Hi All. I've just bought a 2l SLX. The digital control to turn the heater fan up/down isn't working neither is the hot/cold button. Anyone any ideas on what I need to repair this. 
Technical Digital heater controls don't work
- Thread starter Stuartl
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Technical Digital heater controls don't work
Hmm...
I have a 1.6 SX.i.e.cat, but I don't have an air-condition, neither a clima system...
It seems you are talking about the console that is located above the ashtray.
First of all, you should check if the whole system has gone bad. Is the air-condition working properly? The temperature selector? etc.
If the air-condition is working, and you only have problem in switching from hot to cold, and adjusting the fan speed, then, I am not sure if I can help you in an efficient way. Anyway, here is how you can dismantle the controls for the manual system (no air-condition, no clima):
Once you open the ashtray, you have to carefully notice the 2 black screws that fix the automatic clima system controls to the console. In order to know where they are located, remember the level your finger was when you opened the ashtray. These 2 screws are right there where the ashtray contacts the console when closed (I hope I am writting this the right way, so that you can understand my english...)
Once you remove these screws, try to check if the controls can be removed. In my Tempra, you also have to remove the circular controls by pulling them towards you, and then to unscrew another 2-3 screws that are hidden beneath them. Soon as you do that,the controls can be detatched from the console once you remove the screws, by pulling them from their bottom (from where you removed the screws) towards you, and then lifting them up, being very cautious not to break the hinges on which they are fixed on their top!!!
Also, once you have pulled the controls out only for a few cm (1-2 inches max), you need to remove the clips that fix the 2 small light bulbs that give light to the controls during the night (these lights are activated as soon as you open the car front lights), so as not to cut their wires!!!
PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THE ABOVE PROCEDURE, SINCE IT IS REFERED TO THE REMOVAL OF THE MANUAL HEATER CONTROLS, NOT THE DIGITAL ONES!!!
Just try to check out whether any of these control button caps can be removed separately, hiding beneath it extra screws that fix the controls to the console. Once you check that out, try to remove the controls from the console in a similar way as described above. Do not use excessive force, it is not required. Doing so may cause damage.
Usually, digital panels are connected with special wire "plugs", that need attention on removal. Once you manage to remove the controls, it is very likely that you will have to dismantle them, so as to fix the broken control switches.
I hope this will be of some assistance to you. Good luck !!!
I have a 1.6 SX.i.e.cat, but I don't have an air-condition, neither a clima system...
It seems you are talking about the console that is located above the ashtray.
First of all, you should check if the whole system has gone bad. Is the air-condition working properly? The temperature selector? etc.
If the air-condition is working, and you only have problem in switching from hot to cold, and adjusting the fan speed, then, I am not sure if I can help you in an efficient way. Anyway, here is how you can dismantle the controls for the manual system (no air-condition, no clima):
Once you open the ashtray, you have to carefully notice the 2 black screws that fix the automatic clima system controls to the console. In order to know where they are located, remember the level your finger was when you opened the ashtray. These 2 screws are right there where the ashtray contacts the console when closed (I hope I am writting this the right way, so that you can understand my english...)
Once you remove these screws, try to check if the controls can be removed. In my Tempra, you also have to remove the circular controls by pulling them towards you, and then to unscrew another 2-3 screws that are hidden beneath them. Soon as you do that,the controls can be detatched from the console once you remove the screws, by pulling them from their bottom (from where you removed the screws) towards you, and then lifting them up, being very cautious not to break the hinges on which they are fixed on their top!!!
Also, once you have pulled the controls out only for a few cm (1-2 inches max), you need to remove the clips that fix the 2 small light bulbs that give light to the controls during the night (these lights are activated as soon as you open the car front lights), so as not to cut their wires!!!
PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THE ABOVE PROCEDURE, SINCE IT IS REFERED TO THE REMOVAL OF THE MANUAL HEATER CONTROLS, NOT THE DIGITAL ONES!!!
Just try to check out whether any of these control button caps can be removed separately, hiding beneath it extra screws that fix the controls to the console. Once you check that out, try to remove the controls from the console in a similar way as described above. Do not use excessive force, it is not required. Doing so may cause damage.
Usually, digital panels are connected with special wire "plugs", that need attention on removal. Once you manage to remove the controls, it is very likely that you will have to dismantle them, so as to fix the broken control switches.
I hope this will be of some assistance to you. Good luck !!!
I had some problems with this electronic (clima...) air condicion with my tempra 1.6. My problem was that i didi not have air flow after some time of turning on the air condition either on heat or cool. The problem was an air flow control sensor in front of the seat of co driver. I hope this will help you
OP
OP
denkab said:
Thanks. When this happened to you did the blower fan still work?
I don't have anything working. The lights are all on but the temp panel is reading E1.
Am I right in thinking that the climate control system on these cars is not a full blown aircon system. I would have thought the heating should still work regardless of aircon not working. Thinking this through it does point towards the flow sensor. Is the sensor easy to get at. ?
OP
OP
Tempra1.6 said:
Thank you very in depth.
I do hope I don't have to go this far but at least I'll know what to do if it comes to that.
Hi Stuart,
As far as I know the symptom you are describing (lights on. temperature LCD showing E1, air control not responding, but air distribution controls do react) are caused by loss of communication with (or a faulty) outside air temperature sensor. This sensor is mounted at the bottom of the left side mirror on left hand drive cars.
