Climate control AC woes...
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 11,608
Likes: 780
From: Eustis ( Area 51 Bat Cave ) Fl
Climate control AC woes...
I really need help with this one,
Since I bought my 86 with digital climate control it's never worked right,
A couple years ago it was the little plastic clip on that arm in front of the glove box,
I had the car at a corvette shop and they said it was the digital part under the radio in the dash,
They wanted top dollar for the part and to change it saying they "thought" it would fix it but if not too bad I was out that $$$,
I told them I could afford for them to learn how to fix vettes out of my wallet and left,
I found the clip broken and fixed it myself and all was well, for a while,
The digital controller will flash the light that it has a stored code however if you press the buttons for it to flash the code it wont,
Right now I have cold AC but no heat, I can set it to heater and 90 but cold air,
I dont hear the little motor running that moves the thing to go from cool to heat,
Sometimes the temp setting will just get stuck on a number.
I have been told that the part under the radio is just the controller but that the thing that does the work it up under the dash over the gas peddle somewhere,
I can't afford shops that wanna learn on my $$$,
So I need some info,
Like how does this system basically work?
Is there anyone in the Orlando area that will only charge me for work they do that fixes my car not wanna charge me to learn on my car,
I can't afford to start changing parts just to see if that fixes it,
Thanks all,
P.
Since I bought my 86 with digital climate control it's never worked right,
A couple years ago it was the little plastic clip on that arm in front of the glove box,
I had the car at a corvette shop and they said it was the digital part under the radio in the dash,
They wanted top dollar for the part and to change it saying they "thought" it would fix it but if not too bad I was out that $$$,
I told them I could afford for them to learn how to fix vettes out of my wallet and left,
I found the clip broken and fixed it myself and all was well, for a while,
The digital controller will flash the light that it has a stored code however if you press the buttons for it to flash the code it wont,
Right now I have cold AC but no heat, I can set it to heater and 90 but cold air,
I dont hear the little motor running that moves the thing to go from cool to heat,
Sometimes the temp setting will just get stuck on a number.
I have been told that the part under the radio is just the controller but that the thing that does the work it up under the dash over the gas peddle somewhere,
I can't afford shops that wanna learn on my $$$,
So I need some info,
Like how does this system basically work?
Is there anyone in the Orlando area that will only charge me for work they do that fixes my car not wanna charge me to learn on my car,
I can't afford to start changing parts just to see if that fixes it,
Thanks all,
P.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 20,297
Likes: 240
From: Summerland B.C. Canada
No expert here, but have you tried the diagnostics from the service manual ??
http://members.shaw.ca/agent86/AC%20Electronic.pdf
http://members.shaw.ca/agent86/AC%20Electronic.pdf
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,783
Likes: 15
From: Northern California
There is a little "black box" just above the gas pedal that controls the electronic climate controls.
1) Just open up the black box (couple of scews) and you'll see a little circuit board with a bunch of rubber hoses attached to it.
2) Look on the back of the circuit board where all the solder tabs are and you'll see near the edge of the circuit board, two solder joints that have broken loose from the connection.
3) Use a solder iron to re-melt the solder back onto the copper post and everything will work fine.
My "89" with electronic climate had no heat when I bought it but, when I learned this here on the forum the heater worked immediately. You might have to remove the driver seat to fit in there better because it's a tight fit.
1) Just open up the black box (couple of scews) and you'll see a little circuit board with a bunch of rubber hoses attached to it.
2) Look on the back of the circuit board where all the solder tabs are and you'll see near the edge of the circuit board, two solder joints that have broken loose from the connection.
3) Use a solder iron to re-melt the solder back onto the copper post and everything will work fine.
My "89" with electronic climate had no heat when I bought it but, when I learned this here on the forum the heater worked immediately. You might have to remove the driver seat to fit in there better because it's a tight fit.
Last edited by GKK; Jan 11, 2006 at 02:41 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 7,839
Likes: 22
From: San Diego, Ca
My guess is you have motor problems - Controller monitors motor position and will set a code - 01 - if it doesn't get the feedback signal. There are 4 charts to test it, but you can check the signal at terminal C12, dark green/white at the dash controls. Should go from 0 to 5 volts as you manually move the motor. If not, and the motor is powered up, the line is open or the motor is bad. If you have the voltage, the dash controller is shot (and yours is if it won't spit out the code; however, that doesn't mean there isn't some other problem).
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 11,608
Likes: 780
From: Eustis ( Area 51 Bat Cave ) Fl
I opened up that PDF diagnostic files and used what it said to get the code up, in the past no one ever told me the corect buttons to on the controller for the code, that diagnostic file was correct,
I went to item number 8 and the readout was "01" and it says on the diagnostic file chart that is "feedback potentiometer open" ( whatever the heck that is ), however, another reply in this thread says a code of "01" is a faulty motor are u speaking of the motor that is in front of the glove box the one I had to replace the clip on last year , that is the motor I don't hear running and should when I run the temp number from cold to hot and back to cold,
That clip was hard enough to change I can imagine that motor is even more fun.
Maybe I am getting somewhere,
Many thanks for all so far,
Cheers,
P.
I went to item number 8 and the readout was "01" and it says on the diagnostic file chart that is "feedback potentiometer open" ( whatever the heck that is ), however, another reply in this thread says a code of "01" is a faulty motor are u speaking of the motor that is in front of the glove box the one I had to replace the clip on last year , that is the motor I don't hear running and should when I run the temp number from cold to hot and back to cold,
That clip was hard enough to change I can imagine that motor is even more fun.
Maybe I am getting somewhere,
Many thanks for all so far,
Cheers,
P.
Racer
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 445
Likes: 0
If it was me, I would open up the hood, and find the heater tap on the rhs near the blower motor and check that the lever moves freely...You just might have a tap that is corroded in the closed posotion, and won't allow hot water into the heater core. This is a very simple and inexpensive check...This is not to say that everything else discussed above is not correct... and probably is, if your tap is moving freely.
