New car- vents blowing warm air when idling/driving slowly (vehicles, 2012)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have a rather odd question. I just bought a new 2012 Honda CRV. Our weather since buying it has been about 55 degrees each day. When driving I'll have the vents on, with the fan on the first or 2nd speed level and the thermostat nob turned all the way down on the "blue" side. And as expected, I get a nice cool breeze through the vents when driving at decent speeds. But I have noticed when stopping and idling for a few minutes or driving really slowly in traffic that the air coming out of the vents gets warm- as if I have the heat turned on a bit. It doesn't cool again until I get back up to a decent speed. Anybody ever experienced that before? In all the cars I've ever had I've never experienced this- if it's cool outside I always get cool air through my vents with the fan on on no matter how warm the engine might be, but it almost seems this one is pulling some of the engine's heat in with it when I am not driving at a very fast speed. Just not sure if I need to take it back to the dealer to be checked out or if this could somehow be normal.
The vents are delivering air that comes, at least in part, from the area under the hood near the engine. The engine is running with some very hot external parts, particularly the manifolds, which are heating the air in the engine compartment. While you are stationary, that area does not get any circulation from ambient outdoor air, to lower the temperature. When you start driving again, that engine compartment air begins to cool again, and that cooler air is captured by the fans blowing into your cabin.
Your new car might have a different circulation and air intake pattern than your previous car, so you might notice the difference.
The vents are delivering air that comes, at least in part, from the area under the hood near the engine. The engine is running with some very hot external parts, particularly the manifolds, which are heating the air in the engine compartment. While you are stationary, that area does not get any circulation from ambient outdoor air, to lower the temperature. When you start driving again, that engine compartment air begins to cool again, and that cooler air is captured by the fans blowing into your cabin..
Yeah, that makes sense to me. I just found it odd that I never had any hint of this kind of issue with any other car I ever had- vent blew cool air even if idling for a long time with the engine up to full operating temperature. Maybe just a different design of this car, where more of the air comes from areas around the hot parts of the engine than other cars? I always thought that air came from the vents up above the hood- just below the windshield instead of from inside the engine compartment, but I am by no means an expert.
This is fairly standard with all cars. At least any of the cars I have owned. I assume you DONT have the A/C button on right? If so, how do you expect them to cool the air in the engine compartment without your A/C on? If your A/C IS on, then you have an issue and I would get them to check it out.
When your A/C is on or off, if you want colder air to blow through when stopped, turn on the circulation feature. It should be a button like the one below.
This is fairly standard with all cars. At least any of the cars I have owned. I assume you DONT have the A/C button on right? If so, how do you expect them to cool the air in the engine compartment without your A/C on? If your A/C IS on, then you have an issue and I would get them to check it out.
When your A/C is on or off, if you want colder air to blow through when stopped, turn on the circulation feature. It should be a button like the one below.
You are right, I don't have the A/C turned on when this is happening. As I mentioned, on all other cars I've had, if it's cool outside then when having the fan turned on I always got cool air from the vents- even when idling. I guess on those cars air was coming in from the vent right below the windshield- not coming in through the engine compartment, at least that is my guess since heat from the engine never affected the air temperature no matter how warm the engine was. I guess I'll just get used to using the circulation feature in this car in these situations, I just wanted to make sure I didn't actually have a problem that needed to be addressed, no big deal if this is just how it's going to be.
You are right, I don't have the A/C turned on when this is happening. As I mentioned, on all other cars I've had, if it's cool outside then when having the fan turned on I always got cool air from the vents- even when idling. I guess on those cars air was coming in from the vent right below the windshield- not coming in through the engine compartment, at least that is my guess since heat from the engine never affected the air temperature no matter how warm the engine was. I guess I'll just get used to using the circulation feature in this car in these situations, I just wanted to make sure I didn't actually have a problem that needed to be addressed, no big deal if this is just how it's going to be.
Thats what the circulation button is for. Does your car have one? If so, try that and let us know how it works. Or of course, you can just open the window.
Thats what the circulation button is for. Does your car have one? If so, try that and let us know how it works. Or of course, you can just open the window.
Doesn't that circulation button just recycle air from inside the cabin? I thought that was what you turned on when you didn't want to be pulling in air from the outside. If we drive through a rural area where you suddenly are smelling animals or manure, we turn on the circulation button and we then stop smelling the stench from outside.
The intake vents I'm talking about are the the ones on the outside, just above the hood, right below the windshield and the windshield wipers... my understanding was that air came in through those vents when driving, and turning on the circulate button blocked off that vent and just circulated air from the inside- not pulling any in from outside. Am I wrong in that understanding?
Doesn't that circulation button just recycle air from inside the cabin? I thought that was what you turned on when you didn't want to be pulling in air from the outside. If we drive through a rural area where you suddenly are smelling animals or manure, we turn on the circulation button and we then stop smelling the stench from outside.
The intake vents I'm talking about are the the ones on the outside, just above the hood, right below the windshield and the windshield wipers... my understanding was that air came in through those vents when driving, and turning on the circulate button blocked off that vent and just circulated air from the inside- not pulling any in from outside. Am I wrong in that understanding?
Oh. You are right about the button pulling air in from the inside. I guess maybe your past vehicles pulled in air from below the windshield. I dont know exactly how past/present cars are engineered in that regard.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
