Anyone else think this is annoying?
- Thread starter Brian3676
- Start date
techno
New member
Thread revival!
I'm so pleased to read that I'm not the only one with the annoying recirculate issue. I've had my 4th gen for 7 months now and the retarded hvac system is making me reconsider my choice. I'm getting tired of reconfiguring the settings every single time I go somewhere.
Right now, if the temp is set on 72 it starts in fresh air mode. But if I drop it to 71 it starts in recirculate. WTF? I want the temp set on LO so there's no engine heat at all coming in, but I also want outside air to flush my farts out of the cabin. I don't want some Japanese engineer(s) deciding what the conditions should be in my car. The system has no idea what is comfortable for me, it doesn't know what I'm wearing, what I've been doing or any other factors that regularly come into play. The auto system is actually useful and I use it occasionally , but for all other times I want it to be fully manual (like every single other car i've driven) and not semi-manual.
The other dumb things are not being able to set the air temp without turning on the fan, the ac stays on when you turn the auto function off and the fan switches to high speed when you select windshield vents. (Also wish it could switch to Celsius, Fahrenheit is a ridiculous scale
).
If I can't mess around with the system settings in the hvac computer then I just hope I can get used to it over the next 6 months. Otherwise, it might be bye bye time for the 4runner.
I'm so pleased to read that I'm not the only one with the annoying recirculate issue. I've had my 4th gen for 7 months now and the retarded hvac system is making me reconsider my choice. I'm getting tired of reconfiguring the settings every single time I go somewhere.
Right now, if the temp is set on 72 it starts in fresh air mode. But if I drop it to 71 it starts in recirculate. WTF? I want the temp set on LO so there's no engine heat at all coming in, but I also want outside air to flush my farts out of the cabin. I don't want some Japanese engineer(s) deciding what the conditions should be in my car. The system has no idea what is comfortable for me, it doesn't know what I'm wearing, what I've been doing or any other factors that regularly come into play. The auto system is actually useful and I use it occasionally , but for all other times I want it to be fully manual (like every single other car i've driven) and not semi-manual.
The other dumb things are not being able to set the air temp without turning on the fan, the ac stays on when you turn the auto function off and the fan switches to high speed when you select windshield vents. (Also wish it could switch to Celsius, Fahrenheit is a ridiculous scale
). If I can't mess around with the system settings in the hvac computer then I just hope I can get used to it over the next 6 months. Otherwise, it might be bye bye time for the 4runner.
I agree, it's really frustrating. But I wouldn't sell my 4runner over it.
One time I accidentally pressed auto, and it changed literally every setting to something else. I had to take my eyes off the road a few times to put everything back the way I wanted. That's dangerous!
As far as I know there are no settings in the HVAC computer.
It would be easy to override the AC. There's a relay called Mag Clutch or something like that, and you could pull it or override the signal to it with a switch depending on what you want to do. Be aware that this will cause some kind of error code in the HVAC ECU, but that's a piece of garbage so who cares? I think the AC light will flash if it doesn't work the way it expects.
I've also thought about overriding the recirculate button. I could make a circuit that monitors the recirc light and simulates pressing the button if the state of the light is not what I want.
I could also override the signals to the recirc damper, but that's hard to get to, and again that will cause an error code in the HVAC ECU since it has a sensor to make sure it actually moves to the position the computer expects. I think in some cases it can be partially recirculating, so it might not be as simple as on/off.
I live in Colorado, so I almost never need AC and always want fresh air. It's so dry that there's no need for recirc. The only time I want it is when driving by smelly refineries.
One time I accidentally pressed auto, and it changed literally every setting to something else. I had to take my eyes off the road a few times to put everything back the way I wanted. That's dangerous!
As far as I know there are no settings in the HVAC computer.
It would be easy to override the AC. There's a relay called Mag Clutch or something like that, and you could pull it or override the signal to it with a switch depending on what you want to do. Be aware that this will cause some kind of error code in the HVAC ECU, but that's a piece of garbage so who cares? I think the AC light will flash if it doesn't work the way it expects.
I've also thought about overriding the recirculate button. I could make a circuit that monitors the recirc light and simulates pressing the button if the state of the light is not what I want.
I could also override the signals to the recirc damper, but that's hard to get to, and again that will cause an error code in the HVAC ECU since it has a sensor to make sure it actually moves to the position the computer expects. I think in some cases it can be partially recirculating, so it might not be as simple as on/off.
I live in Colorado, so I almost never need AC and always want fresh air. It's so dry that there's no need for recirc. The only time I want it is when driving by smelly refineries.
CookieRoe
Senior Member
I don't understand. You've been a member since 06, now you have another 4thgen, but only now realizing now how the HVAC works?? Yes, it can be annoying, but how the HVAC functions is reason enough for you to dump it??
techno
New member
I've had a 3rd gen the entire time I've been on this forum, and I still have it, but I only just got the 4th gen last year. Prior to getting the 4th, I've had no reason to read the 4th gen pages, so yes, I was not aware of this behavior until I experienced it. It's not listed in any of the stickies regarding general info or pre-purchase info that I saw.
Overall, I like this vehicle, but as far as vehicles go, I'm at a stage in my life where I just don't want to put up with little dumb shit anymore. My 3rd gen doesn't annoy me at all, but so far this 4th gen is not living up to its name. I never had to replace a single dash light in the 3rd, but I've had to replace six in the 4th already! The steering wheel plastic separated from the metal frame, the lift gate rubber button cover melted, the drivers seat belt buckle broke, the drive control buttons and switches are literally all over the place, auto up/down on only the drivers side now, I needed to buy a 'smokers kit' to get more than one 12v outlet, and don't get me started on the dumb cupholders... I just want to drive a vehicle that does everything right according to my standards. I've put up with stuff in the past on other cars, but now, I just want to get in and drive without annoyances. But you might find this amusing... the only other vehicle around currently that ticks all the spec boxes for what I want in a vehicle, is an LR3 or LR4! Imagine the scope for annoying stuff in those, hahaha.
CookieRoe
Senior Member
I see, I thought I saw you in the 4th gen section many times before, which is why I recognized you and thought you had one. Sorry. Anyway, I hear ya on the 4th gen's shortcomings. I've had 2 3rd gen (surfs) and dearly miss them. Where they of better quality? I would say yes, however after 6 years of having my 4th gen, I find it serves my needs just fine, if not better then my older surfs. In our family, we've had Lexus cars since the early 90s and have noticed their HVACs did the same. i appreciated them technically, but yes, I ultimately like to have the last word on what it does. Most of my cars have had (have) the automatic feature, but I NEVER use it. Anyway, it is what it is.
Im looking for an additional 4th gen...give me some info on your options and I may purchase it from you since this issue is so annoying...
techno
New member
No.:flipoff:
