defrost AC hacks
 

one of my only beefs with my insight is that the defroster is linked to the air conditioner. for me, air conditioners are a waste of energy, but the defroster is necessary, and heat works just fine for that. i find it unnerving that you can't turn the defroster on without the AC coming on, reducing your fuel efficiency.

my coworker has a different type of honda, and he found a hack that will decouple the AC from the defroster. so i searched for specific insight hacks.

i found this:

Do the Defrost hack so you can enter Auto Stop.
1) Turn the vent control (top knob) to "face" (one to the right of
auto)
2) Turn the temperature knob all the way to cold (left)
3) Turn the fan control to "auto"
4) Hold the 3 buttons down: The A/C, recirculate and Econ buttons.
5) Insert the key into the ignition, turn to "Start"
6) Hold the buttons down for 7 seconds. The ECON light will blink, 7 times.
7) Release buttons.

but this doesn't state exactly what the hack does.

does it decouple the AC from the defroster? or does the defroster still run the compressor, but the whole thing stays on while you're in autostop?

has anyone heard of the AC/defroster hacks for the insight? have you tried them?

tracey

Re: defrost AC hacks
 

I believe it makes it so you can turn off the a/c when the defroster is on. Otherwise I think the a/c is on whenever you are in defrost mode.

BTW. The reason the a/c goes on is to remove moisture in the air. It defrosts faster with a/c.

Re: defrost AC hacks
 

nope. moisture is removed by lowering the temperature of the air and water precipitates. The A/C compressor is used like a "heat pump" and thereby produces warm(er) air and cold(er) air instantly. The warm air is used for defrost purposes and the engine temperature is not lowered by using it's heat for defrosting while it is still not up to an optimum operating temperature.

Warmer air can contain more water (as vapor) than cooler air. This improves the evaporation of the frost and fog on the inside of the vehicle.

Re: defrost AC hacks
 

Tracey:
Check out the fuse box and remove the fuse from the compressor[AC]. This may solve your problem. Hal

Re: defrost AC hacks
 

Half right, half wrong.
The red parts above are totally incorrect.
The rest is correct.

The "hot" part ( the heat from compression ) is only dumped to the exterior atmosphere of the car, up front, by the radiator. Only chilled air makes it into the vehicle's cabin from the evaporator. Yes, it is the chilling part that removes moisture, and hence "fogging" of the window. The chilled air, already dried, is then heated by the engine's waste heat, and you have warm, dry air.

The A/C is never used in below freezing conditions. Hence, it is not used for defrosting but only for defogging. The A/C will not activate the compressor below 33 degrees F, even though the light on your dash may come on, because the light is just in a switch and is not "aware" of the temperature.

Hope that helps all intersted parties.
-John

Re: defrost AC hacks
 

Re: defrost AC hacks
 

I stand corrected. I apparently posted based on imagination as opposed to experience.

Fortunately for all of us, John obviously knows everything, and so we can all thank our creator for his 2 cents on this site. John will be happy to go into great detail to prove the incorrectness of all that he has quoted in red characters. I no longer post on this site, because I have learned to simply find John's posts and learn from them, and you too may wish to carefully follow and closely observe his footsteps.

Re: defrost AC hacks
 

This simple process works for me if I understand your question.

1. Press the <Off> button.
2. Press the <Econ> button 2 times. This turns off the A/C.
3. Press the <Fan> button to set desired air speed.
4. Press the <Mode> button to set the desired air flow directions.
5. Turn the temperature knob to set the output air temperature somewhere between the outside air temperature and 90 degrees F.

This preserves your auto stop function and pushes air through the battery pack so the colder the better. If you get too hot without using the air conditioner you can always get an ice racing vest.

Good luck with your Insight. I once got 70.9 miles per gallon over 100 miles going back and forth to work.

I tried the fuse pulling routine on the steering system but did not like that one.