out, you are trying to cool the hottest air.

Maybe I'm missing something? Seems like the temp setting for recirculate would be the opposite with that in mind.

 

Same, I always recall seeing the Owners Manuals recommending opening a window and using "outside air" to push out all the extreme hot air and after it cools down switch to recirculate.

 

No. While the air in your vehicle will initially be hotter on a sunny day (If you are parked in direct sunlight and if it sits for a long time - in reality on average the inside temp is usually close to ambient outside temp), using recirculate will cool it much faster. What happens after a minute or so is the air will begin to cool. Since the intake is drawing air from inside the vehicle, it will start drawing cool air, which will get it to cold air much faster. If it's 100 degrees outside and recirculation is not on, you will constantly be trying to cool that 100 degree air. If you have recirc on, sure, that first minute might be 114 degrees but after that it will quickly be below outside temp and will cool the cooler air much faster. Cracking a window will help cool it even faster as the pressure differential (and the venturi effect of the cracked window while driving) will vent the hot air quickly.

 

Also IMHO if the inside temperature WAS warmer, the relative Humidity would be lower ?? If you warm air in a closed vessel the relative humidity drops....because more or less the same amount of water vapor still exists, so on recirc not only will the air cool quicker, it will have more condensate pulled out and be dryer..which helps with window fogging.