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Auto Temperature/Fan Doesn't Seem Too Intelligent


mopac

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My 2018 Silverado has auto temperature control.  I've had it just a few months and this is the first time I'm getting into colder weather.   With everything, including the fan, supposedly in auto mode per the infotainment display, I'm a little disappointed in it's "smarts."  My little 4 cylinder 2010 Nissan was my first experience with automatic temperature control that was more advanced than the vacuum controlled slider in my 1984 Olds Toronado.  And it seemed quite smart.  When first starting the vehicle it has the fan on the very lowest setting even if I have the temp set to 72 and it's 25 outside.  Otherwise it's just blowing cold air on me until the engine warms up.  But that's exactly what the Silverado does.  It starts blowing very hard (fan confirmed to be "auto") when I first get in - and it's just cold air.  WTF?

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I didn't realize that.  But is that just set the fan to ALWAYS be that speed when the system in set to "AUTO"???  That seems crazy.  What would be "auto" about that?  Why not just leave the fan completely separate from the auto setting then?  That's at least how the "fancy" automatic temperature control worked in my 1986 (I think I said 1984 about, but on second thought I think it was a 1986) Olds Toronado.  You set the automatic temperature control and it adjusted it by vacuum control.  But you still had separate control over the fan speed if I remember correctly.  Nissan seems MUCH smarter here.  The system recognizes the engine temperature isn't hot enough for heat when first started and it doesn't turn up the fan until it is actually warm enough.  You can watch the number of bars increase on the fan display as the number of bars increase on the dash relative to the engine temp.    And then the temperature of the air is eventually dialed back and the fan speed slowed back down after the cabin has gotten to the requested temp.  

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I don't know why yours is doing that, mine works much better.

 

If its cold out (30's) I leave temp set to 70 on AUTO. fan blows very little until engine is warm, then it cranks up until reaching desired temp inside, then the fan slows way down again. I'm happy with it as my first vehicle with the "auto" thermostat.

 

It also reduces the fan if you get a phone call on bluetooth. its nice for being able to hear, but sometimes i don't want to turn the fan down.

 

Side note: if you remote start, I think it just blows on max fan speed, and does not adjust until you put the key in.

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8 minutes ago, aseibel said:

I don't know why yours is doing that, mine works much better.

 

If its cold out (30's) I leave temp set to 70 on AUTO. fan blows very little until engine is warm, then it cranks up until reaching desired temp inside, then the fan slows way down again. I'm happy with it as my first vehicle with the "auto" thermostat.

 

It also reduces the fan if you get a phone call on bluetooth. its nice for being able to hear, but sometimes i don't want to turn the fan down.

 

Side note: if you remote start, I think it just blows on max fan speed, and does not adjust until you put the key in.

I've noticed the remote start behavior relative to the fan as well.  I've also experienced the fan speed reduction if I get a phone call.  I appreciate that bit of "intelligence."  

 

I'm wondering if the setting on auto fan speed that m3n00b mentioned above is low for your truck.  If yours is set to low than perhaps that's the remedy to my issue.

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2 minutes ago, mopac said:

I'm wondering if the setting on auto fan speed that m3n00b mentioned above is low for your truck.  If yours is set to low than perhaps that's the remedy to my issue.

I will try to figure out what mine is set at after work tonight and reply later.

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39 minutes ago, aseibel said:

I don't know why yours is doing that, mine works much better.

 

If its cold out (30's) I leave temp set to 70 on AUTO. fan blows very little until engine is warm, then it cranks up until reaching desired temp inside, then the fan slows way down again. I'm happy with it as my first vehicle with the "auto" thermostat.

 

It also reduces the fan if you get a phone call on bluetooth. its nice for being able to hear, but sometimes i don't want to turn the fan down.

 

Side note: if you remote start, I think it just blows on max fan speed, and does not adjust until you put the key in.

+1 :thumbs:

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16 minutes ago, aseibel said:

Mine is set to medium.

20181107_161423.thumb.jpg.014fb8fe3774f32014f45a171226754a.jpg

Aseibil - thanks for checking that.  Mine was on Medium as well, so I'm not sure why yours seems to be working so much better than mine.  I changed mine to low and I'll try that out and see how it does. 

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6 minutes ago, BB68 said:

mopac, I am wondering if maybe one of your temp sensors fell out of its location or wasnt seated all the way?

How many are there?  Are they someplace easy enough for me to reach and check or is this a warranty item?

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My 15 had it and this 17 doesn't... I don't miss it lol.  I found the settings on the dials to go like this in the winter.  Cold, cold, cold, cold, nuclear heat.  And nothing in between.  My 14 Impala and my 15 Silverado were both the same way and it was annoying to say the least.  

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Mine drives me insane. It's always either blowing freezing cold (ac or heat) or much too hot to be desirable. Set at desired temp on non auto next think you know your feet are freezing for no reason, reach down and feel vent sure enough its blowing exterior temperature are in.

 

I wish that when it was not in " AUTO " mode that the temperature dial let you decide on the temperature coming from the vents VS it still regulating vent temperature to where it thinks it needs to be.

 

Get interior to temp as quickly as possible then blow desired temperature out of vents. 

 

Say the interior is 1-2 degrees above/below target temperature, there is no need for the vents to blow fully hot or fully cold to change the interior by 1-2 degrees. Minimal adjustments in vent temp makes for a comfy experience. 

 

Not to mention, the heat in this truck is awful. It was 33 outside when I left today. My commute is about 12 miles with about 4 miles on surface streets and the rest 70MPH highway. I can leave my house and crank the fan up with the temp settings on high when the engine starts to get some heat. The cabin can't even be described as hot if I leave it cranked for my entire 12 mile commute. Now just imagine when its less than 15 degrees outside. It's basically useless and I am glad I have heated seats. Another gripe is you can't turn on recirculate when the head is directed at the floor to help it warm up quicker. My recirculate function barely works anyways. 

 

I drove my 88 Dodge D250 yesterday evening in similar temp just to see if I was insane. The vents were blowing so hot within 5 minutes at low vehicle speeds I had to turn it down. Only had the fan speed set at 1/4 the way up. 

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