Toyotas Aircon Econ Button

[mr2lover]

When should this be used and how? Does it really help with fuel economy?

[Squid]

On the corolla it will disable the aircon under certain conditions, so the compressor is only engaged when the engine isn't already under load.

Im not sure what it uses to make the decision or how effective it is.

[mr2lover]

would it decrease the life of the compressor as it being constantly on and off?

[psychofox]

On the corolla it will disable the aircon under certain conditions, so the compressor is only engaged when the engine isn't already under load.

Im not sure what it uses to make the decision or how effective it is.

Wrong. It has nothing to do with load. It is based on the temperature of the air coming out of the evaporater box. What it does is try and control the temp at the same level, by turning the compressor on and off. rather than on the other button (A/C) which just runs the compressor all the time, which decreases the air temp (and you feel the air getting colder). Have a read of your owners manual.

[Squid]

The owners manual for the corolla says that it only runs the compressor when the engine isn't under load.

What you just described sounds an awful lot like climate control...

[mr2lover]

The owners manual for the corolla says that it only runs the compressor when the engine isn't under load.

What you just described sounds an awful lot like climate control...

sorry guys I dont have the owners handbook.

SO basically best thing to do then is use the AC button to get the cabin nice and cool and then once its there switch over to econo to conserve fuel and stabilise cabin temperature rather then keep getting it colder?

[Starfire]

ECON is not climate control. What it does is turns the compressor off under certain load conditions (like heavy acceleration) to reduce fuel usage. I dont think the difference is huge and its biggest benefit is that you dont feel the car running like crap as much as you do in normal mode (ie when you need the power it is not being drawn by the aircon).

I still say wind down the windows and take the roof off

[mr2lover]

ECON is not climate control. What it does is turns the compressor off under certain load conditions (like heavy acceleration) to reduce fuel usage. I dont think the difference is huge and its biggest benefit is that you dont feel the car running like crap as much as you do in normal mode (ie when you need the power it is not being drawn by the aircon).

I still say wind down the windows and take the roof off

I thought all cars already have a safety cutout for the aircon on high revs or Wide Open Throttle?

[Starfire]

Maybe they do - this is supposed to be an intelligent system that improves perfomance and economy at the cost of not being as cold.

[mr2lover]

Thanks Starefire. Nice mr2 You got there. Any mods? I love AW11 and SW20s.

[Starfire]

Yeah my GF modded the front end with a mitsubishi mirage



Almost got it all sorted out though. Need to finish putting the front spoiler and stuff on.

I should do a members rides thing about it.

[mr2lover]

Yeah my GF modded the front end with a mitsubishi mirage



Almost got it all sorted out though. Need to finish putting the front spoiler and stuff on.

I should do a members rides thing about it.

Oh man Sorry to hear. You gotta get it back . very nice Aw11 indeed.

[Starfire]

Oh yeah!

The chassis has all been fixed up and I have replaced the bonnet, gaurds, headlights, rad support and trim panels. I am waiting on getting the fender extensions repainted before I can get the front spoiler back on and I need to find a new front bumper assembly as the one I have is dented and cant be fixed.

I had them paint the bonnet black while I was at it.

[BradW]

Wrong. It has nothing to do with load. It is based on the temperature of the air coming out of the evaporater box. What it does is try and control the temp at the same level, by turning the compressor on and off. rather than on the other button (A/C) which just runs the compressor all the time, which decreases the air temp (and you feel the air getting colder). Have a read of your owners manual.

Most a/c systems control the evap temp by use of the TX valve and cycling the compressor. This is done to stop the evaporator from freezing up, which is what would happen if the compressor ran constantly.

Some later model stuff use a variable stroke compressor to keep the low side pressure constant which prevents freezing of the evap. On these systems the compressor runs constantly when the a/c is switched on.

The compressor will cycle on both AC and Econ modes on the corolla's but, as others have said, the compressor also cuts out under heavy load in Econ mode.

I thought all cars already have a safety cutout for the aircon on high revs or Wide Open Throttle?

Not all cars, mainly the underpowered ones .

[mr2lover]

speaking of TX valves. Most common point of leak on a SW20 mr2 is the TX Valve Aka Expansion valve. There was a recall on these. They love to leak there. Second place would be pressure switch under bonnet. Besides that the pipes are sealed well on the mr2.