Defrost AND Recirc

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EddyKilowatt

Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2013
Messages
14
I have a 2013 S, so feel lucky that I have the 99%-improved HVAC controls... but there's one little thing that still needs fixing.

I'm fine with the idea that pushing the Defrost button (top row center) kicks the system out of Recirc and prevents its use. A one-button, idiot proof, "give me max defrost NOW" function is a good thing... I use mine sometimes in heavy traffic when I don't want to mess with the other buttons.

My little nitpick is that when selecting air distribution (bottom row center) in non-defrost scenarios, selecting any setting that directs air at the windshield ALSO cancels and prevents recirc. This is an annoying level of nannyishness; there are many cold-weather instances where one has air going to the windshield, a bus or truck in front belches a black cloud, you stab the recirc button, and... nothing. Or rather, enjoy "essence de diesel" wafted into your face.

This would literally be one line of code to change somewhere, but would be a significant improvement in the driving experience.
 
Yes, there should at least be an override button, like a Recirculate button on the wheel that closes the recirculate door in any mode, even if it opens again a few minutes later. There are also conditions, like heavy rain, in which the defroster can work better in recirculate mode (with the A/C on)...
 
LeftieBiker said:
there should at least be an override button,...
There is. It is the recirc button. It will permit recirc except in defrost mode, if memory serves. Running heated air in recirc is the quickest way to fog your windows up.

We just had some unusual weather in Phoenix. It rained. The morning temp was around 50° and the humidity was high. The first day I found that running in defrost mode with the A/C on and the heat off was very effective. It maintained comfort and used very little power (turn off A/C for +1 mile). The next day it was less humid and felt cooler. I found that running in def/foot mode with the heat on (77°) and A/C off worked best to maintain comfort while keeping the glass clear while consuming minimum power (turn off A/C for +1 mile). This was all in fresh mode.

I have a 15MY SV with heat pump. I try to avoid using both heat and A/C at the same time to avoid the PTC heater from turning on. This conserves power. However I still use both when windows start to fog to quickly clear them. Never use recirc when humidity is elevated.
 
kovalb said:
LeftieBiker said:
there should at least be an override button,...
There is. It is the recirc button. It will permit recirc except in defrost mode, if memory serves. Running heated air in recirc is the quickest way to fog your windows up.
You completely missed the point. I often want to have the air on the windshield, as well has have recirc in a high humidity scenario. I got a fricken electric car because I hate fumes and have asthma. The fact that I can't run the ac compressor and have recirc on while putting all the air on the windshield is ridiculous. My acura will let me do this.. It is fine by default to cancel recirc if I press defrost, but if I then press recirc, FRICKEN LET ME DO IT! That is the way Acura does it as well as many other car types. I don't understand why Nissan wants me to have to breath exaust fumes. I understand fresh air will defrost faster. That is not the point. The ac compressor will also defrost in recirc mode.

This is my biggest pet peeve of the leaf. I battle this feature/design-flaw almost every time I drive when it is rainy out..
 
Zootjeff said:
...It is fine by default to cancel recirc if I press defrost, but if I then press recirc, FRICKEN LET ME DO IT! That is the way Acura does it as well as many other car types. I don't understand why Nissan wants me to have to breath exaust fumes. I understand fresh air will defrost faster. That is not the point. The ac compressor will also defrost in recirc mode.

This is my biggest pet peeve of the leaf. I battle this feature/design-flaw almost every time I drive when it is rainy out..
Agree with you completely.
Often have to turn HVAC off to avoid getting fumes in the car from someone with old engine that is smoking badly or second hand smoke in drive through.
But I can see it is a much bigger problem for you.

Another one of LEAF's design flaws like dangerously grabby brakes and excessive unnecessary creep.
 
The closest you can come to getting around this is to leave the mode in Floor only. Leave the air intake open, and enough air will get to the windshield through the defrost vents to keep it clear. You can then hit Recirculate as needed, to block exhaust fumes. If you need to keep it closed a while and it isn't freezing out, you can also run the A/C this way.
 
during very humid cold days recirc is by far more efficient then open loop. Given the methode the leaf uses there is zerro need to bring in out side air to defog the windows providing your primary ptc heater is working.
 
XeonPony said:
during very humid cold days recirc is by far more efficient then open loop. Given the methode the leaf uses there is zerro need to bring in out side air to defog the windows providing your primary ptc heater is working.


I hope Nissan fixes this massive design flaw. Health and safety are at stake here..
 
How hard would it be to make it so it just never pulled outside air in? I mean it is an electronic switch or servo that moves it from outsides to inside right? Couldn't it just be set to recirc and then unplug the servo? Or is it not that simple?
 
