Full Auto should select the vents as well. For us, it always selects the floor vents. Except that the vent to the side (Left of the steering wheel, between the wheel and the door) is controlled by you. Open or shut.

I leave the system off until the engine is warm, then turn on full auto, and heat comes from the floor vents, slow at first then stronger.

Hope this helps.

 

Full auto selects the floor for us as well. I like the fact that it starts out slow (since the air isn't warm yet).

 

If it is truly in "FULL AUTO" mode then it will select the vents, too. Having it push a small amount of seemingly cold air on the left side or to the windshield seems normal, and desirable. You should probably aim the vents so they don't blow in your face (I can't imagine why I'd want that anytime in the winter). Full Auto mode will increase the airflow as the engine heats up until the interior temperature comes close to what you've selected when it will decrease the fan speed.

Mel

 

If you have the display set to full auto and the fan speed set to auto, the system will not "blow" air until the temperature gauge starts to move up as the engine warms up. With these below freezing days in the northeast, it usually takes about 1.5 - 2 miles for the blower to kick in (varies on conditions).

Unless you have a heated garage, and your engine stays warm there should be minimal air movement from any of the front vents until this warm-up occurs. I have noticed that our system is spending a lot of time heating the windshield and not the floor. Occasionally I have to manually set "mode" to windshield and floor.

 

Has anyone noticed that the fan never shuts off? On our '03 even after it has been warmed up for a long time and set to 72 degrees the fan is still blowing quite a bit and rather loudly. On my '96 Dodge Intrepid it seems to work a little bit better. You notice an increase in fan speed until it hits its set temp and then seemingly shuts off until the interior needs more heat.

 

The auto climate control is what bugs me most about our 2002 EXL-RES. It does it's job, but very noisily. I too have the thing set to full auto, and well before the engine is warm enough to support it, the fan comes up to full, blasting the occupants with air a single degree higher than the interior temperature of the van.

Adding to that annoyance is that if you turn down the fan(manually set it pretty slow), the noise goes away, but the goddam computer doesn't think... "Gee, I want to get the van warm, but this bastard won't let me blow hard, I should open the valves and flaps to get him the warmest air I can. " But it doesn't! It just slows down the fan. This is most evident when you let the engine warm up all the way with the climate control off, then turn on the climate control to low fan and reasonable(72) temp. Feel the air coming out the side vents, then crank only the temperature dial up to 90, and you will find that the air coming out the vents jumps 15-20 degrees. Crank it back down to 72, and the air coming out cools off immediately, even if the van is still freezing.

I guess its never cold in Japan.

 

Auto HVAC

I think this proves the point the the automatic climate control is more of a gimick than a real asset. Our 2002 EX RES has the auto climate control and I have yet to find it usefull or logical. I dont care if its 72 or 71, I just want to be comfortable, and I can achieve that much better in a manual HVAC unit. The unit gets confused by sunlight, the rear heater-ac ,etc. I spend way too much time adjusting it. On my VW Jetta ( ad old fashioned manual system) I can pretty much set it and leave it in place for days. Im at a loss on what exactly the auto system is hoping to achieve.


Mark

 

I just played with ours again this morning. It`s officially 0 degrees out so I let the van run for fifteen minutes before taking my girl to daycare. I had it set on 72 all the way there and all the way back, about a 20 minute trip. The dang fan didn`t go below a dull roar the whole time. Near the end of my trip back I dialed it down to 64 and it finally settled down to where I thought the sound was reasonable but it started to get cold in the van. I don`t know why it doesn`t work well.

The climate control on our 96 Dodge Intrepid is flawless. You set it at a temp and it holds it all day long with no adjustments or tinkering and most importantly, no loud fan noise. It may get loud momentarily but only until it reaches its setpoint and then it just slows down and maintains it. It works in 0 degree winters and 100 degree summers up here in Michigan.

