Disabling air conditioner at wintertime
Asked by Geza Dec 11, 2016 at 04:55 PM about the 2014 Hyundai Sonata GLS FWD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
Hi There
In my Sonata 2014 the air conditioner switches on when I turn the control to front window defrost setting, although the AC indicator LED is not on. I complained about it in the service in Houston TX, where I bought the car, but they told me that this was normal operation and they can not alter it.
Now I reside in Canada where there is no need to cool incoming air at minus 25C outdoor temperatures and the compressor is draining the battery, which is bad in winter time.
I want to disable the AC compressor, but I still want to use the front window defrost with maximum air flow, while the heat is on.
Can I remove A/Con fuse to resolve this issue and without causing any additional trouble?
5 Answers
Try removing the fuse but other things may also be on that circuit. You could also unplug the AC compressor under the hood.
The AC runs in order to dehumidify the air, not cool it. Switching the defroster will always cause the AC compressor to run. No compressor = no defroster. (or I should say, a not-very efficient defroster).
Hi KenF: You are right. The objective is the dehumidification. However, the only way to achieve it, per the laws of thermodynamics (i.e., not using chemicals or adsorbents), is cooling it. It is because the moisture deposits on the low temperature surface of the heat-exchanger. Now, consider that minus 25C (-12F) is the outdoor temperature. The absolute moisture content of the air under such condition is practically zero. Therefore, no further dehumidification is needed. Instead, if you increase the temperature of such air both the absolute and rrelative humidity of the air will be close to zero, so the windshield will be dehumidified extremely efficiently. Consequently, the AC compressor just consuming battery power without any benefit. Hyundai should have installed an AC disable switch for cold climate. Best, Geza
Removing the fuse of the air conditioner was not an option because it disabled the cabin fan as well. So, I am left with the unplugging the AC compressor under the hood, which was suggested by Full_of_Regrets above. Ron (ASE certified technician) from justanswer.com also strongly suggested this approach instead of fuse removing. He also provided the schematics of the compressor for easy disconnecting. Unfortunately, the plug off the compressor cannot be reached from above the engine. Instead, you should lift the car and remove the bottom cover plate, which is quite a job.
hi in my 2014 sonata when air conditioner switch on a litlle warm flow coming from only one of vent (left of panel one)
