Cold weather A/C operation....

[Hardin Thicke]

Was wondering if someone, somewhere where it's cold (below freezing) and who has the Automatic Climate Control option on their '07 Tahoe can check their A/C for me and tell me whether the little snowflake icon button stays on when pressed. I went to turn mine on today and the button will not stay on, and I think I smelled electrical burning. The hood is frozen shut with 1/2" of ice :rolleyes2: and I can't open it. THis stuff alway has to happen in the dead of winter....:rolleyes2:

 

[Rollin Thunder]

at about 40 maybe 35 mine blinks 3 times then stops and stays off, both on my 06 yukon and 08 sierra.

 

[wernja]

Just blinks three times and won't turn on

 

[Hardin Thicke]

Hmmm......mine is doing the same thing. Blinks 3 times, then goes off. I could swear that it came on and remained lit regardless of the temperature.

Well..thanks!

 

[bisignano]

According to the manual, the A/C will stay on to about 40 degrees and then shut off in auto mode.

 

[Hardin Thicke]

Yes, thanks. I was reading that in the manual. Still, it doesn't say if you can force it on, like to get clear fogged windows. It's been below freezing now for a week, but I'm driving south this weekend where it's suppose to above 40, so I hope to test it there.

 

[bisignano]

I have been playing with mine for a month now. I can turn it on, however, the weather is just starting to get below 40. I know that the defrost automatically starts the compressor. That is standard on all vehicles with A/C going back as far as 82 when I was a mechanic. I know that you can turn the AUTO switch on and turn the A/C off and maintain the temp, as long as ambient outside temperature stays below the temp in the vehicle. Good luck and let me know if you find anything out.
Bill

 

[73shark]

Actually I think GM ran the compressor with the defrost further back than '82 as I had a '68 GTO that worked that way. I believe it was to help defog (less humidity) and to keep the compressor seal lubricated. Not sure what the ultimate cutoff temp is but probably above 32F since you don't want the evap to freeze up.

 

[bisignano]

I didn't mean that they started utilizing the compressor for the defroster in 1982. That's when I was working as a mechanic and realized that the compressor is what actually helps to defrost the windshield.

 

[Hardin Thicke]

It's a beautiful day here where I'm at with temps near 50. I tried the A/C this morning, and it seems to be working fine. The "snowflake" illuminates andthe compressor seems to be cycling.

 

[Tahoe07]

I understand you're trying to force the A/C on with it below freezing but you really shouldn't have to. Run the defrost and it will clear pretty quickly.

My switch also blinks and turns off. Seems yours is fine.

 

[HofB99]

Funny thing, the day after reading this thread, I got in the Hoe (mid 40s w/ prolly 100% humidity) and turned the key to disengage remote start... I found my "snowflake" was on w/ the temp set to 87 degrees--remember setting it to 87, but don't remember hitting the a/c button @ all the last time out of the truck...hmmm :skep:

 

[yavsojarrod]

Ok, I am a K9 Officer with a police Tahoe and I about cooked my dog because of this same problem. If the temperature drops too low, the A/C shuts off and hot air begins to blow. My K9 likes it to be about 50 degrees or he gets hot in the car. I don't like to leave the windows down for obvious reasons (people wanna pet him, stuff throw in to him, etc)Thankfully, I have a heat alarm for my K9 that told me what was happening. If you try to use your A/C below a certain temp, it will blink three times and shut off. To fix this, you have to Hold down the a/c button and the recirculate button (looks like a U) for several seconds. Your temperature gauge will reset and your ac will work as normal. Hope this helps.

 

[gajake15]

A/C snow flake light flashes -- FIXED for me

If you try to use your A/C below a certain temp, it will blink three times and shut off. To fix this, you have to Hold down the a/c button and the recirculate button (looks like a U) for several seconds. Your temperature gauge will reset and your ac will work as normal. Hope this helps.

Saved my friggin day! This morning it was cold and the light blinked 3 times, compressor never came on and a/c never blew cold air. As day went on, got warmer outside, but still did the same thing. So I searched this forum, saw this post and held down the recirculate button and snow flake button at the same time for about 5 seconds and the dang thing started working.... That would've cost me $100 at a dealership!

God bless message boards.