Help - foggy windshield problem

[ross6200]

Is the J30 the only car ever made without an AC button?

It rained all day today, with an ambient temperature of 65-degrees, and very humid. My windows all fogged up with a thick mist, and no matter what I did I could not get rid of it. Even with the temp turned all the way down to 65-degrees (same as outside temp), the AC never kicked in, and there is no way for me to turn it on manually. Apparently, 'Auto' mode doesn't turn on the AC at 65-degrees.

Opening the windows helped a bit, but it was pouring rain.

Does anyone else have this problem? Is there a way to get the AC to come on when it's 65-degrees or lower outside?

Needless to say, this was a very dangerous situation today!

[greenwar]

From my experience with lesser cars - I used to turn the heat on and let the air go towards the front windshield while keeping the blower to circulate air from outside. That used to do the trick.

So keep the air to circulate from outside and set temp to 80-85 and make the air go towards the windshield and see if that fixes it. I haven't gotten into my J30 for last whole week so I kinda forgot if you can actually force to air go towards the windshield without pressing the front windshield defogger button.

Also try circulating air from outside and then press on the front windshield defogger button, that might clear out the windshield..

[95-J30tt]

this could be out of the subject, but i would check the freon, or electrical..... AC units in these cars have a safety, if the freon is low, it cuts out the ac compressor, and no matter what you do, it will not kick back in untill you fill it up again. it was raining all day here too, and the amb temperature was showing 64 F, however, i didnt have a problem with the AC, i hope this helps figuring out the problem. good luck

by the way, when you press the AUTO button in the j, the AC compressor turns on no matter what the ambiant temperature is

[ross6200]

Hey, thanks for the input! I just dropped my car off at my local mechanic and filled him in. One thing I didn't mention in my initial post - the engine was also running hot, which it's never done before.

My mechanic say that they always check the freon first. But also, the AC has it's own separate fan. If this fan is not functioning, that could explain my 2 problems.

Hopefully, I'll be good to go by the end of the day!

[Defiant]

The defrost position will also turn on the AC, regardless the temperature setting. It's also recommended to use the interior air setting when defrosting so the AC can drop-out the moisture in the cabin air. Of course, this is all for naught if the refrigerant charge is low. I hope you have the chance to give us the diagnosis, and repairs.

[ross6200]

Just heard from my mechanic. The culprit is my water pump! It has failed, and that explains the lack of AC and the hot-running temperature of the engine. I'm looking at a $500 repair total parts and labor, including new hoses (they're original).

Well, the way I look at it, $500 is what I would pay per month for a new Honda Civic plus insurance (NOT going to happen). So, $500 not to get stranded, I guess is worth it. My mechanic says this is a 5 hour job. Sound right to you guys?

Oh, he also said my steering rack is going. Ouch!

[Q45tech]

Old lux cars just substitute repairs and maintenance for high levels of depreciation.................Q45 needs $225-250 per month every month, J are a little cheaper.

[Defiant]

Just heard from my mechanic. The culprit is my water pump! It has failed, and that explains the lack of AC and the hot-running temperature of the engine.

It would explain a hot engine (you might have mentioned that earlier), but I don't understand how it explains a lack of AC.

[yodawill2000]

Agree'dNot sure of your mileage but you might consider a new timing belt and tensioner while he's at it.That would give you 100K of not worrying about them.

[Nissansbitch]

"Auto" is AC, and dehumidified."Econ" is Heater.The Defrost button runs in Auto only because it's dehumidified.