 

That's why I never use the Full Auto. It's way too loud and air blows right in your face. I just keep the dial set at 90 (or 60 in the summer) and crank the fan speed to half way and one red dot for RR and the van heats/cools in a reasonable amount of time. Then I adjust the temp accordingly.

 

I'm glad I asked the original question. I was convinced the full auto mode was not working properly and was going to ask the service department to investigate it on my next trip to the dealer.

I am used to the climate control system in my 2000 Camry XLE. The temperature is set at 72. The fan does not come on until the engine is warm. The fan starts slowly at first since the air is not fully warm, then it goes to the maximum speed (5th setting). Then as the interior warms up the fan speed drops down to either the second or first speed setting.

I'm disappointed that the Odyssey does not have a better control system.

 

I am used to the climate control system in my 2000 Camry XLE. The temperature is set at 72. The fan does not come on until the engine is warm. The fan starts slowly at first since the air is not fully warm, then it goes to the maximum speed (5th setting). Then as the interior warms up the fan speed drops down to either the second or first speed setting.

This pretty much describes the way that the climate control works in our Odyssey. Just set it and forget it. Actually that's not quite true, we find 23 Celcius to be comfortable in summer and 22 Celcius to be just right in winter, so it looks like we'll have to adjust it twice a year.

 

I've never noticed this problem... I use full auto all the time, usually set to 70. It doesn't come on until the engine has warmed up, goes full until the space warms up, then backs off to low fan. I'll check it again, but I believe that's what's happening.

If yours never comes off high fan, either it's not as warm as you think it is, your temp sensor is telling the computer the wrong temp, or something's wrong w/ the auto itself...

Or something could be wrong with my memory and this isn't really how my van is working, in which case, well, that's another problem entirely!

 

The automatic climate control on my '03 works the same - no problems.

 

I've never noticed this problem... I use full auto all the time, usually set to 70. It doesn't come on until the engine has warmed up, goes full until the space warms up, then backs off to low fan. I'll check it again, but I believe that's what's happening.

...

Well, my other car is having issues , so I drove the Ody to work today. Here in New England, it's about 11F as I'm writing this, and it was about 6F (windchills to -15 or so) when I left for work this morning. The fan definitely gradually slowed down as I drove (I have about a 30-40 minute drive). It took a couple minutes before it came on full (waiting for the engine to warm up), but by the time I got to work is was probably around half or less.

(I only had the back on low. Had I turned that to high, I would expect it would've heated the entire cabin much more quickly, allowing the fan to slow even more.)

 

I hate the Full Auto function in the winter. Why use the A/C compressor when you don't need it? I turn the thing off and use the "Mode" button to control the vents. I do leave the fan on auto, which comes on when the van has warmed up. It has been REAL cold around here for two weeks and this seems to work well.

 

I too use the auto mode but manually set to AC off unless I'm running the defog.

I've been dealing with the same 5-10 degree mornings when leaving the house. I set it to 68 and the fan will come on slowly within a couple of minutes and then increase when more hot air is available. When that happens, I turn on the rear heat to help the front out. After a while the front fan goes to what seems to be it's slowest setting.

 

No problems here...

I live in California and have absolutely no complaints about the auto climate control system. I usually set it to either 73, 74, or 75 and am satisfied with its operation. My BMW has dual climate controls and I am just as satisfied with its operation.

Maybe I need to pay more attention.....

 

Re: No problems here...

I live in California and have absolutely no complaints about the auto climate control system. I usually set it to either 73, 74, or 75 and am satisfied with its operation. My BMW has dual climate controls and I am just as satisfied with its operation.

Maybe I need to pay more attention.....

2002 GG EX-L RES
1996 BMW 328i Manual Sport Pack w/goodies

Well, hey, we've got a 2002 GG EX and a '96 328i sports package too. Honestly, though, the BMW's climate control works better and holds the temperature more steady, but it's got a lot smaller interior volume to deal with.

