QUESTION ANSWERED! greasemark below had it right. checked with local ford dealership and found yes, the compressor works when the vent is on to dehumidify the air. difference from air cond is that the compressor cycles less quickly for the vent and heater than for the air, so a bit less drain on the gas. ford guy estimated about .5 miles per gallon...THANKS again gmark

hello all, just bought a nice 96 thunderbird 4.6L with 102,000 miles on it, love it, and happy to have found this forum.

1st question and issue is that my air cond works very well, but when i turn on the vent or heater, it turns on the air. i can change the temp of the air from cold to warm, but in effect the only air or climate control that works in my car is the air conditioner, either by turning on the air, or when i turn on the vent or heater.

the dealer who sold this to me says it's probably a 'climate control switch' and to bring the car in, they'll check, and get one from a salvage yard.

i searched auto parts and found no such switch specifically or in particular. might anyone know what's going on, what might need to be done, and the cost involved?

thanks for consideration.

 

This is normal. The A/C is set by the HVAC head to be on in practically every position besides vent. The A/C is used to dehumidify the air, which helps keep the windshield clear.
If this annoys you, you could try just disconnecting the pressure clycling switch or the compressor itself.

 

greasemark, thanks so much for your reply, but let me get this correct, when i have the selector turned to vent, and i turn on the level of blower air (vs. turning on the air conditioner which is another switch), this runs my air conditioner, or at least my compressor (i found out because there was the customary water dripping from the compressor as is usual when one runs their air conditioner).

this is normal? does this mean the air conditioner is actually running, or just the compressor, to dehumidify the air? and if this is normal, does this affect gas mileage?

thank you so much. this is really a surprise to me if the case.