Re-Circulate (How to Reprogram?)

I have a 2003 Town and Country (Caravan), and I am tired of having to press
the recirculate button every time we restart the van. I live in Los Angeles,
and there is NEVER a time when I want the outside air (SMOG) inside our van.
If I do I will deselect it. I disassembled the heater control and it looks
like computers have taken over! Does anybody know how to reprogram this
function to stay on?

Richard

 

Think very carefully about it for a moment: The outside air (smog) is
already inside your van. All you do by hitting Recirc is allow the
already-dirty air inside your van to become progressively more and more
stale. There is no scrubber system, no means by which for the dirty air
where you live to get any cleaner by dint of staying in your van. Recirc
is off by default for a very good reason: Fresh dirty air is better than
stale dirty air. If you don't like it, move out of LA.

 

It is setup to reduce the chance that windows will fog up.
When you run in recirc too long under certian conditions the windshield can
fog up and make driving impossible.
So the automakers engineers (me) programmed it to not allow you to do this.

 

It's in the owners manual.

KS

 

but the van comes with a hepa filter mounted in the h.v.a.c. housing

 

i can hear sam man patting self on bac!!!! did you happen to work on the a/c
lines on the new durango??? can they be gotten to with out pulling the motor???
frickin engineers you guys should be required to spend 1 year working flat rate
at the dealer wrenching on them before any of ya can be hired for engineering

 

A HEPA filter does one thing and one thing only: It removes
*particulates*. Dust and large smoke particles. It does not purify the
air, turn smoggy air into clean air, or turn stale air into fresh air.

DS

 

I spent ten years (at flat rate) at the dealer wrenching before finishing
school and going to work as an engineer, that was over eighteen years ago.
It was the best experience I could have had for my job. I agree with your
assesment, all engineers should go thru a dealer for a few months....

Unfortunately, trade offs have to be made. Although I wasn't involved with
Durango I suspect that cost, and packaging played the primary role in how
the lines ended up...

 

It is not a HEPA filter.... It is a simple particulate filter with an
activated charcoal layer, and it is optional on minivans so not all have
it!...

 

but isn't cali air particulates now????

 

ok now i,m patting you on the bac

 

Kevin are you sure? I don't believe it in there (The manual). All I see

is that you push it to turn it on, and that it resets is self when the

ignition is turned off. Maybe you are talking about a TECH manual, and if

so, how about sharing this knowledge with me. And Daniel, I prefer the

filtered (recirculated) air over fresh smelly (Diesel) air.

Rich