Hi,

First and foremost I'm new to the forum so hello, to you all.

Now to the matter at hand. I bought a Fiat Ulysee '03 plate 2 weeks ago, when I went to pick it up had a look over the car and was really pleased. Started the 3 hour drive home only to find 2 1/2 hours in that the heaters and air con are not working. I try to switch them on (with what looks like the most confusing heater controls I have ever seen in my life) and there is nothing. The controls are working in the sense that when you push the buttons the relevant light comes on and the display is working but the fans do not come on.

I called the garage I bought it from and they asked me to take it to a local garage, the garage has now informed me that it could be a couple of things; a) the air conditioning pump/compressor b) a resistor that has something to do with the fans. I phoned the garage I bought from and they have asked me to take it to them and they will have a look, but that means a 6 hour drive there and back and then the same to collect the car IF they repair it and I have no guarantee they are not going to hit me with some sort of bill when I try to collect.

I'm looking for any advice I can get really, has anyone had a similar problem or has anyone got anything I can try to diagnose the problem myself as I am quite handy (although no mechanic).

Sorry for the long post but I don't do shorthand

Cheers,
Tom

If the AC compressor is at fault, then it should still work on heat, or if in the ECO mode. Have you checked the fuses, and is the blower an plugged in?

Try checking the voltage at the blower fan. Try hooking it straight into the battery, and see if the fan spins. Not sure on the fan voltage, so only do this for a short time to check if the fan works.

There is a ballast resistor/resistor pack that controls the fan speed.

On models with climate control, this is electronically controlled, rather than by moving the control across a track. This could be faulty.

If you suspect the AC compressor, then check the ac clutch is working, you should either hear it click, or see it move. This is on the belt pulley end of the compressor. If this isn't engaging, then is there any gas in the system? If the level is low, then the low pressure switch will stop the compressor from engaging. you can jump the terminals of the LPS breifly to bypass it, thus making the compressor engage. Only do this for short period, as if the gas is low, then the compressor oil level is also low. If the gas pressure is too high, then the High pressure switch will stop the compressor from engaging.

From what you are saying then there is no problem with the cooling system of the car, or it wouldn't made the 3 hr journey without overheating. So I would suggest that the issue lies with the HVAC side of the system, rather with the cooling system.

Cipher, thanks for getting back to me.

There is no heat or cold air, the blowers just don't come on.

I have managed to get to the main blower which is behind the glovebox, I can't seem to find the fixing bolts to remove it but there is a large connecter going into this fan with red and black wires. I removed the connector and tested for a current. It seems as though this is a constant supply when the ignition is running (regardless of whether the heaters are on or not). There is another small connector that I can see connecting to the blower, I checked this for a current and there is nothing even when I adjust my controls, but I'm not sure if this is just a sensor or something as it is a very small connector.

I'm trying to remove the fan at the moment but cannot find any fixings for it, I found one but it hasn't budged, anybody removed the fan before?

There are a few maxi fuses in the fuse box under the bonnet and I know that these control the fan speeds, but I cannot get access to them no matter how hard I try, this is why I moved to the fan.

The resistor pack that you spoke about do you know where it is on this model and is there anyway I can test it?

Do you know where the control unit is and is there anyway to test it?

I think the AC Compressor is ok because when I press the snowflake button I can hear a click as if something is engaging or a relay or something.

The cooling system is fine, it never overheats, it's just the heaters, etc.

I dont have my autodata at the moment, so cant be sure what the connectors/voltages should be. the click is the ac compressor clutch.

Thanks, again for your help Cipher. :worship:

OK, I have had a real day of it today, I managed to get the motor out and I put a supply to it from the battery and it was running so the motor is fine. The small connector that I thought may be a sensor needs a current as well as the constant current when the ignition is on through the large block connector. There is no supply from the small connector which I assume is connected to the control unit but I cannot trace this back.

I then went to check the maxi fuses situated in the fuse box under the bonnet which was a nightmare getting to, these were all fine.

My hunch is that the problem is with the electronic control unit but it could be any of the other things you listed above. :idea:

Do you know where the control unit is? Would it be the LCD screen with the buttons? Does anyone know a price on these units?

I looked for hours on the internet to find out how to get access to the maxi fuses, here is how I got to them in case anyone stumbles across this looking for the answers i needed. You need to undo the 10mm nut that holds the main battery leads together in the fusebox, move these and all the connectors out of your way and it exposes a small hexagonal screw at the top and another small screw at the bottom left. You can then remove the fuse box from the outer casing.

Cheers,

Tom.

Without autodata access, locating the control units is difficult, general repairs on any make is my thing, but for more in depth details, its Vauxhall for me. I use autodata for the more detailed stuff, including the wiring diagrams. The PC that autodata is on is very out of action at the mo, so cant help more.

