Hi all

I have read all the posts the search button gave me but I need a couple of questions answering.

Firstly my 56 plate 1.4 active sport heater fan stopped working today. I have read everything on here and have found the fault. The fault is the 5 cable connector near the fan motor (B in the attached picture) shows signs of burn out.

I have a couple of questions. The cable in the block second from right as we look at it is higher/raised out of the connector block and you can see signs of burning around it, can I replace that part i.e the wiring and block? If so what is the part and is it easy to replace?

Secondly the thing arrow B points to the white large structure what is that as I am thinking about bypassing the wiring if its possible or will simply replacing the wiring that is worn cure it for a good while? i am thinking if the connector is burnt will the other part in the white structure also be burnt (I cannot see the connector inside the white part)

I gave the block a wiggle and the fan heater is now fully working on all settings again, I removed it several times and its fine for now.

the plug that has your B mark goes to the Resistor pack which goes back to the heater controls


The best fix would probably be to go visit an auto electrician they should have the connectors to re make the block or wire them securely individually to the resistor pack. If you try and bypass it you will only have one fan speed..IE full speed (4)

Bit if its one of the terminals is raised out of the block it might push back in depending on the level of heat damage it sounds like its come adrift from the plug and has been making a poor connection and got rather "warm" and it MIGHT push back in to the plug and make a decent contact

Just make absolutely sure that once re connected it is not getting warm in any of the heat settings as the last thing you want is a car fire...

Andy, thanks for the reply, I have had another look tonight after the fan ran fine all day today. I have taken some actual photos of my car today rather than use someone elses.

I will not be bypassing the connector block, I have had a good look and wiggle and although it shows signs of over heating I think its now stable. have a look and let me know your thoughts.

I ran the motor a while and checked the temperature of the wiring and it was not over heating it was fine. I am thinking of keeping my eye on it and see if the fan stops again, if it does I will buy the heater wiring loom I have now sourced and swap it but if it does not play up I will leave it as it is.

Resurrecting my old post, the problem was never fixed, I need to get this repaired. I see the looms are £48 for a new one on Ebay, I wonder is the loom an easy fit or should I just solder in a replacement connector from a new loom?

Obviously fitting the new loom is the best option but only if you dont need to take lots of dash out.

Does anyone know how easy it is to replace the heater wiring loom? Failing help here I may find a local auto electrician and follow earlier advice.

from what i have seen on here in the past there is a modified loom

see here:

looks like a begger of a job

https://www.fiatforum.com/grande-punto/313043-blower-motor.html?p=3125372

Cheers Andy Monty, I thought it would be a pain of a job to do the loom swap. I am going to find a local auto electrician to see if he can replace just the connector rather than the whole loom. If I could find just the connector I would do it myself, its easy access and I have the tools to do the job...

Well I have decided to do the job myself, looking at the whole thread posted above and after contacting 5 scrap yards, all say its one of the first parts to get sold I am going to do the connectors indiviually, I have all the parts and the ratchet crimper. There is plenty of room to do the repair and it cannot be any worse than taking the dash out to do this repair.

I will report back on how easy it was and if it worked well, taking Andy Montys advise thats my preferred repair all costs considered.

Sorted. :slayer:

FYI (you may already know this) the Vauxhall Corsa D (latest one I think) has the same issue as the GP and has the same connector and resistor as well.

Fiat being Fiat, you can only buy the whole heater loom for around £50, more from a dealer. Vauxhall do a wiring harness repair kit. For sale on Ebay for £30, it fits fine and does the trick (see picture below). Trying to source a secondhand one is hard, over 10 scrap yards confirm these parts sell immediately, you are lucky to find one if you do.

If you are lucky the resistor is fine, mine was so replacing the connector with a proper new one should fingers crossed give me a good long term repair.

lol made in Italy. Goddamn electrics. Got me paranoid now as I had a slight burning smell the other day (heaters still work; at least for now).

Cinqster355 said:

Sorted. :slayer:

FYI (you may already know this) the Vauxhall Corsa D (latest one I think) has the same issue as the GP and has the same connector and resistor as well.

Fiat being Fiat, you can only buy the whole heater loom for around £50, more from a dealer. Vauxhall do a wiring harness repair kit. For sale on Ebay for £30, it fits fine and does the trick (see picture below). Trying to source a secondhand one is hard, over 10 scrap yards confirm these parts sell immediately, you are lucky to find one if you do.

If you are lucky the resistor is fine, mine was so replacing the connector with a proper new one should fingers crossed give me a good long term repair.

Click to expand...

thats great news... im stealing your picture for the FAQ :devil:

Andy Monty said:

thats great news... im stealing your picture for the FAQ :devil:

Click to expand...

Glad to help anyone wanting it, you and this forum have always helped me with my Fiat related issues. Having owned most the range at some point I come here alot!

Cinqster355 said:

Sorted. :slayer:

FYI (you may already know this) the Vauxhall Corsa D (latest one I think) has the same issue as the GP and has the same connector and resistor as well.

