Recirculate mode broken??

[dezignpro04]

Ok, this is kinda hard to explain. In the middle of the dash we all have a manual sliding "switch" that allows you to select either recirculate mode for the AC or fresh air mode that pulls air from the outside.

The AC on the car works perfect, no issues it is freezing. Today me and the wife we driving to a bar with some friends and we noticed that the slider was on outside air (you know if you drive by a bunch of cows it smells like cow poop in your car) so we slid the vent over to the left to recirculate. All was well then after about 4 minutes (with the AC on and the fan on #4) it sounded like something just clogged the vents. AC was still cold but #4 felt like #2.

I know what you are thinking, the fan switch speed is bad. Well i checked both fans and they work, and when I switch the slide to the right (outside air) all is back to normal except you can smell the outside (which is normal) and it dosent blow as hard as recirculate (which is normal).

It seems like that switch is manual and not and electrical switchover, and something broke, and it isnt completely opening the vent, or technically closing the outside vent and makeing it recirculate. I hope this makes sense but if anyone can chime in and help out I would appriciate it. Maybe where to start if I can try to fix it myself. By the way I just hit 36,000 miles and I am out of warranty, GO FIGURE!

Thanks in Advance,

Mike

[Fit4Trav]

Mine does the opposite haha I just thought it was me. But when I slide it over to the left I can still feel some "air" blowing through even though the fans are off

[kenchan]

remove your glove box and check to see if the cables are connected properly.
have you done any stereo installs lately? if so, the shop will need to undo the
hvac cables. they may not have put it back correctly.

[Type 100]

All you're doing when you switch the source from outside air to recirculated and back is pulling/pushing a cable attached to the little "flapper" thing residing behind your glovebox. The flapper gets outside air from a vent in the front cowl when open, and is closed when in recirculate mode.

As Kenchan says, remove the glovebox tray and check the cable actuation. The flapper should move in its full range of motion. I don't know how much differently the glovebox tray disassembles in US-market GD3s but it should be an easy, tool-free job. I do it all the time to fit a DIY A/C filter.

[dezignpro04]

Thanks alot guys. That makes sense. I know in some cars it is an electrical switch over, but this is a physical one so the cable makes sense. It seems the cable may have broke or something. Again - THANKS alot!! Now my wife will understand why I spend so much time on the S2000 forums.. LOL

[justintime]

Honda DOES regularly honor fixes like this under warranty if you're only a few hundred miles out of warranty (say, 36,800 miles). I got 2 things repaired under warramty for my 02 CRV at almost 37,000 miles.

Just make sure you ask nicely when you talk to your service manager.

[FrogDaddy]

Mine had napkins in it that sucked up from glove box.

[DrKelso]

^^

[dezignpro04]

Well thanks guys!! I took it apart this weekend (today actually) and all is well. Something did get sucked in from the glove box, but it wasnt napkins. My wife has this thing about hanging things on the rear view mirror and when she is done with it she shoves it in the glove box. Well it sucked in one of those Hawaiian lays. So my AC got laid..

Thanks again!

[wdb]

ITYM "lei'd".

Sheesh. With all this stuff getting sucked up into the ductwork, I'm feeling a serious need to open up my glovebox and see if I'm a victim. Maybe someone should market a 'glovebox cargo net'!

[HONDAMATIC]

at least it wasnt tampons haha