It would sound as if there is a control unit issue. the climate panel normally doesn't do much controling, more just tells the driver what the system is doing. There is usually a main control unit. Maybe behind the dash, it may be in the footwell.

You can get the climate ecu tested, but you would need to remove the unit first. Try calling ecu testing in Eastwood, Nottingham. They could test the unit for you, and maybe able to tell you where it is located.

That's OK mate, thanks for everything anyway, sometimes it's nice to have someone on your side.

I think I'll try and trace the wires back to the control unit, but with the amount of wires on this thing that could be a bit of a mission. :doh:

Cheers,
Tom.

I read somewhere that the MK1 Ulysse EL (With Climate) had just under 1.5miles of cable if laid end to end...

Dread to think what some of the newer ones have....

cipher said:

I read somewhere that the MK1 Ulysse EL (With Climate) had just under 1.5miles of cable if laid end to end...

Click to expand...

Are you sure that wasn't The Dagenham Girl Pipers?

Just got back into autodata (Whoo-Hoo!).

The AC Control module is behind the function control panel on the Mk2 Ulysse.

There are also three fuses for the blower motors; F8(20A), F12(10A) and F18(40A).

F8 & F18 are in the engine bay, and F12 is the internal/fascia fuse box.

Hope this helps

Cipher,

That's great. I checked the fuses in the engine bay and they were all OK, I'm not sure about fuse 12 though. I will have a look. I have taken the car to a autoelec today to run a diagnostic. He ran one yesterday at the house and said that he's 90% sure its the control panel (I'm not sure if this is the control unit??), and he look further into it and should be able to give a definite answer of what the problem is today, so fingers crossed. I imagine that replacing the control panel/unit is just a case of plugging in the correct wires, so I'll do this myself.

So touch wood, I might be able to get this sorted relatively soon, no doubt with a huge cost from Fiat's parts department.

Cheers,
Tom.

The control module and the control panel are seperate on the Mk2 "Eurobus".

The panel and the module are (as far as I know) just a case of unplugging, and replugging. There is no information regarding recoding the units, so it should be a simple case of one out one in....

The autoelec guy got back to me yesterday turns out my hunch was wrong. He has said it's the resistor inside the blower that is faulty. Apparently the whole motor needs to be replaced to solve this. With it all being stripped I am just going to let him fit the new blower and hopefully it should all be sorted on Monday, I'm just waiting for the part.

Seems to have worked out well, because the garage that we bought the car from, I have been in touch with them from the beginning and he is going to send a cheque for a portion if not all of the bill, which is really good of them because I was kind of expecting them to just wipe their hands of the problem.

I will post probably Monday with hopefully a fully functional heating system *Yippee*

Hi,

I've a 52 2.2 Eleganza and have has this problem twice. Both times it was the fan motor that needed replacing causing no heat, a/c or fans to work at all.

Luckily the first time the car was under warranty and the part was under warranty the 2nd time, (with one week to go). It would have been rather expensive otherwise.

Does this seem to be a common fault with them then?

Any others aware of this issue? Wat replacement rate information can the dealers supply....

Hi,

Still no heaters . The 2nd hand part we ordered was deliverd in smashed to pieces. I'm taking the part to our Fiat dealer today, to make sure I get the right one. Really can't wait to get this back now it's been ages! I'm kind of glad I'm getting a new part in a way, because by the sounds of it this is a common fault, so at least I'll have a warranty on the blower. Anyway just a quick update really.

Cheers,
Tom.

It never rains but it pours....

Hi,
After many days and stripping the dashboard and checking all wiring and fuses etc i thought i must tell all of you with heater problems how mine has been remedied.

I had all the usual symptoms ie display showing all was fine etc.

The remedy! In the engine fusebox is a relay clipped to the side of the casing on its own (it was blue in mine). this is a standard 4 pin relay, and suprise suprise, it is the relay for the live alternator feed for the heater blower motor! it had melted on one of the contacts due to the connectors on the plug being loose. tightened connectors in block and fitted new relay (£5) and everything works fine and has for the last 3 months.

2 colleagues at work with the same vehicle (taxis) have had the same problems and fixed with new relay and connectors.

hope this of use to you and any others who have heater problems as even the local fiat dealer was not aware of this relay! suprise!!!!

Must have a look at mine.

Hi, It's all done and fully functioning! After a nightmare with the Fiat parts department, took the part to them and they still sent the wrong part 3 times! Anyway thanks for everyones help, I finally have heat, just in time as well if this morning is anything to go by. Only thing left is to work out if the heater control should be backlit, but I need a break from this for a bit.

Cheers,
Tom.