Climate Control Blinks then Dies
#1
08-17-2012, 11:26 AM
Climate Control Blinks then Dies
I have a 1999 Accord EX with manual climate control. A couple of months ago my climate control panel began to have issues.
At random all of the lights on the panel would go out and my AC would stop blowing cold air, although the blower was unaffected and still worked fine. After a random amount of time, ranging from a few minutes to a couple of hours, the lights on the climate control panel would come back on and the AC would kick back in.
Nothing else seemed to be affected other than the climate control panel.
I've searched the forums and there are several posts with the same issue, but if they were able to fix the issue they did not post the solution.
Several posters have pointed to the climate control unit as the likely culprit, with one suggesting that a faulty ignition switch may be to blame.
ATTEMPTED FIXES: I've cleaned the plug and connector on the climate control panel with contact cleaner. I've checked and cleaned the ground cable connector on the battery. I've checked the ground on the fuse/relay box which was good.
Nothing that I did made any difference and after a couple more weeks the panel no longer lights at all, but the blower works fine.
I'm ready to start replacing parts and my question is this:
Is the climate control panel the same thing as what people are calling the climate control unit, or is there another unit deeper in the dash that I just can't see?
At random all of the lights on the panel would go out and my AC would stop blowing cold air, although the blower was unaffected and still worked fine. After a random amount of time, ranging from a few minutes to a couple of hours, the lights on the climate control panel would come back on and the AC would kick back in.
Nothing else seemed to be affected other than the climate control panel.
I've searched the forums and there are several posts with the same issue, but if they were able to fix the issue they did not post the solution.
Several posters have pointed to the climate control unit as the likely culprit, with one suggesting that a faulty ignition switch may be to blame.
ATTEMPTED FIXES: I've cleaned the plug and connector on the climate control panel with contact cleaner. I've checked and cleaned the ground cable connector on the battery. I've checked the ground on the fuse/relay box which was good.
Nothing that I did made any difference and after a couple more weeks the panel no longer lights at all, but the blower works fine.
I'm ready to start replacing parts and my question is this:
Is the climate control panel the same thing as what people are calling the climate control unit, or is there another unit deeper in the dash that I just can't see?
#2
08-17-2012, 12:21 PM
No they mean same part. You need a shop manual to guide this job. Check links in Online Manuals post in DIY forum, or buy from automanualsource.com for $21.99.
I seem to recollect that some removed and repaired the circuit board, but may be mixing w/ gauge panel.
You should be able to find a used part on ebay or car-part.com.
good luck
I seem to recollect that some removed and repaired the circuit board, but may be mixing w/ gauge panel.
You should be able to find a used part on ebay or car-part.com.
good luck
#4
09-01-2012, 03:22 PM
I was able to find a post in another forum that detailed a repair procedure.
By jumping a wire from the positive leg of a capacitor to the voltage regulator I was able to fix the board, as were many others. Corrosion seems to be the culprit most of the time, and although none was visible on my board, there was definitely no voltage on the supply leg of my voltage regulator.
By soldering the jumper from the positive leg of C1 to the supply leg of the voltage regulator I was able to re-establish battery voltage to the regulator. My AC is once again working fine, although it's only been a couple of days since my repair.
Again, this was not my fix, but I'd like to share it with the forum, if that's okay.
Can I link to another forum (where the post and procedure are) or should I reproduce the other post here (with proper credit to the OP of course)?
By jumping a wire from the positive leg of a capacitor to the voltage regulator I was able to fix the board, as were many others. Corrosion seems to be the culprit most of the time, and although none was visible on my board, there was definitely no voltage on the supply leg of my voltage regulator.
By soldering the jumper from the positive leg of C1 to the supply leg of the voltage regulator I was able to re-establish battery voltage to the regulator. My AC is once again working fine, although it's only been a couple of days since my repair.
Again, this was not my fix, but I'd like to share it with the forum, if that's okay.
Can I link to another forum (where the post and procedure are) or should I reproduce the other post here (with proper credit to the OP of course)?
#7
09-02-2012, 07:02 PM
Cool, it was a big help to me, glad I can pass it on.
Here's the link to the post, and although the post doesn't mention it BE SURE to cut a path through the black backing plate for the new wire to seat into. Once you have the plate off you'll see what I mean.
Also keep the exposed part of the wire that you will be soldering on as short as possible to avoid shorting out any of the surface mount components.
I have an electronics background, but it should be a simple repair provided that you pay close attention to the photos of the circuit board and attach to the right components.
The repair post is the 13th post down in the thread btw.
Here's the link to the post, and although the post doesn't mention it BE SURE to cut a path through the black backing plate for the new wire to seat into. Once you have the plate off you'll see what I mean.
Also keep the exposed part of the wire that you will be soldering on as short as possible to avoid shorting out any of the surface mount components.
I have an electronics background, but it should be a simple repair provided that you pay close attention to the photos of the circuit board and attach to the right components.
The repair post is the 13th post down in the thread btw.
Last edited by Non Quixote; 09-02-2012 at 07:04 PM. Reason: Additional info
#8
03-18-2013, 04:19 PM
I had the same issues with my 99 Accord. The jumper wire fix worked for me. Thank you for posting.
#9
03-25-2013, 11:39 PM
By the way, it's been several months now and my repaired climate control unit is still working fine.
#10
09-20-2013, 03:24 AM
Cool, it was a big help to me, glad I can pass it on.
Here's the link to the post, and although the post doesn't mention it BE SURE to cut a path through the black backing plate for the new wire to seat into. Once you have the plate off you'll see what I mean.
Also keep the exposed part of the wire that you will be soldering on as short as possible to avoid shorting out any of the surface mount components.
I have an electronics background, but it should be a simple repair provided that you pay close attention to the photos of the circuit board and attach to the right components.
The repair post is the 13th post down in the thread btw.
Here's the link to the post, and although the post doesn't mention it BE SURE to cut a path through the black backing plate for the new wire to seat into. Once you have the plate off you'll see what I mean.
Also keep the exposed part of the wire that you will be soldering on as short as possible to avoid shorting out any of the surface mount components.
I have an electronics background, but it should be a simple repair provided that you pay close attention to the photos of the circuit board and attach to the right components.
The repair post is the 13th post down in the thread btw.
P.s. any suggestions in this procedure would greatly be appreciated!