I've noticed that on my H3 that for my AC to cool down my truck I have to hit the reciruclation button to on when I turn the AC on otherwise it jus never cools like it should. Also, when I turn the recirculation button on with the AC, I get this sweet smell, which I am assuming might be the smell of antifreeze? Is anyone else experiencing either of these issues?

 

yes, same here , you need to turn on both....

 

Recirculate means just that..It recirculates the cabin air only..so the A/C can cool faster like that..With UN-recirculate selected, you draw in all that heat from the top of your hood and raod, plus humidity...The A/C has to overcome all that heat and humidity before it can cool, so naturally it will feel weak.

If you just press the Recirculate button on with fan..it will run the compressor without pressing in on the A/C button..a GM design quirk.

Sweet smell means Anti-freeze I'm afraid..See any leaks underneath where you parked it??

 

Thanks for the info guys! I haven't seen anything other than the normal water under the truck after running the AC. I just started to notice the smell this past week so I will keep an eye on it and if the smell continues, I guess I will be making a trip to the dealer which is no biggie.

 

Is there a reason you don't leave it in recirc all the time?

I leave mine in all the time, it never leaves recirc in my vehicles. It's much less work for the A/C to keep the inside air cool than cool the outside, incoming air.

 

Don't forget it has been way hot in many places lately, that must be working our air-conditioners quite a bit extra......not that a sweet smell could be o.k.........keep us posted.

 

My AC also does not cool very well unless it's on recirculate, but that is with most cars on the road. That is a normal thing. The smell, on the other hand, isn't. If you have a very small leak (anti-freeze) it could be in the heating element that the Anti-freeze flows through which is inside and behind your dashboard. IF it is a slow leak, you wouldn't see it leaking under the vehicle, but it would accumulate under your dash on the floor or carpet on the inside behind the dash. If it IS that, and any accumulates on the heating element, it is probably evaporating when you use the AC because it is leaking into the vent somewhere. I'm no expert at it, but I would assume that is what is happening. If you know ANYBODY that is familiar with cars and maintenance, I would have them smell it. Most car fanatics know what anti-freeze smells like and can tell right away. The bad thing is that is something that would probably be labor-intensive, but would be under warranty. Like I said, I'm not an expert, but I would bet that is what it is

 

i get a sweet smell from my a/c as well but its not continuous. it comes and goes.

 

I called the dealership this morning and they had me bring it in. It's still there and they told me they have not even had a chance to look at it yet so I get to keep the loaner H3 overnight and knowing my experiences, I am sure they will call me tomorrow telling me they didn't find anything wrong, which would be a good thing, but also would make me wonder what and where the smell is coming from.

 

If they say they don't smell anything, you should probably drive around with it, and when you detect the smell, march right back in there, with the car running, and tell one of them to come inside and smell. They will know right away what it is.

What kind of H3 loaner did they give you? Anything fancy ;-)