What kind of goodies do you have on your 328i? We're very seriously contemplating having Dinan breathe on ours, though it's a 4-speed auto (boo hoo!). It would be very wild if your BMW were Arctic Silver!

Wayne

 

My Ody's climate control works well also. I do have it on full auto., but have the AC turned off. I only turn on the AC once a week to lubricate the seals or if I am having a fogging problem. I also don't turn the heat on for a few minutes, so the engine will heat up faster. It takes awhile to get used to the controls, but once I did, I have no problems. I'll see if I experience any problems in the summer with using the AC more then the heat. It would be best if Honda would but a better manual control option in the climate control system however. If I had the choice, I would opt for manual controls with a corresponding lowering of the price. Don't think that will happen though.

BB

 

Day/night

I usually leave the temp set at 61 in the daytime (here in CT it is now real winter, not some of that wimpy stuff you guys in the south have). 60 puts on solid a/c, so I have to use 61.... In the day time, this is great with a jacket on... at night, it gets too cold and I have to go up to high 60's....

To me, Honda got too tricky with the sun sensor.... and I am disappointed in the way it works... An olds we have is 'set it and forget it.' Woulda thought the Honda would be the same way.

 

I am with you pattiwagon.

I have a Lexus (Toyota) and the Auto AC acts differently then the Honda in many ways. Winter, the Lexus fan stays off until it can push warn air into the van. When the fan does start, it blows slowly at first and then kicks up to an appropriate rate. On my Odyssey, it blows air immediately.

When it is hot outside, the AC system in the lexus will blow the coldest air possible at first to get cars cabin temperature down quickly and then starts to adjust the cold air temperature up as it gets closer to the desired temperature. In the van, the climate control system seems to blow cold air at a fixed temperature based on where we have the dial set. The only intelligence in the Honday system seems to be fan speed and the decision to blow hot or cold air to your feet or at your body. If I am wrong and the system is able to automatically adjust the temperature of air entering into the cabin based on actualy cabin temperature, the variance from the selected setting is very limited + or - only a couple of degrees. I find myself helping the system out by manually changine the temp to 65 and then later back to 72 degrees. Regardless the Van is awesome.

 

I have been reading the responses to my original question. I normally don't take the Odyssey to work, so out of curiosity I tried an experiment.

I started the van. It was very cold in New Jersey this morning, I think it was about 15 degrees. With the mode set to full auto, cold air comes blasting out of the top vents. I move the dial one click done to auto, then the air speed seems to slow down some, but it's still cold. Moving the dial back and forth between full auto and auto seems to change the fan speed from. It seems to be high speed with full auto, and medium speed with auto.

So from what I have read, my climate control system is not working properly. The trick now is to bring it in for service on a cold day, and have it sit until the heating system is cold.

 

Sounds like you have a fan controller malfunction. My fan is whisper-quiet at the lowest non-auto setting. Doesn't blow much air, but at least its quiet.

 

Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

I have an 02 Ody with navi system. On the dash is an AUTO button as well as recirc, defrost, temp setting, etc.

I put it on AUTO and set the temp. That's it. I don't understand what FULL AUTO is.... and I don't know if my system selects where to blow the air (top/bottom).

I can hit an A/C button on the navi system and go in on the navi screen and make changes to off/on, top/bottom, etc. I assume theses settings take precedent over the AUTO button, but the TEMP setting still is active...

Does this sound correct, or how do others with the 02/Navi set theirs up?

 

I find full auto works great.

However I noticed from the previous postings, that the problem with with cold air blasting right from the start might be due to a peculiarity with the system. Probably forgotten since last time one has read the owner manual. The system is in 'auto fan control' only until you select the warmer setting then it goes to max fan speed manual. In Canadian vehicles if you select 32C (maybe in an attempt to get heat faster ?) the fan goes to panic mode and blasts air at whatever temperature it happen to be at the time. My experience is that if you select the temperature you're comfortable with (22C in our case) and just let the system do it's thing, it gets very comfortable quickly.

Have a nice warm day!