Is it possible to reprogram the automatic climate control circuitry? The thing kicks in to high gear here in the winter and blows at 100% fan speed once the truck warms up, it's minus a freaking gazillion outside (Canada, it's been below -25 deg C on a lot of mornings here, Ottawa, ON, Canada) and it blows air that is significantly cooler than if it used say 60% or 75% fan speed - I think it would take less time to heat up the cabin if it didn't, and besides the huricanne force winds and fan noise is really annoying too.

Is there anyway to reprogram the unit to NOT use 100% fan speed unless I manually select it? Unfortunately, there is nothing in the owner's manual about it.

 

You have two options in my opinion:

1.) Don't turn on the heater until the truck is warm...should keep that cold air from making your nips hard....

2.) Manually override the ATC fan blower speed by dialing the fan motor speed down with the fan control..

TonyPTX

 

The automatic system doesn't kick the fan on to 100% immediately, it does wait for the truck to be warm. So as I drive off in the morning it starts at 10% and as the truck warms up you can hear it go to 30%, then to 50% then to 70% and then when fully warm... it cranks the wind speed up to hurricane status at 100%. It's really annoying, loud windy and what's the point?

Yes... of course. so I always end up manually adjusting the fan speed myself. So my point is, why design such a poor automated HVAC system if one lets it do really annoying things?

I just got the call back from the dealer and they say the system is NON-programmable and you get what you get. So... needless to say, I'd rather convert my truck to a manual HVAC system and dump the whole automatic thing - I find it that annoying.

 

You do have a control to vary the speed of the blower. It will reset when you turn the truck off and restart it, but at least you can slow it down for that session or trip!

 

I know that. And actually, the fan speed does not reset when the truck is started. If the fan speed is manually selected, it will stay at that speed until A> you change it to a different speed manually, or B> hit that cursed 'AUTOMATIC' button.

What I'm complaining about is that the automatic setting is about as smart as using a 5 pound sledge hammer to drive in a finishing nail. It's got no brains and it's really stupid. The Ford engineers really don't think about it very much. Who usually has their fan setting set to MAX to warm up the car - most people figure out pretty quickly that it's not the most efficient way to heat the vehicle up when it's -30 outside. So I have this 'automatic' feature in my Truck that I'll now never use. What's the point then to have an automatic HVAC system then?

 

Since it never really gets cold here, I guess its just not as noticable a problem in California.

 

I have the same problem with the auto setting. I am always using the fan dial to turn the blower down.

 

I have the same problem with the auto setting. I am always using the fan dial to turn the blower down.

 

I checked my father's taurus sel and it has the auto temp control and it is not half as noisy.

 

Being that I have some experience with process controls, the automatic HVAC is operating like it should (or at least like a PLC/computer thinks). The computer takes a temperature reading from inside and outside of the truck and adjusts the controls appropriately, much like how a liquid level controller will operate a level control valve inside a tank. If the level is high and stays high, the level controller measures the high level and tells the level control valve to say open (or even wide open) until the level in the tank reaches a set "normal" point.

Comparing this analogy to the automatic HVAC system, it's cold in the truck, and you have the heater set for say 80°F, the fan blower is going to keep pumping that hot air in at maximum until the ambient temp. inside the cab reaches 80°F at which point, the fan will throttle back to a lower speed.

Since I live in the good ole' south, I have more concerns with the A/C working right. Usually on a hot day, the fan blower will kick into high gear and blast cold air inside the cab for a few minutes after which, it throttles back to my comfortable setting of 72°F. I have no complaints about the system and love it. And to be really honest, in my old Ranger with the manual A/C controls, my girlfriend used to always play with the controls cause she couldn't get it right. She'd be cold one second and hot the next. With my new F-150 and the Auto HVAC system, she doesn't even touch the controls anymore (the way it should be )

TonyPTX