On Tue, 15 Nov 2005 11:39:44 GMT, "Brian Smith"
<Halifax@NovaScotia.Canada> wrote:

>
>"Gordon Zola" <Zola@midnightisp.com> wrote in message
>news:f31jn153ekaa5glja916hkhhm3t4ocpo0h@4ax.com.. .
>> I've heard that car A/C doesn't work below a certain temperature
>> because if it's freezing out, the coils might freeze up. Yet the guy
>> at the dealer says, run the A/C to clear interior fog on the windows,
>> and doesn't make any exception for freezing weather. Could someone
>> explain what actually happens?
>
> A/C works just fine in cold weather.
>
>> If the A/C doesn't kick in when it is freezing out, how come the A/C
>> light still lights up?
>
> The light comes on because the A/C is turned on.

The AC will turn on at any temperature but won't cool if the ambient
temp is below around 5 C. At such low temperatures, the evaporator
would cool below 0 C and the water condensing on it would form ice.

Under cold conditions, the AC is useless for dehumidifying the air and
preventing fog on the windows.

While the main purpose of AC is to cool the vehicle in the summer, it
can be used in the winter to help warm it up. That's because the AC
puts a load on the engine, which then warms up faster, and that gives
quicker heat out of the heater. Of course this uses up more gas, so
turn off the AC when the interior is warm enough.

Randy