Jet engine LOUD fan in hot weather. Really?

[baw]

So we don’t get very many extreme heat days in Chicago (90s and above), but when it is hot (like this weekend), my MS sounds like a jet engine when AC in use. And AC is a must.


I stopped by my local SC, and they said it was “normal”. I have a hard time believing this though. How do people in Arizona or other ‘hot all the time’ places deal with this? What am I missing?


Thanks

 

[P85_DA]

normal for the AC...what your missing is not having ICE engine to cover the noise

 

[jerry33]

The way to keep the A/C compressor quiet is to start at a high temperature setting (not actually on HI though, you have to see the numbers) and then gradually lower the temperature. When it's really hot, a high temperature setting will still blow out cold air. This tactic also increases range. It's worked well for me for over five years in Texas.

 

[ThisIsTrue]

I presume you mean during charging. If you prefer, the batteries could QUIETLY melt down and be destroyed. In the face of that, you have an alternative?

 

[brkaus]

Yes, it is loud. The compressor is variable speed. When it is working super hard (cooling the cabin & the battery) it will be pretty darn loud.

I like the suggestion above, never tried it.

I find it slows down pretty quickly. I typically pre-cool as I start walking to the car and it's ok in 3-4 minutes. Slows down when I get in (usually).

 

[cybergates]

i wished the blower was that powerful. 11 speed on teh fan setting feels like medium on most cars esp in so cal hot summers.

 

[Joe F]

i wished the blower was that powerful. 11 speed on teh fan setting feels like medium on most cars esp in so cal hot summers.

PUP with bio defense mode? Fan speed set to 11 pressurize the cabin, meaning it pulls in outside (hot) air. Slow the fan down and make sure you’re on recirculate mode.

 

[Beardco]

I was at a supercharger last week; down to 26% and charging to 80%. It was probably 60F outside. When I came out of the store 20 minutes later the entire car was humming & vibrating, and the giant cable was hot. I have a 3 week old 100D. This thing was like a live beast.

I just assumed it was normal for the compressor to run all-out trying to cool the batteries during a massive charge.

Just as entertaining was sitting in the car while it updated to 2018.24.1. The display informed me it would take 1 hour and 40 minutes. The update completed in 10 minutes with constant noises, flashes of headlights, instrument cluster, and accessory lights, compressor turning on and off. I'm easily entertained. I was probably the kid who played with the box and not the toy.

 

[xyeahtony]

when ur pushing 100kw+ of power into anything, there is going to be a lot of heat generated. Without that high power A/C, the batteries would die very quickly from heat exposure.

 

[baw]

I presume you mean during charging. If you prefer, the batteries could QUIETLY melt down and be destroyed. In the face of that, you have an alternative?

No. Nothing to do with charging. Just driving the car on a hot summer day.

 

[DrRa]

normal for the AC...what your missing is not having ICE engine to cover the noise

Not really my ms next to my gmc truck is alot louder when it's hot out and both running

 

[David29]

My Model S is parked in a parking space roughly 100-120 feet from the outer wall of my condo building. It was in the mid-90s here today, with strong sun. When I started the HVAC with my phone to pre-cool it before using this afternoon, I could hear it from the hallway inside my building (some windows were open as the hallway is not air conditioned). So yes, it is loud, but when I got into the car 5 minutes later, it was comfortable, so I have no complaints. Today was one of the hottest days we have had since I acquired my Model S, and I was pretty pleased with how it was handling the heat. And no, I was not charging at the same time.
The sound is certainly loud, but it is not an objectionable sound, in my opinion, and the compressor ramps down and gets quieter pretty quickly as the car cools down. Interestingly enough, I can't remember any neighbors or passengers commenting about the sound in the nearly three years I have had the car (admittedly, it is rarely as loud as it was today).

 

[baw]

The way to keep the A/C compressor quiet is to start at a high temperature setting (not actually on HI though, you have to see the numbers) and then gradually lower the temperature. When it's really hot, a high temperature setting will still blow out cold air. This tactic also increases range. It's worked well for me for over five years in Texas.

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried this today and it appears to help.

I still am a little perplexed though that this is considered normal. It’s not a normal sound and it’s very disturbing while driving. The car just feels bogged down. It’s not something I have to deal with often as we rarely get the crazy hot temps here.

 

[.jg.]

How long ago was the cabin air flter replaced and the air conditioning heat exchanger cleaned? I found that it was difficult to cool my car adequately, even at the highest fan speeds. The fan was making a lot of noise but there just wasn't that much air flow. Then I renewed the cabin air filter (bought from Aliexpress) and used an Klima Cleaner foam spray to clean the air conditioning heat exchanger and pipes. The difference was huge: the flow rate was much higher and the car is now cool, with the fan set at 4 or 5. (This is just in time for some unusually hot weather in the UK - currently about 28 - 30 degrees Centigrade = 82 - 86 Fahrenheit).

 

[jerry33]

How long ago was the cabin air flter replaced and the air conditioning heat exchanger cleaned? I found that it was difficult to cool my car adequately, even at the highest fan speeds. The fan was making a lot of noise but there just wasn't that much air flow. Then I renewed the cabin air filter (bought from Aliexpress) and used an Klima Cleaner foam spray to clean the air conditioning heat exchanger and pipes. The difference was huge: the flow rate was much higher and the car is now cool, with the fan set at 4 or 5. (This is just in time for some unusually hot weather in the UK - currently about 28 - 30 degrees Centigrade = 82 - 86 Fahrenheit).

We put our coats on when it's that cold 40 here today.

 

[Evoforce]

Yep, here in AZ, it can just be setting not charging and sound like you are doing throttle up before takeoff. I think it is cool!

 

[outdoors]

I told my son today that sound happens when the flight computers have taken over the countdown and gas closeout is complete. Just before lift off. Love that Falcon 9.

 

[Zeromus-X]

Yep, here in AZ, it can just be setting not charging and sound like you are doing throttle up before takeoff. I think it is cool!

Agreed that it happens all the time here, especially if cabin overheat is turned on. Disagree about it sounding cool though! It's loud enough that I'm worried neighbors near our charging stations are going to start to complain when it happens at night, and people at work pretty consistently let me know that my car is running in the parking lot.

 

[Evoforce]

Agreed that it happens all the time here, especially if cabin overheat is turned on. Disagree about it sounding cool though! It's loud enough that I'm worried neighbors near our charging stations are going to start to complain when it happens at night, and people at work pretty consistently let me know that my car is running in the parking lot.

Pun intended!!!

 

[Naonak]

If you have jet engine noise, as I did at one point, take your vehicle to the service center. They said that one of the fans was out, so the other fan spun up to compensate. You might want to get that checked to be sure everything (louvres, fans) are operating normally. After they fixed it, the car was much, much quiter while charging.