It is in the owners manual about direction of air and outside or inside air. Also A/C on and off depending on inside or outside air.

 

If all else fails, just roll down your windows. That's the best air circulation in the world.

 

Hey, MikeX - hope I didn't come off as an a-hole in my earlier posts; it's just that the whole air conditioning/circulation thing is something we can't change or modify. On occasion, I DO make attempts to try and find out the way things work (like my wife's thought process). In fact, I've been reading other threads on how to modify the 3rd brake light on my HHR - I'll tackle that this weekend, as soon as I get the guts to 'yank off' the plastic cover, as some have suggested I do.

Nonetheless, to paraphrase Inigo Montoya: "I do not envy the headache you will have once you figure out your air conditioning issue. Until then, though, sleep well and dream of large women."

 

Yea I was going to read it when I got a chance this evening. It just seemed strange that it would operate that way, I had to run out for something at work and right back, so I was playing with the controls. And I know that these vehicles have had ECU programming issues, so it was reasonable to me that it would possibly be a computer glitch causing it, as I have never seen that type of operation in other vehicles. I suppose its best from now on to not ask too many questions around here, especialy if your anal-retentive, like me (yes I admit that to everybody these days).

Oh I was wondering also about the little. . . Oh never mind.

 

Here's what I'm peeved about (from manual):

(Recirculate Button ): Press this button to prevent outside air and odors from entering your vehicle or to help heat or cool the air inside your vehicle more quickly. An indicator light above the symbol will come on in this mode. The air conditioning compressor also comes on. This mode is not available for floor, defog and defrost modes. When the recirculation button is pressed, the recirculation indicator light will flash five times and outside air will be delivered. Operation in this mode during periods of high humidity and cool outside temperatures may result in increased window fogging. If window fogging is experienced, select the defrost mode.

(A/C Button): Press this button to turn the air conditioning system on or off. When this button is pressed, an indicator light below the symbol will come on to let you know the air conditioning is activated.

Basically, you cannot use recirc without the Air being on. Even though the blue A/C light is not illuminated, the A/C comopressor is still running. Add to that, everytime you start the car it defaults to outside air (hot here in CA), and you find the need to run the A/C always just to cool the car down. Also, if you pull off the freeway to get gas and jump back on, better ounch that "recirc" button or your HHR will be filled with noxious fumes after a mile or so. Recirc is a must out here.

I prefer the option of cooling the car down, then switching the compressor off (*as I can in my other cars), and recirculating the cool and clean air. Once the car heats up, a touch on the A/C button will begin the cooling action again.

End of rant.

(*Hey, maybe we can design a A/C control override with programmable thermostat controls! New mod... )

 

OK peace.

But I think I just figured out why the system won't let you use Recirc with the A/C on and only "feet" direction of air flow. Probably because it would form a tight loop down at the floorboard (cold air is blown out only down there AND is taken right back up down there) so this would prevent freeze-ups?



OK, back to modding.

 

I have not been able to get my recycle to run on either just feet or just face. Perhaps both vents have to be open in order for the air to circulate?

 

It's in the manual and in my post above:

"This mode is not available for floor, defog and defrost modes. When the recirculation button is pressed, the recirculation indicator light will flash five times and outside air will be delivered."

 

Hey Mike. Do you think that you can change things like that when you reprogram the computer.

 

I know but I hadn't read that far when I posted.
Also, your posts explains what it does as opposed to why it does it.
I'm just theorizing on why.