Hi all,

First time posting here.

Incase it doesn’t pop up on my profile, I have a 1996 Accord VTI-S Sedan 4dr Auto 4sp 2.2i (Australian Model).

The AC control module has burnt out. The digital display no longer works at all. I pulled the unit out to see if there was anything I can do which there wasn’t. I’m not very electronically minded, so I wasn’t confident enough to try and do anything with it at all.

I’ve looked around for a replacement unit, but these days seems like I’m looking for a needle in a haystack.

I was wondering if anyone here has done repairs on these at all? I have seen some wire jumping on newer units but unsure if anyone has had any success with this unit.

Alternatively, if anyone knows where I could get a new/reconditioned unit, that would be awesome as well!

Another idea would be to get a different digital AC unit to put in, but the compatibility then becomes an issue, any insight into this would also be appreciated!

I have attached some photos of the unit for reference. Part number is 79600-SV4-942.

Thanks in advance, and apologies about the average photos!

 

The second picture shows some burned areas around D701 printed on the circuit board near your palm in the picture. D701 would be a diode. The 20-pin connector pins (two rows of 10) near the burn mark also look like they got hot.

D701 and D702 are likely diodes that shorted and burned up. You might want to search ebay or maybe call some junkyards to see if you can find one. Maybe the seller on Ebay would send you a picture of the circuit board so you could see the original setup. Search the web for pictures. I see you posted on a different thread on here where the original poster had the saem issue.

In the USA, there is a place called northridgefix that repairs circuit boards and has a youtube channel. You might could search for a place in Australia that does circuit board repairs.

 

Thanks for the quick reply!
I have called so many junkyards and have had no luck. I found one place that is close by that does repairs, but they said it is $500AUD for the test and if repairable it is $200AUD on top for the repair.

I found a place in Malaysia that claims they had reconditioned units, but their communication went very downhill by the end of it, and I didn’t feel comfortable sending them money if I wasn’t confident I’d receive the unit. The company does seem legit, but I thought I had better be safe than sorry.

I did ask them for a photo of their repaired circuit boards but they refused to send me the photo (which I understand, since they repair them to sell).

I guess I am just trying to save myself the hassle of having to remove the unit and send it off for it to potentially not be repairable.

Open to any other suggestions, but at this stage I think my best bet is just sending it off and hoping for the best.

 

You can try cleaning up the board with a q-tip and rubbing alcohol around those components to hopefully better see the layout. Hopefully the char is on the surface and will wipe off. The other post on here has a better picture of D702 location. I'm not sure about D701 location.

On your pictures there are some other diodes like D501 that I'd guess are the same as D701/D702. You might be able to get a part/size number from them.

It is tough to find parts for cars that are nearing 30 years old, so you'll likely have to get it repaired.

 

I’ll take it out again over the next week or so and see how I go cleaning it up and getting more information.

While it’s out, I am tossing up just sending it off. It’s just $500 down the drain if it fails their testing, so I’m still pretty skeptical about doing it.

 

Just an update. I managed to track one down from a guy that sold one on eBay back in 2015. Was pure luck I messaged him and he actually had another tested and working unit.

I did also message a few places that do repairs. There was that place in Sydney that I mentioned earlier. There was another place based in NZ that said they should be able to do those sort of repairs and were charging (From memory) $300 + Freight. Once I have some spare money, I will still send my broken one off for repair. I am also thinking I will get some photos of the working circuit board once I receive this new unit.

Fingers crossed I do not have this issue again in the future.

 

Definitely post a picture of a clean working board as that could help others in the future. With the char on the board, it is hard to identify where the diodes are connected in the circuit.