Climate Control Problems (Air Conditioning, Heat) - All Cars

obyone

Try checking on ebay for a new/used control panel. They are plug and play so an easy DIY.

stickguy

might as well ask here.

Son at college has a 2000 Acura TL. He said (last year I think but told me in the summer!) that the heat did not work. Plenty of AC, so something is working.

I won't see the car until thanksgiving, but looking for ideas. He did seem to have heat the first year we had it *2008) and probably after that.

I will read the manual and fiddle with the auto CC (I hate those things) to see if he just screwed up some setting, but I dread having to take this some place to get debugged. Can't imagine it is that easy to do!

obyone

Before anything else check the coolant level.

stickguy

thanks. we just had that changed in the summer to get the car ready for another winter up north. But will certainly check that too.

srs_49

1. Are the HVAC fans working (blowing air) when heat is called for?
2. Is the engine coolant up to temperature?

Sounds like it may be the valve that lets heated coolant flow into the heater core. If so, that could be the valve itself, or the signal that controls it.

johnwatson85

hey that was really helpful and i would like you to visit www(dot)equilibriumac(dot)com

itsnizzle

I HAVE A 99 INFINITY QX4 AND WHEN I TURN ON MY AC/HEAT IT COMES ON BUT DOESN'T BLOW. I FIND THAT WHEN I DRIVE AT A CONSTANT SPEED (I.E. ON THE HIGHWAY) IT BLOWS OUT AIR/HEAT BUT I HAVE NO CONTROL OVER HOW HARD IT BLOWS OUT, ONLY CONTROL OVER TEMPERATURE... WHAT COULD SOME POSSIBLE ISSUES BE?

burdawg

The blower fan isn't working. Check the fuse first. If it's not that, then see if the blower is getting voltage when it's on (voltage varies with blower speed). If the voltage is present at the blower connector, then the blower fan is probably bad. If it's not then it could be the control itself (manual or auto if there's climate control).
What your feeling now is just the air that flows through when your moving forward.

bilk1

I have 2003 Infiniti G35. A/c works sometimes and then goes off.Comes back on several days later. Same with heater. You can feel cold/heat but the blower won"t work.

evanida

A/C not work. Took several visits to dealership. Was under warranty. Leaks not detected with dye. Evaporator cord replaced. Still no A/C. Condensor replaced. A/C working. Never had this problem with previous Impalas. Hope fixed permanently as don't want any problems when out of warranty.

arani

Need help, I have BMW 2002 325i, when I use Air Conditioning after 30 minutes or so, lot of heat coming from defrost vents and at feet inside the car, unbearable heat, still AC is coming
from front vents. but the heat from defrost vents and at feet unbearable.
Appreciate if anyone could help here......thanks in advance.

jeffeverett

It might be your blend door actuator, it is what controls your vent door from either giving you hot air or cold air. Sometimes the actuator might be going bad and let the door close a little forcing some hot air in. It is up under the dash and usually a pain to get to, a garage will charge you for probably 8-10 to fix so try and fix yourself (but).....check all your fuses first that have anything to do with the heater or air conditioner. Pull your climate control out of the dash make sure everything is still plugged in the back of it. After that your going to have to either look under the dash and see what moves when you move your climate control lever (you might have to disassemble dash not sure on your car) to see what is going on. You need to find out if your car operates the actuator by cable, vacuum or electric and go from there. It might be an easy fix, mine is a 1998 Bravada and there is a spot on the heater housing on the firewall (under the hood not inside the car), and on that housing it says (cut along here for access) well i cut on the line and there is some screws to take out, and then i have access to that door. I just opened the door so cold air was coming out all vents and then unplugged that actuator so the door wouldn't move and worked perfect until i could put new actuator on.

jeffeverett

That's the garage will charge you 8-10 hours of shop time, which can be a huge bill to fix this, so exhaust all your options first!

Mr_Shiftright

A scan tool of the right type should be able to tell you if the blend door is actuating at its full range of motion or not.

bct41551

why would turning on blower fan cause RPM's to drop and engine to sputter?

Mr_Shiftright

either it's sucking a huge amount of current (seizing fan bearings?) or your car's battery is lame and the alternator has to work extra hard to keep up.

imidazol97

>why would turning on blower fan cause RPM's to drop and engine to sputter?

If your car actually has an OFF for the fan instead of just on low speed, turning the fan on may also be engaging the AC compressor and the radiator cooling fans when you push just that button. Is the HVAC going from completely OFF to an AC mode?

opn4bzns

My 2005 Cadillac Escalade has had the heat thru the A/C vent on drivers side for over a year and finally got to where it happened all the time. I researched Actuators online and found one at Advance Auto for $43.00 with a $10.00 off promo code. I disconnected the battery, removed the bottom passenger cover and unplugged the old actuator. Decided to finish it the next day so I connected the battery back and plugged the old actuator back on and I drove the car to the store and the heat problem has not come back for over a month now..go figure. I returned the new actuator for a refund and still have cold air thru the vents. No more turning the car off at traffic lights to get the A/C to work for a short time. The cars computer may have been messed up and by disconnecting the old actuator and battery and reconnecting them the cars computer rebooted and found the old actuator and has it working fine now. Don't overpay for an actuator..they are cheap.

stever

A reporter would like to talk with drivers who frequently have to deal with wind throb -- i.e. the sound that occurs when you have a rear window down and the front window up. If you'd like to share your experience, please reach out to pr@edmunds.com by no later than August 8, 2016.