Hey guys, Simple question regarding the Max AC function. I always thought that when I selected Max AC, the air speed would increase dramatically at all blower speed levels 1 thru 7, regardless of which level it was set to prior to pressing Max AC. Last night I noticed that Max AC is only amping up the air flow on blower settings 1 through 6 by changing the blower speed level to setting 7 when pressing Max AC button. Can one of you members of the brotherhood let me know if the AC blower speed increases when the blower speed is set to 7 and the n the Max AC setting is selected? Maybe the air speed doesn't increase if the blower speed is already on setting 7 since that is the highest setting. Not sure, that's why I am reaching out to you guys. I had posted this originally in the general area but thought this part of the forums is more appropriate. I just thought the best way to know if that's normal is by asking one of the boys. Thanks for doing me a favor!!
I thought the MaxAC function caused the air flow to switch from outside air to inside air. That’s the way it works on my car. Some cars call it “Recirculate”. There”s a damper and an electric motor under the dashboard on the passenger side that moves when you hit the button on the dash. I know this because a few years back the plastic damper piece broke and I had to take the whole thing apart and epoxy it back together. Knock-on-wood it seems to still be working. When you hit the button and go from outside air to recirculate, you can hear that it sounds different, but I don’t think the fan runs faster, I think it’s just the change in ducting.
This is correct. A/C systems have two basic modes: Outside air Recirculate or Max A/C When you are in outside air mode, the vehicle will allow air from outside the cabin to enter. Recirculate or Max A/C means that the vehicle will mostly use the air already inside of the cabin. Note that both modes allow air to be from both sources. You will get outside air in recirculate or Max A/C, and you will recirculate in outside air. What you change is the amount. The common approach to cooling a hot cabin is to turn on the A/C and let outside air in. This is done to replace the hot inside air with fresh outside air. Once the hot air has been replaced, the recirculate or Max A/C mode is turned on to increase the speed air is cooled inside the cabin. It's easier to cool air that has been recirculating inside the cabin than outside air. In modern cars, the Max A/C setting gets an initial burst of outside air in the first few seconds of operation and then starts to recirculate it. It is a hybrid setting that allows you to get cold air as soon as possible.
