Technical Abarth EVO cabin heater fan wiring fire risk

[dante giacosa]

Hey-you-guys...

not my car, but an Abarth EVO which I know of, has developed a spectacular wiring fault at the cabin-heater-fan load resistor.

Please see attached images; does this happen to all Puntos? What's the best course of action in this instance...? The fan has already lost functionality.

 

[varesecrazy]

Is this Climate system or with a Resistor pack ?

Resistor failure wiĺl burn plugs.. common fault from 2006 on

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Is this Climate system or with a Resistor pack ?

Resistor failure wiĺl burn plugs.. common fault from 2006 on

Looks like the Climate control PWM module.


To be fair here is the issue.

Most people don't replace the cabin filter, once a car is a few years old. The filter really only takes a year to clog, and is extremely fine so will clog and then it is extremely difficult to move air through it.
The more the fan struggles to move air, the more air resistance it meets and the fan ends up working too hard and as a result needs more power.

More power demand means that it overloads the wiring which is designed to function in normal conditions with a clear filter.

The wires get hot as a result of being overloaded. Eventually the car can catch fire, though as you can see in the pictures the plugs and wiring have burnt but not caught fire showing how resistant to catching fire they are.

This can happen on just about any car that it poorly maintained. Many European cars use the systems for their heating designed by companies like Bosch and Denso, therefore these same issues persist in many different brands.

It is not the fault of the car or the designers, it is the fault of the owners chronically failing to maintain the car, and after a number of years of the fan being overloaded the plugs burn/melt to the point they stop working or fly a fire.... then they blame it on the car.


The lesson here is : - Change your Cabin filters !!!!

 

[dante giacosa]

right

thanks for that Andy, and V'crazy also.

I'm fairly certain my pal, who owns the car, knows nothing of cabin filters.

Will that be under the scuttle panel, like on older FIATs & Alfas..?

 

[varesecrazy]

right

thanks for that Andy, and V'crazy also.

I'm fairly certain my pal, who owns the car, knows nothing of cabin filters.

Will that be under the scuttle panel, like on older FIATs & Alfas..?

No

Passenger footwell

Pull off trim at side of gearlever ( diagonal slit)

Panel filter is behind a plastic panel toward fromt of airbox structure

GUIDE on here somewhere... not changed much since 2006 grande punto

 

[dante giacosa]

No

Passenger footwell

Pull off trim at side of gearlever ( diagonal slit)

Panel filter is behind a plastic panel toward fromt of airbox structure

GUIDE on here somewhere... not changed much since 2006 grande punto

Ah- that’s terrific;

Thankyou for your help

 

[chris3234]

Is the green the wire Insulation or bare copper that's heavily oxidised?

 

[dante giacosa]

It’s bare copper that has lost the insulation due to heat, and then oxidised with the available damp in the car
It’s quite astonishing degradation in a working vehicle

I don’t think green is a colour used in the wiring here

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Video I made a while back

 

[dante giacosa]

Video I made a while back

Thanks Andy- that's super ace

and a good edit

 

[s130]

Nice, simple and clear video Andy. Was not the filter that was removed a carbon impregnated/activated one? Looked like one to me as the end(s) which locates against the cover plate and has no air passing it is also black.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that carbon activated filters tend to clog up quicker than non activated ones and can be more prone to damp/moisture absorbtion. Now this will/should not be a problem in a regularly maintained filter but in an old and neglected filter in can be an increased problem.