BrockWI said:
How hard would it be to make it so it just never pulled outside air in? I mean it is an electronic switch or servo that moves it from outsides to inside right? Couldn't it just be set to recirc and then unplug the servo? Or is it not that simple?

You wouldn't like that situation as the air inside the car would get stale very quickly. In fact, when these cars are new the interiors out-gas quite a bit, and the air would quickly become pretty toxic. You would also have to run the AC almost constantly to keep the air dry enough.
 
LeftieBiker said:
...In fact, when these cars are new the interiors out-gas quite a bit, and the air would quickly become pretty toxic. ...
The 2011 upholstery made from recycled materials stunk horribly for more than a year. So bad I left the windows open with it parked in the garage and left it outside with the windows open in the sun when possible.
Worst off gas I have ever smelled in a new car by an order of magnitude.
 
LeftieBiker said:
You wouldn't like that situation as the air inside the car would get stale very quickly.

No, Actually I would like that situation.. He is talking about the ability to Mod the recirc and choose. Having a choice to turn it on or off is always better than not having the choice with this feature.

Diesel truck puts up a black plume? I'll take the the new car smell over that any day. By not having the ability to override the recirc disable in defrost mode, Nissan is making us choose between health and safety. You can have your windows fog up because you want to breathe, or you can pollute your lungs and get light headed, but still be able to see clearly out your front window. There is no reason for them to make this feature that Draconian. It is just a poor engineering decision and it would be so easy for them to fix it..
 
Zootjeff said:
LeftieBiker said:
You wouldn't like that situation as the air inside the car would get stale very quickly.

No, Actually I would like that situation.. He is talking about the ability to Mod the recirc and choose. Having a choice to turn it on or off is always better than not having the choice with this feature.

Diesel truck puts up a black plume? I'll take the the new car smell over that any day. By not having the ability to override the recirc disable in defrost mode, Nissan is making us choose between health and safety. You can have your windows fog up because you want to breathe, or you can pollute your lungs and get light headed, but still be able to see clearly out your front window. There is no reason for them to make this feature that Draconian. It is just a poor engineering decision and it would be so easy for them to fix it..

It looks like you didn't read his post, or most of the other ones. We all want to have Recirculate as an option, but he wrote that he wanted to put it in Recirculate and 'unplug the servo' to keep it in that mode 'all the time'. *That* is a bad idea.
 
TimLee said:
LeftieBiker said:
...In fact, when these cars are new the interiors out-gas quite a bit, and the air would quickly become pretty toxic. ...
The 2011 upholstery made from recycled materials stunk horribly for more than a year. So bad I left the windows open with it parked in the garage and left it outside with the windows open in the sun when possible.
Worst off gas I have ever smelled in a new car by an order of magnitude.

I agree. My 2013 SV was also terrible for most of the first year. It's not just how bad it smells, it's also how *long* it smells...
 
LeftieBiker said:
It looks like you didn't read his post, or most of the other ones. We all want to have Recirculate as an option, but he wrote that he wanted to put it in Recirculate and 'unplug the servo' to keep it in that mode 'all the time'. *That* is a bad idea.

Tushe! I didn't apparently read it! I took away that he wanted a disconnect "switch". Putting a disconnect sometimes means a switch, but that is clearly not what he said. Sorry.
 
LeftieBiker said:
We all want to have Recirculate as an option, but he wrote that he wanted to put it in Recirculate and 'unplug the servo' to keep it in that mode 'all the time'. *That* is a bad idea.

Sorry that was me and I admit most of the time it would be a bad idea. And yes I should have been more clear, I was thinking if it was as simple as being in re-circ mode and then flipping an added switch to disconnect the servo so it would stay in that position and then being able to switch it back on or to "normal" as needed. However if you have ever driven in winter at highway speeds, even on re-circ the car is FAR for air tight ;)

I like the idea that the default would shut off re-circ, but if you then pressed it again it would go in to re-circ. Its not like most people would ever do that by accident and you would have to do it each time you changed the system. I liked our old Mazda that had a manual lever that physically moved from re-circ to fresh air and you could move it half way or where ever and you could change it for any setting, but I am sure there were a lot of shop calls that people couldn't keep the windshield clear because they forgot it was in re-circ mode or didn't turn the compressor on.

The bottom line it would be nice to be able to get it to do what you want, yet still make it fool proof for most folks :)
 
Zootjeff said:
Did they ever fix this re-circ design flaw in later models?

I don't think so, but there is 'partial recirculate' mode, in which you can hold the Recirc button in for 2 seconds while in floor only mode (or any other mode that allows recirculation) and after 2 flashes of the light it turns off, leaving the intake partially open. By selecting Floor only, fan speed of 2 or higher, and partial recirculate, you can keep the windshield clear with much less outside air brought in.
 
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