LX HVAC Auto Air Intake Sensitivity Adjust: Results

[Tinkerer]

Well, after running for some weeks now with the LX HVAC Auto Air Intake sensitivity turned all the way to max sensitivity ("3"), the verdict is in:

It does seem to increase the sensitivity of the system, closing the cabin air intake door more quickly when entering junkmobile overrich exhaust zone, and doing so more frequently overall.

(Good things, imo.)

I'd like it even more sensitive and fast-acting, but what the heck, it is an improvement over the stock setting.

FWIW.

Original thread:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=80115&highlight=auto+air+intake

 

[HearMyLX]

sounds good. i'll try it when i get in my LX tomorrow. I think I live in the best possible area to test this. (Los Angeles County)

 

[Tinkerer]

sounds good. i'll try it when i get in my LX tomorrow. I think I live in the best possible area to test this. (Los Angeles County)

I'm curious to hear of your results.

If I'm not mistaken, the sensor of the LX system sniffs for VOCs, such as found in overrich junkmobile exhaust or other sources of unburned or partially-burned hydrocarbons from gasoline etc.

From what I remember (early '90's), LA vehicle-source air pollution is a different composition than other places like SE USA where I live.

Here in SE, the overall ozone, smog, and CO levels are relatively low, but the localized VOC levels found in the exhaust behind the worst junkmobiles can be EXTREMELY high. (In fact, this was one reason I kept the LX - for the Auto Air Intake "defense" against these harmful conditions.)

In contrast, LA has almost no overrich-exhaust polluting junkmobiles, due to the strong anti-pollution laws including mandatory vehicle inspections etc., but instead has high levels of overall ozone, smog, and CO. (Simply due to the sheer mass of vehicles and everything else polluting in one relatively small geographic area.)

Does the LX Auto Air Intake respond to LA conditions?

 

[HearMyLX]

so i changed the setting sensitivity to 3 earlier today. Didn't seem to be very active untill i pulled into a gas station later in the evening. The cabin air setting stayed closed for a few hours while i was on the freeway. It didn't changed back until i started the car back up about 2am to come home.
I'm going to leave the setting on 3. I don't recal the air intake ever auto switching befor i changed the sensitivity.

 

[Tinkerer]

so i changed the setting sensitivity to 3 earlier today. Didn't seem to be very active untill i pulled into a gas station later in the evening. The cabin air setting stayed closed for a few hours while i was on the freeway. It didn't changed back until i started the car back up about 2am to come home.
I'm going to leave the setting on 3. I don't recal the air intake ever auto switching befor i changed the sensitivity.

Wow.

3 hours might be a bit too long to leave the system shut on recirc, with windows closed and people in the cabin breathing in O2 and exhaling CO2 the whole time.

I've seen mine stay shut all the way through Atlanta in summer, about an hour total.

But another reason it will stay shut on recirc is if the outside temp is high enough and the HVAC temp setting is low enough. It does this (I think) to increase the cooldown rate, similar to the "max A/C" function on some vehicles manual HVAC controls.

Anyway, your experience may highlight the reason that the sensitivity adjust feature was provided. Where I live, I want it super-sensitive, to instantly close at the slightest wiff of occasional junkmobile exhaust. But in LA, you may not want high sensitivity, because that might just result in the thing staying shut all the time.

You might want to try setting it to 2, or even 1, to find a liveable balance between rejecting excess pollution yet allowing some ambient air in.