You guys with the MY2002's - what do you mean you can't shut the A/C off? Do you mean pressing the A/C button when switched to defrost mode will not deactivate the A/C? If so, why would Honda make a change like that?

 

Yep, that's what we mean. When in either defrost position the AC will not shut off as long as the fan is on. PIA.

 

No. A/C runs the air through a condenser which takes the water out of the air -- which means no fogged up windows. What's odd is that the 02 I drove I could swear was the same as my 01 in that you could turn off the A/C regardless....

 

Interesting. I wonder why?

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by S2Thizzle
[B]

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 21wS2K
[B]

The AC comes on to dehumidify the air, so you get no fog on the windshield.

 

I understand why the A/C activates when the defroster is turned on. I was wondering why you can't manually override the A/C (in defrost mode) on the 2002s, as opposed to the 2000s, where you can.

 

Even more peculiar to me is that if the selector has been in the defrost position, even without the fan, and then you put the fan on in another position, the AC will engage. It isn't good to fire up an air conditioner for a few seconds and turn it off. It isn't like a light switch. So I'm left running an air conditioner I don't need for several minutes that I didn't want to turn on in the first place. Even more peculiar is that it seems to need the AC on a simple rainy day. Tried to blow the inside fog away yesterday with just the heat and defrost. Sat there for three minutes and it only barely started to fade. Gave up, hit the AC, fog gone in four seconds.

 

It's a little hard for me to test the theory, living here in the Deep South, but although most conventional passenger automobiles will automatically turn on the A/C when the defrost mode is selected, the compressor turn-on will be overridden if the outside temperature is below 35 degrees Fahrenheit. The purpose of that override is to prevent the compressor from icing up and damaging itself. I agree that it might be nice to have full manual control of the compressor, but that is just not common practice in the industry. I also may not like that fact, but it certainly is no reason to get so worked up against Honda in general, or the S2000 in particular.

 

Well OK then, let's go back to sireousrex original question....

Has anyone devised a way to slice into a wire and wire in an accessory switch so the AC can be turned off when the '02 forces it on because defrost or defrost & floor has been selected?

There is no doubt the MY 02 forces the AC on and you can not turn it off. I was out on the track for 1 hour and 30 minutes a couple of Fridays ago in the rain, and it was VERY strange to be pounding the car around on the track with the AC on. Something that needs to be changed in my mind!