Mondeo aircon won't switch off

Pushing the knob does toggle the aircon on and off. But if the vent control is set to demist, that puts the aircon on permanently. Pushing the on/off switch won't turn it off. You need to set it to other than demist, then you can turn it off. Doesn't need to be '0' though.

This threw me for a while when I first had a Mondeo.

I guess the logic is that it will demist best if the air being blown on the screen has the minimum amount of moisture in it, hence the aircon gets turned on.

No solution therefore, it's the way it's designed to work.

BobC

Thanks Bob. I'll have another play with it next time I can get near enough. I suppose the logic does make some sense, though it seems daft to cool the air before warming it up again, if that's what's going on.

That's pretty much the principle of air conditioning, as compared to "comfort cooling".

Chris

I see.

Willy Eckerslyke (Willy Eckerslyke ) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Well, no...

Aircon is bloody useful in winter, "cooled then warmed up" - because it's not JUST cooled, as "comfort cooling" does - but dried, too. That's why it'll clear your fogged windows damn near instantly.

It must be buggered then, because it doesn't. The bloody thing needs to be blowing at '2' or above even on a dry day to keep it clear.

are you bringing in fresh air (not recirc) and is the pollen filter recent?

Willy Eckerslyke (Willy Eckerslyke ) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Sounds like it, then.

Pollen filters are the thing. On an Ashtray and a Mondeo I've seen them take a tiny amount of moisture in the air and turn it into instant-full- on-mist.

Change the filter, instant fix. Oh, and clear the clogged drain tubes from the air intake cowl with a bit of stick...

Nope, and I haven't got around to throwing it away yet. Thanks for reminding me.

Now that you mention it, one of the work Ashtrays was like that for a while.

Trouble is, I only drive the car about once a week and promptly forget about the problem once I get out. And of course, I'm never told anything's wrong until its too late...

But thanks, now that we've discussed it, I stand a better chance of remembering to fix it.

it is a normal item for routine servicing

If you do end up changing the pollen filter, don't follow the Haynes Book- o-Lies.. on both cars the slip of paper in with the filter told you how to bend things out of the way and ease the filter out rather than dismantle half of the engine bay - 5 minutes instead of 20!

Thanks for that. Nobody in the family suffers from hayfever, so I was intending to either throw away the filter or rip its middle out leaving the surround in place. Sounds like the second option might be the easiest. I may even get to it this afternoon...

The pollen filter is not just for relief of hay fever. One of the reasons for the filter is to avoid getting a build up of muck on the cold bit in the heater, if you remove the pollen filter you will get a build up of old pony , when this gets wet from condensation on the evaporator it will stink, it is then extremely difficult to clean without major dismantling of the car.

Mrcheerful

OK, point taken. Bloody modern cars. My thirty year old Rover doesn't have this sort of trouble.

Willy Eckerslyke (Willy Eckerslyke ) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

(Of pollen filters)

Damn-near 30yo Saabs do...

In the greater scheme of things, a tenner and 15 minutes work every couple of years is not really a lot of trouble, is it?

Chris