Automatic climate control...wish I didn't have it!!!

[Dr. Jeckel]

Well its not working. All the buttons function but it doesn't turn on the blower fan. When you run the heater you can barely feel a draft of hot air through the vents. You can hear the A/C compressor kick on but nothing blows when you turn the A/C on.
The other morning for some unknown reason the blower worked when I turned my car on. It turned off and on properly but it hasn't done it since. Anybody had this trouble? I thought it might have blown a fuse but since it came on that day about a week ago I have kinda rulled that out. I am thinking it is the climate control unit. What are some of my options or areas in the car I might look to try and diagnose it. Any kind of advice or help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks, James.

 

[6SENSE]

Check the blower motor itself and the plug for it. I would rule those out first. They are the more likely [typical] culprit. I have had blower motors "blow" out on just about every 70s-80s GM car I have owned.
Most recently, on my electronic touch climate control equipped TR, I had an issue with the plug that supplies power for the blower motor not getting a good contact. I would turn on the heat and tap or wiggle the plug and the blower motor would kick on. I unplugged it and cleaned it out. Been fine ever since. Might want to try that first. The plug is to the right of the blower motor (engine side). It is a brown plug with 4-5 wires going to it, if I remember correctly.

 

[Dr. Jeckel]

Thanks for the advice. I'll check it out.

 

[Gary]

The ultimate guru on these things is Ricard Clark. You can call Kirban who is his partner in crime, so to speak. He probably won't want to fix it for you. What he will do is replace it with a standard unit. He did this for me. He traveled several hours, did the swap (took about 4 hours) supplied all parts and labor.

Gary

 

[JToups386]

Those units appeared to be "cool" when they came out, but have proven to be maintenance nightmares ever since. I don't know anyone that has one that still works (although I'm sure some do).

However, the problem you describe could be the more simple problem of the vacuum block that controls the ventilation doors. I've had it happen on two of my TR's, but they were the standard type of AC units, not electronic. I would assume the electronic version still has an electronically controlled vacuum block behind the unit, that routes air to the proper areas thereof. I took dash unit out, and found that one of the vacuum lines was no longer sealing, therefore preventing it from properly operating the vent door routing.
Am I making sense to ya'?
Maybe someone else can explain it better. However, I had never worked on this particular problem before, yet, was able to find it, and fix it myself. Hopefully you'll be able to as well...

 

[Gary]

Originally posted by Gary
The ultimate guru on these things is Ricard Clark. You can call Kirban who is his partner in crime, so to speak. He probably won't want to fix it for you. What he will do is replace it with a standard unit. He did this for me. He traveled several hours, did the swap (took about 4 hours) supplied all parts and labor.

Gary

Just to be clear, he did the swap for my old defective system, No money exchanged hands.
Gary

 

[Dr. Jeckel]

Thanks for the advice. I guess when I get a free day i will tear it all down and check it out, then go from there. Electronics + age always = HEADACHES!
If all else fails I'll call up kirbans.
Thanks again, James.

 

[6SENSE]

I thought your blower wasnt blowing at all, thats why I gave the advice before. Verify whether this is the case or not first. When ON you shouldnt have any trouble hearing the blower blowing (right in front of the firewall, on high, its often louder than the electric cooling fan). You dont have to have the engine running to turn on your blower/climate control. If it is blowing and there is nothing coming out of the vents, then yes check else where. There are two nylon vac lines over on the passenger side going under the AC/Heater box to and from the firewall that often break, for instance (these are for vac supply to open vents). There is a check valve in line to supply this vac from the vac block on the engine, etc. etc.
If your blower motor isnt blowing at all you WILL still eventually feel some warmth in the car (thats if heat is on; AC vise versa of course, cold) because the heat/AC is ON and working, but there just isnt anything to "blow" it to get it moving out to you (blower motor makes all the difference). Check this out with earlier instructions before dissassembling stuff. Just my 2cents

PS I have two operational electronic touch climate control units (1 backup). I grabbed one from a 84-85ish Riviera in the junk yard (they often had this option) and it worked fine.

 

[Dr. Jeckel]

That is correct, the blower is not working. I checked the electrical connections to the blower but that didn't help.
What I meant by my last reply is that when I get a free day I will check all relative lines and wiring and see what I can see and go from there. Don't worry, I will take the easiest road I can to get it fixed, I'm not just going to start tearing my dash apart if I can help it. Thanks, James.

 

[turbofish38]

Sounds like the blower control module is bad. This is the piece that sits right on top of the housing where the motor is. It has a 5 wire plug on it. Get out your voltage meter and see if any power is running through it. They are still available from GM under part number 25500218. Also check the electrical connector on the plug as they have a habit of frying the terminals.

BTW the CC on my 86 is still running perfectly and has never given me any problems that warranted its replacement with a standard HVAC system.

 

[6SENSE]

Originally posted by turbofish38
Sounds like the blower control module is bad. This is the piece that sits right on top of the housing where the motor is. It has a 5 wire plug on it. Get out your voltage meter and see if any power is running through it. They are still available from GM under part number 25500218. Also check the electrical connector on the plug as they have a habit of frying the terminals.

BTW the CC on my 86 is still running perfectly and has never given me any problems that warranted its replacement with a standard HVAC system.

Yes, if the blower motor itself checks out okay and the 5wire plug is okay, then the module turbofish mentioned could be the culprit. Sorry, I forgot about it. I did replace it sometime ago on mine with a good one I found on a Riv. Put some power straight to the blower for a split second to see if it comes on.