wrx A/C turned on by itself on defront setting?

[peter]

When I turn the air flow control to one of the rightmost settings (air to
windshield), the A/C seems to turn on by itself as well. Is this normal?

2002 impreza wrx

 

[finch]

When I turn the air flow control to one of the rightmost settings (air to
windshield), the A/C seems to turn on by itself as well. Is this normal?

2002 impreza wrx

Yes, it's normal.

Stupid, but normal.

 

[CompUser]

When I turn the air flow control to one of the rightmost settings (air to
windshield), the A/C seems to turn on by itself as well. Is this normal?

Yes, normal and common on lots of cars, not just
Subarus. The AC dehumidifies the blown air, the
heater core heats it, and when it hits your
windshield, it's hot, dry, and ready to suck up
all that moisture. It can be more than you
want/need tho, and some folks find it
undesireable.

If you don't like this feature, it's pretty easy
to change. Remove the center trim around
radio/HVAC controls, and dismount the radio/sound
unit. Looking down at the various HVAC gears &
linkages, you'll see a small electric switch
mounted on a white plastic gear on the passenger
side, towards the back. The switch is mounted
with one small phillips head screw. The switch
is depressed when you rotate controls to Defrost
position, and activates the AC. Remove the screw
and tape the switch assembly back where it won't
bother any moving parts, and the AC will no
longer activate with Defrost. I put the screw in
a small ziplock back and taped it up in the
housing.

If you want to run the AC with Defrost, you can
selectively activate it by pressing the AC
button, whenever you like.

 

[FNO]

When I turn the air flow control to one of the rightmost settings (air to
windshield), the A/C seems to turn on by itself as well. Is this normal?

2002 impreza wrx

Yup.

 

[Guest]

Yes, it's normal.

Stupid, but normal.

Set to defog the A/C system tries to condenses water out of the air before
blowing it on the cold windscreen where it would condense creating more of
the fog you were trying to get rid off.

 

[Jim Stewart]

Yes, it's normal.

Stupid, but normal.

Then you've never had the experience of driving
your Ford product in the fast lane, in bad weather,
and switching on the defroster only to see your
entire windshield go completely opaque from condensation.

Been there, done that, will take the Subaru
approach any day.

 

[Peter Stathis]

Yes. The A/C is used so that humidity is removed. Same as A/C in your home.

 

[BlueSTi]

When I turn the air flow control to one of the rightmost settings (air to
windshield), the A/C seems to turn on by itself as well. Is this normal?

2002 impreza wrx

Mine does the same thing. Except, the A/C light comes on no matter
what position I have the fan switch in. Well, except for off!

BlueSTi
"Scary-Fast"

 

[Florian Feuser /FFF/]

Mine does the same thing. Except, the A/C light comes on no matter
what position I have the fan switch in. Well, except for off!

That control position is not just directing air to the windshield, it also
activates the AC to condense excess moisture out of the interior air.

Florian