Fresh/recirculate cabin air issue

[learning2fly_24]

Anytime you have max/ac or the auto climate activated the Recirc light will come on. When you are in AUTO--- It doesn't actually mean it's recirculating the air. It's kinda confusing but if you are in AUTO you should just leave it alone. I could explain why but it would take 4ever to type.

 

[nevada]

my 06 just recently started doing this. upon searching for a solution, I found this thread.

its annoying as hell. it switches to fresh, and its 12 degrees outside. then I have cold air coming in, blowing through a cold heater core. so dumb!

it used to do this after I first got it last year. then for whatever reason it stopped, and would stay on recirc. but now it randomly started switching over again.

 

[m85476585]

I agree that the recirc programming is stupid.

Does anyone know where the wires to the recirculate actuator are? Is there a relay? I want to install an override switch. I know the actuator itself is hard to get to.

Update: I checked the service manual. There's an electronic box called the "Air Conditioning Amplifier" somewhere behind the control panel. 5 wires run to the "blower damper servo sub-assembly (air inlet damper control servo motor)". Two of them actuate the motor, and the other three are used to read the position. If the position doesn't match the intended position, the system throws a Diagnostic Trouble Code. I don't know if that's visible to the driver in normal operation, or if you have to go into check mode to see it? If the code is a problem, bypassing the actuator might require a simulator with a relay, diode, and a couple resistors to fool the system into thinking everything is normal. If it's possible to obtain "the harness and the connector between the blower damper servo sub- assembly (air inlet damper control servo motor) and the A/C amplifier" then it would be easy to do a manual override mod.