I know for sure that if you take the control unit out of the car and power it up on your work bench with nothing connected to it except a 12 Volt power supply (to the right pins!) it behaves exactly as you describe.
So, 99.99% nothing is wrong with the control unit, it just lost communication with the outside world.
I would check the sensor, and also the three connectors at the back of the unit for bad connections.
Taking the unit out of the dashboard in order to reach the connectors on its back is extremely easy - you just unscrew the three small screws at the bottom of the unit, and tilt it upwards and pull it out. The top of the unit snaps into three slots in the dashboard, they are quite sturdy but be gentle anyway. The scary disassembly description you saw in one of the previous replies is for the manual control unit.
I know all of this since I just had to replace one of the integrated circuits in my control unit, so I spent some time working on it on my work bench.
By the way, since I just bought my car I do not know how the unit should behave when the car is started (i.e. if it remembers its previous settings or not etc.) so I posted a question on the Tipo forum titled "Air Conditioning (climate system) controls" (http://fiatforum.com/showthread.php?t=22988).
I would be very grateful if you can take a look at my question and see if you can answer it.
Benjamin
As far as I know the symptom you are describing (lights on. temperature LCD showing E1, air control not responding, but air distribution controls do react) are caused by loss of communication with (or a faulty) outside air temperature sensor. This sensor is mounted at the bottom of the left side mirror on left hand drive cars.
I know for sure that if you take the control unit out of the car and power it up on your work bench with nothing connected to it except a 12 Volt power supply (to the right pins!) it behaves exactly as you describe.
So, 99.99% nothing is wrong with the control unit, it just lost communication with the outside world.
I would check the sensor, and also the three connectors at the back of the unit for bad connections.
Taking the unit out of the dashboard in order to reach the connectors on its back is extremely easy - you just unscrew the three small screws at the bottom of the unit, and tilt it upwards and pull it out. The top of the unit snaps into three slots in the dashboard, they are quite sturdy but be gentle anyway. The scary disassembly description you saw in one of the previous replies is for the manual control unit.
I know all of this since I just had to replace one of the integrated circuits in my control unit, so I spent some time working on it on my work bench.
By the way, since I just bought my car I do not know how the unit should behave when the car is started (i.e. if it remembers its previous settings or not etc.) so I posted a question on the Tipo forum titled "Air Conditioning (climate system) controls" (http://fiatforum.com/showthread.php?t=22988).
I would be very grateful if you can take a look at my question and see if you can answer it.
Benjamin
OP
OP
Ta Ben.
The cars been off the road now since just before Xmas so I'm hoping to get stuck into it in the next couple of weeks.
What you have told me makes a lot of sense. I'm not the best with electrics but I'll go through all the connections first then move on from there. If I get anywere I will let you know and will post it in the hope it will help others.
Now I'm away to check your post in the Tipo section to see if I can return the favour.
Stu
The cars been off the road now since just before Xmas so I'm hoping to get stuck into it in the next couple of weeks.
What you have told me makes a lot of sense. I'm not the best with electrics but I'll go through all the connections first then move on from there. If I get anywere I will let you know and will post it in the hope it will help others.
Now I'm away to check your post in the Tipo section to see if I can return the favour.
Stu
OP
OP
I have managed "more by default" to get my climate control working again.
Passengers side front footwell, up under the dash is the fan for the heater. If you look just behind the fan (just on the right of it but slightly obscured) at the bulkhead you will see a black plastic box thingy. There is a square cut out in the black box and you can see that there is a red plug with wires coming from it. All I did was wiggle these wires and everything started working. It seems the red plug is at fault, bad earth or bad connection. I tried to remove the black box bit housing the red plug as it looks like it's a cover but it was not for shifting and as things started working I didn't want to push my luck.
The temp panel had been reading E1 and while I was playing with the plug it started reading E2 then the temp came up and all the controls started.
Heating system is spot on now.
Hope this can be of help to others. My car is a 94 2l petrol
Passengers side front footwell, up under the dash is the fan for the heater. If you look just behind the fan (just on the right of it but slightly obscured) at the bulkhead you will see a black plastic box thingy. There is a square cut out in the black box and you can see that there is a red plug with wires coming from it. All I did was wiggle these wires and everything started working. It seems the red plug is at fault, bad earth or bad connection. I tried to remove the black box bit housing the red plug as it looks like it's a cover but it was not for shifting and as things started working I didn't want to push my luck.
The temp panel had been reading E1 and while I was playing with the plug it started reading E2 then the temp came up and all the controls started.
Heating system is spot on now.
Hope this can be of help to others. My car is a 94 2l petrol
Hallo Ben, I see you know much about the Tempra. Could you give an idea how to repair the clima control of a 1.8 litter Liberty with digital dashboard and automatic temp.control, which is working properly, temp. regulation OK, air flow control OK, unless going through some holes on the road, or when crossing a tram line, when due to the bumping the the preset temperature is forgotten by the unit control and it switches to highest or lowest temp.(depending on which is closer to the preset one) At the same time the display is still showing the preset figure - 22'C for example. I am sure that this is caused by a bad connection somewhere, but I could not find it. Today I took out the control pannel, checked all connectors, cleaned them, but in vain. I even do not know where is the outside temp. sensor, it's not at bottom of the left side morror as written in some message above. The mechanics cannot help us, because the clima is working properly when the car is not moving, so they can't find the problem. Or they can't.
Thanks in advance.
If anybody else can help me, please write.
Thanks in advance.
If anybody else can help me, please write.
