Are frosted windows normal for these trucks?

[erikrichard]

Every time I drive in cold temps the side windows fog and ice up. I tend to just leave it on 74 degrees in auto mode, but even when I put it on defrost and crank the fan up they don't clear. The air is warm, that's not the prob - anyone know if there is something I can try? or is this just a quirk of these trucks?

 

[Gzes]

my 94 the defrosting takes a while but eventually yea it goes away. you probably have oil on the windows or dirt. clean them good with windex and see if it helps

 

[chauncey0337]

There's a lot of space to heat up so it is gonna take awhile to defrost. What I do that helps is to adjust the rear ceiling vents to point towards the windows.

 

[erikrichard]

I don't think the compressor is coming on, I can't hear it anyway. When in or out of auto mode, hitting the ac button the light flashes a couple times then goes off. When in or out of auto mode, hitting the recirculation and vent buttons act the same - the light flashes a couple times then goes out. Can anyone confirm this is normal? temp was below 20 today, all side windows were beyond fogged up - they were iced. When temps are warmer - 60ish and up, the ac compressor works - the ac light stays on when in auto mode, which tells me the compressor is working.

 

[DenaliAK]

There's so much glass in these that it can be hard to keep everything defrosted. Some of it depends on how many people you have in the car. Everyone breathing is the biggest factor in fogging things up. Moisture in the air combined with the temp difference between outdoor and in the car can cause it's own condensation. It typically takes about 15-20 minutes of cranked defrost with the heat turned all the way up to completely clear my windows if there is frost inside on startup.

I also turn the roof vents in the rear to face the windows...this helps considerably in the back.

Turn the heat up all the way, the fan on all the way, and the whole thing on defrost for the best results. If you get too hot, crack a window. It helps dry the air, too, which in turn helps with the frosting of the windows.

 

[erikrichard]

I've never owned a vehicle that needed all that to keep the windows clear, and I've owned minivans that had more glass than this for the last 15 years.
I read some in the owners manual, it says at lower temps the ac won't operate - the light will blink 3 times then go out, which is what it does. Does this mean the compressor is inoperable too at these low temps? if this is the case (which is looking pretty obviously so) I can't understand the logic at all here. The recir and vent buttons do the same thing at low temps - the lights blink 3 times then go out, I wonder why? Does anyone know whether the air is automatically set to recirculate or come from outside at low temps? It's too bad you can't test drive a vehicle for a month before deciding to buy, I wonder what other little bits of GM wisdom await my discovery?

 

[NJTaho]

I've never owned a vehicle that needed all that to keep the windows clear, and I've owned minivans that had more glass than this for the last 15 years.
I read some in the owners manual, it says at lower temps the ac won't operate - the light will blink 3 times then go out, which is what it does. Does this mean the compressor is inoperable too at these low temps? if this is the case (which is looking pretty obviously so) I can't understand the logic at all here. The recir and vent buttons do the same thing at low temps - the lights blink 3 times then go out, I wonder why? Does anyone know whether the air is automatically set to recirculate or come from outside at low temps? It's too bad you can't test drive a vehicle for a month before deciding to buy, I wonder what other little bits of GM wisdom await my discovery?

the recirculate air button only works when it is set to top/front vents not floor or defrost.

 

[chauncey0337]

It does make sense to recirculate the air when it's cold outside but I can check my truck after I get off work. I don't recall which, but in some modes(defrost, vents, floor,etc) you can not choose recirc or fresh, they're preset.

 

[erikrichard]

Ok, has anyone done or heard of someone changing out the temp sensor to trick the system into thinking it's always above 45 degrees? I don't know why GM doesn't want the compressor to kick on in cold temps, but aside from hot temps that's when you need it most - to dry the air to prevent fogging.

 

[domin8]

Seriously? You don't want the compressor on to dry the air. It doesn't do that. Cold air on a window that's in a humid area creates condensation. That's why your window is fogging up. Turn off the a/c and put a little heat into that air so that it'll dry. This is elementary science.

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