I just noticed today that the area near the gas pedal gets pretty warm. While I was driving, I felt my right foot getting warmer and warmer. The plastic panel that usually goes there isn't there. I took it off a long time ago to make access to the ECU easier. I noticed there's a plastic tube/vent near there. Maybe the warm air is coming from there? First I thought I left the heat on, but that wasn't the case. I didn't notice this warm air coming from there before. Ideas? Is it normal?

 

if you have auto climate control, yes its totally normal.

dont worry about, if you want to stop it from coming out, hit the recirculate button on the climate control

 

Uh..yeah. How else do you think the heat gets to the footwell?

 

The heat wasn't on. The whole system was off.

 

Doesn't matter if the heat is on or off. By default some air will come through the HVAC system even when it's off. Move the temp lever twards cold and the air will come out cooler and your foot wount roast.

 

But, if you dont have it set to recirculate, air will still come in.

 

Move it towards cold? I have the auto climate control. When the whole system is off, you can't adjust it.

 

Does this have anything to do with me having the heat on earlier in the morning, but then shut the whole thing off later on(15-20mins later)?

 

If the system is set to heat, and you turn it off (while NOT in recirc mode) some hot air will still come out.

 

I have Auto as well. The air comes out luke warm when the system is off. Try to set it at 70 ( 69 is my fav. ) then turn it off. That might make the system temper the air better.

 

Well I shut it off well before I got to school. After school, I left it off, but still get the warm air until I got home. Weird thing was I only feel the warm air while my feet was still on the gas. If I left off and not press the gas for few seconds, I couldn't feel the warm air. After I press back on the gas, the warm air comes back. Odd huh?

 

very

 

That's why I'm confused. If it blows warm air out constantly, then I know for sure what it is. However, I only feel the warm air when I'm driving for an extended period of time with my foot on the gas. If I let off for awhile, the warm air goes away. When I got home, I started up the car again, leave it running in Park. I felt underneath there and couldn't feel any air coming out at all. Even when I pressed on the gas a couple of time, there was no air. Maybe I have to keep pressing on the gas for an extended period(like driving to and from school)for it to have an effect.

 

driveline gets warm after running the car for a while; hence the air coming through the vents when your climate control is off will be engine temp, I suspect. Just a guess. This is why I like my manual climate control.

 

Wait a sec... I know why sometimes you feel it and sometimes you don't.

The system fan is off, but the path from the air inlet to the HVAC system is open. So you need force to move the air through the system. When your car is standing still or only moving slowly, there isn't enough air pressure in the front cowling to move air through the system. When your doing 60MPH, air is forced down the cowling and through the HVAC system.

Thats why you only feel it when your driving.

 

So all in all, everything is normal right? Guess this is one area I still don't know too much about on my car.

 

Yeappp. You can set your climate control to 65, turn it off, hit the temp up 10 times and turn the sistem back on, it will now read 75.

Also, if you tilt open the sun roof a little, you will get more air flow.

 

Sorry guy didn't mean to be snarky in my earlier post as I didn't understand the issue

Anyway I have the auto climate control & I know by default when you turn it off, it opens the footwell vents. I can actually feel the rush of cold air on my ankles...ugh. With this kinda weather, I wish I had as much heat as you have.

 

You bet. I always set it to 65 (in California) then turn it off. No hot air.

 

This guy here needs to get his head out of the ground to get some air he has no clue what's so ever

 

18 years ago maybe we would have said something to him …