...or should I say lack of. I've noticed when I turn on the recirc. button, it lights up, but there's no noticable difference in sound levels. Every other Ford i've owned the fan noise nearly doubles, I think due to the outside being shut off vs the fan actually running faster, but is this normal in my 'Scape? Is it an 08 feature, or due to the fact it's Hybrid somehow?

 

What setting were you on before you switched to recirculate? On my '05 the noise of the fan is louder (although your setup is different on the '08). But 'Max A/C' setting and the recirculate setting have no difference in noise because both settings already recirculate (the only difference in 'Max' is that it wont let the engine turn off when the computer would otherwise have shut it down to switch to EV mode.) If you were in 'Max' mode already this might explain why you don't notice a difference.

 

Sorry, I was in Econ mode. I don't have a "Max AC" it Econ on/off [same thing] But was running full speed fan in econ mode. But I've allways been able to hear the difference. Not sure if it was the fact the fan door was closed, so the sound bounced inside more or what. I don't hear any difference in the 'Scape. Maybe it all ready has the door closed when using the Auto temp, even tho Max ac is not on, it's still trying to cool the best it can. I need to try playing with it at different settings.

 

I have noticed the same thing on my 08. It just does not seem louder when in recirculate mode.

Cris

 

On my '08, I can tell the difference only if the fan is on a higher speed.

In 'auto' the recirc will go on/off automatically, even with the Econ button lit. The system is entirely automatic, including recirc. All the Econ button does is override engine shutdown, that's it.

Try this: Begin with the vehicle ready to drive, i.e. 'on' and in Park with the "ready" light lit. Leave the temp in a moderate setting (70° for example) and turn the fan up to full blast. Press recirc to toggle it on/off, wait about 15 seconds and do it again. You should be able to hear a slight difference.

You can tell for sure if recirc is 'off' from the outside by placing your hand near the air intake near the wipers. You'll be able to feel it sucking in outside air when recirc is 'off'.

Making the climate system quieter is one of the things they changed for 2008. Even so, when I got into mine yesterday after it had sat for an hour in the sun at 92°, the system was pretty loud for the first couple of miles.

The A/C in this vehicle is very powerful. I assume that they made the system with a very large capacity so it could cool both the vehicle and the battery pack. I'm not sure about that, but I'll say this: It's a very powerful air conditioner.

 

On some of my other cars, "recirculate", "max A/C", and "max fan speed" are all synonymous. Basically, the design is such that you need all the cooling you can get, and for that, the system goes into recirculate with the fan on its maximum speed.

On the hybrid, they are all under separate control.

 

I definitely hear the difference on my 08 MMH. Had an 03 Explorer where the blend door (I think that's what it was) was stuck. They had to remove the whole darn dash to fix it, and of course, the thing was never the same....

My 02 Escape had a blend door sticking, and that was serviceable from under the dash.....

 

OK, finally stole the "scape back from the wife today and confirmed with settings in the moderate range, there is a difference in sound with reciric on/off!

Guess when it was 95, and it's set to Auto 60, it automaticly (like I'd expect it should) turns on recirc, just doesn't light up.

 

Yes, setting almost any auto climate control to extreme settings (usually 60°F and 85°) overrides automatic control. On most systems, it will stay that way regardless. Even if it's 20 below, you'll get a nice blast of cold recirculated air in the face. I've always thought the setting should say "min" or "lowest temp" or something, not 60°. Setting highest temp is similar: No matter how hot it is inside the car you get hot air on your feet. I don't know if the FEH is one of these.

Many long-time climate control users eventually realize that it really does what it says (controls the climate) if you're patient and give it a few minutes. If you choose to use it, try setting a comfortable temp and leaving it alone. It works pretty well.

Also, I hesitate to mention this but... The laws of physics dictate that setting 60° instead of 70° does not cool the interior any faster. Just like setting your home thermostat to 80° versus 70° when it's freezing outside does not heat your home any faster. It always cracks me up when I'm riding with someone and they turn their car heater on full blast then, a few minutes later, they say "it's really hot" and turn it all the way off. In minutes, cold again, it goes back to full blast, and the cycle continues as I sit there, fake-smiling and gritting my teeth.

 

Terry, I'm with you.

And how come all resturaunts are freezing cold in summer and blazing hot in winter? How come we can put a man on the moon, but not keep a building a constant 70 degrees all seasons?