Mondeo mk3 climate control

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Thu 1 Feb 2007 12:52
Mondeo mk3 climate control - 21mdc
My car is a 2001 Ghia and still carnt find out the problem of my climate control. The fault is that as soon as i adjust the temp settings from off to either auto or fan speed or hotter/colder it kicks in the main cooling fan and aircon which during these winter starts means the car takes an age to warm up. The orange aircon light does not show on but is working when the aircon button is selected or the auto screen demist is used. I have been informed you can switch the aircon Off with a correct button combination which works (thanks) but only stays off as long as the Off or Auto buttons are not touched "not that easy with little hands pressing every thing in reach" Hoping somebody may be able to come up with a permanent fix to restore my climate control back to full operation. Thanks Matt.
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Thu 1 Feb 2007 18:33
Mondeo mk3 climate control - elekie&a/c doctor
From your description I would say the system is working perfectly correctly.(I use a similar car).The only way to disengage the a/c cycle is to press the a/c button twice (on then off).Once the auto button is pressed ,then the a/c cycle is restored.Perhaps there is a problem with the engine coolant thermostat ,these are prone to seizing (open)and thus not allowing engine to maintain a good temp.Btw the a/c system will not function if ambient air is less than 5deg c.hth
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Thu 1 Feb 2007 19:32
Mondeo mk3 climate control - Quinny100
The cooling fan running shouldn't affect warm up times - if the engine is cold the thermostat should be closed and there will be no coolant flowing around the radiator. The effect of the cooling fan is negligible when you're moving at any reasonable speed anyway.

Is it a diesel by any chance? They take ages to warm up due to efficiency and the large oil and coolant capacity. The latest ones turn both of the heated screens on automatically at low temps to aid warm up.
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Thu 1 Feb 2007 20:03
Mondeo mk3 climate control - cheddar
On my car (2002.25 model) the light within the aircon button is illuminated whenever the aircon system is functioning, there are three ways to turn this on:

1/ push the air con button
2/ push the auto button
3/ push the screen demist button (not the heated screen)

If the aircon button is pushed when the aircon light is illuminated it disables the aircon function though if in auto still allows auto conrtol of the temp with the constraints of the ambient temp and auto distribution. I.e on a cool day you can have auto control of the cabin temp without the aircon engaged. I recall reading that 2001 models function slightly differently, perhaps it is that you cannot have auto temp / distribution without the aircon active.
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Thu 1 Feb 2007 21:44
Mondeo mk3 climate control - 21mdc
As much as i remember the air con light does not come on when the auto button is pressed but the aircon clutch can be heard cutting in followed by the main cooling fan at any operating temp. thanks for all the info everybody.
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Thu 1 Feb 2007 21:38
Mondeo mk3 climate control - 21mdc
The car is a 2lt petrol.
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Thu 1 Feb 2007 21:55
Mondeo mk3 climate control - elekie&a/c doctor
Another point I forgot to mention ,is that the cooling fan/s switch off above road speeds of 60 KPH .Unless of course the ambient or underbonnet temps are excessively high.
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