Fiat being Fiat, you can only buy the whole heater loom for around £50, more from a dealer. Vauxhall do a wiring harness repair kit. For sale on Ebay for £30, it fits fine and does the trick (see picture below). Trying to source a secondhand one is hard, over 10 scrap yards confirm these parts sell immediately, you are lucky to find one if you do.

If you are lucky the resistor is fine, mine was so replacing the connector with a proper new one should fingers crossed give me a good long term repair.

Click to expand...

£30 is still a bit expensive though, however the Fiat loom is modified so it won't happen again, it only has 4 wires.

I have the same problem. A quick push and pull of the wires with a bit of electric tape to keep it on position fixes it for a few weeks lol, I'm so cheap. Anyhow. This new thing you bought, is it just a case of snipping the appropriate wires and connecting them to the new ones and plug it back in?

Matthewr1990 said:

I have the same problem. A quick push and pull of the wires with a bit of electric tape to keep it on position fixes it for a few weeks lol, I'm so cheap. Anyhow. This new thing you bought, is it just a case of snipping the appropriate wires and connecting them to the new ones and plug it back in?

Click to expand...

Basically yes, disconnect the battery, disconnect the connector from the resistor, test fit the replacement connector (before you do any snipping) to make sure it actually fits the resistor connector and that your resistor is not damaged as well, if all is good, snip as little back of the melted wiring as you can get away with on the actual car (back to good cable), crimp some connectors on or solder (I opted for the crimps using a decent ratchet crimping tool) and then reconnect. Ensure you put the exact wire in the new connector to the correct wire on the car, its very easy to do, they are colour coded so its hard to get it wrong. Reconnect your battery and check the car, run it up and check the cables are not getting hot (if you did it wrong then they would get hot immediatly) and the fan works on all settings.

Dont try it on you car just yet, I will take some photos of the steps to take when I can and post up to make it easier to understand (will be next week though). If you are not comfortable with this repair do not attempt it yourself, an auto electrician will do it.

T pointed out the £30 connector is still not cheap (I agree, I'd prefer to pay £5, all the scrap yards were quoting me £10 for a used one if they had them...), its cheaper than £50 plus, I still think the best repair is the complete wiring change to the new 4 pin style but that means dash out and I am not prepared to do or pay for that. That does guarantee a permanent fix unless the 4 pin style has the same fault...

Lets see how this fix goes and if it does not reoccur, job done, if it does then I live with it till the car goes late next year any how. If it did reoccur at least now you have a fast fix for half the cost and a fraction of the time/effort to replace the full heater loom. :slayer:

I'm blaming vauxhaul for this design lol. Mine seem OK after the initial burning smell, Would anything on this loom effect the led's behind the heater controls? Just I noticed that sometimes the light goes out behind the rear demister and the temperature dial. yet other times it's fully lit...

Cinqster355 said:

I still think the best repair is the complete wiring change to the new 4 pin style but that means dash out and I am not prepared to do or pay for that.

Click to expand...

to fit the heater loom you mean? Nah it's a one hour job, I have done (easily 45-50) and never taken dash out. The only time it's probably best to remove dash is on LED display climate control models as you need to get to solar sensor and upper flap motor.

ChrisUK said:

I'm blaming vauxhaul for this design lol. Mine seem OK after the initial burning smell, Would anything on this loom effect the led's behind the heater controls? Just I noticed that sometimes the light goes out behind the rear demister and the temperature dial. yet other times it's fully lit...

Click to expand...

they are not led's chris they are bog standard push fit bulbs... type 286 12v 2.3w

see here might as well replace them both whilst your in there


https://www.fiatforum.com/grande-punto-guides/294064-replacing-bulbs-heater-controls.html

Andy Monty said:

they are not led's chris they are bog standard push fit bulbs... type 286 12v 2.3w

see here might as well replace them both whilst your in there


https://www.fiatforum.com/grande-punto-guides/294064-replacing-bulbs-heater-controls.html

Click to expand...

I'm fairly sure they are 1.2w not 2.3w aren't they?

Also, that guide suggests you remove the stereo. There is no need to remove the stereo, you can remove a small trim panel from the footwell and get your hand up in from behind.

jameshobiecat said:

I'm fairly sure they are 1.2w not 2.3w aren't they?

Also, that guide suggests you remove the stereo. There is no need to remove the stereo, you can remove a small trim panel from the footwell and get your hand up in from behind.

Click to expand...

My mistake :bang: best go edit my high level brake light guide

Matthewr1990 said:

I have the same problem. A quick push and pull of the wires with a bit of electric tape to keep it on position fixes it for a few weeks lol, I'm so cheap. Anyhow. This new thing you bought, is it just a case of snipping the appropriate wires and connecting them to the new ones and plug it back in?

Click to expand...

As promised, see the attached photos, they show it better. They show the new and old connector, cut down, burnt connector in comparison to the new one, new connector fitted, end result, it works a treat.