Problems with Electronic Climate Control no A/C or Heat!

[jpark09]

My ECC simply does not work right. For one, the display randomly shows up from time to time along with the radio display. All of the controls still work and the fan blows out air but the temp of the air is not contolled at all. It seems like their must be a damper or something that is not opening to allow hot air through. When i start the car up sometimes there is this weird vaccuum sound coming from behind the dash?? Any help with this would be greatly appreciated as it is starting to get very cold outside!

[imidazol97]

My ECC simply does not work right. For one, the display randomly shows up from time to time along with the radio display. All of the controls still work and the fan blows out air but the temp of the air is not contolled at all. It seems like their must be a damper or something that is not opening to allow hot air through. When i start the car up sometimes there is this weird vaccuum sound coming from behind the dash?? Any help with this would be greatly appreciated as it is starting to get very cold outside!

Since the radio display changes along with the ECC display, I think that's related to your headlights. When the headlights go on with the sensor, the instrument panel lights are dimmed. What happens when the ECC and radio displays go dim and you turn up the brightness on the instrument panel control that's part of the headlight switch?

Are you able to change the air direction? If you put it on defrost, does the air come out at the windshield; on head, the floor; on AC, the dash vents?

If those seem to work correctly your most likely don't have a vacuum problem.

The temperature changing is done by electric actuators, two of them, one for the driver and one for the passenger. You'll need to take off the panel under the dash on the passenger side. You also may be able to see more if you take off the glovebox, but I'm not sure if that's true for Pontiacs like it is for leSabre. You'll have to locate the actuators and the links that move the vanes inside the HVAC box to see if they are moving when the controls on the dash or passenger door are changed.

A test to see if the actual heater core is getting hot is to touch the heater hoses back by the firewall under the hood after the car is fully heated up and the blower motor is running on a higher speed. Both hoses should be hot, as hot as the upper radiator hose is. Also it's possible you might have air in your heater core. When the car has cooled, check the water in the radiator by taking off the cap. It should be full. And the reservoir should be filled to the marked level in it. A low radiator level might occur if you have a leak in water pump, heater hose connector, intake manifold, etc.

[jpark09]

Yeah the ECC and Radio display dont come on because of the headlight switch, i recently replaced the headlight switch and everything started working right but then after about 10 min smoke started coming from behind the dash and i had burnt the switch. Not sure what to do about that, but i guess thats another day...

I'm able to change air direction, fan speed, defrost, etc. so yeah i guess it wouldnt be a vaccuum problem but ive got no idea what could be making the weird sucking noise then.

Ill get the glovebox apart and take a look at the actuators, what would be the cause of them not working right though? Might they be burnt out or something? Im afraid ive got some serious shorts in the wires because of the way my headlight switch started toasting away.

BTW you wouldnt happen to have any pictures of the glove box taken apart would you? That might come in handy.

[imidazol97]

Yeah the ECC and Radio display dont come on because of the headlight switch, i recently replaced the headlight switch and everything started working right but then after about 10 min smoke started coming from behind the dash and i had burnt the switch. Not sure what to do about that, but i guess thats another day...

I'm able to change air direction, fan speed, defrost, etc. so yeah i guess it wouldnt be a vaccuum problem but ive got no idea what could be making the weird sucking noise then.

Ill get the glovebox apart and take a look at the actuators, what would be the cause of them not working right though? Might they be burnt out or something? Im afraid ive got some serious shorts in the wires because of the way my headlight switch started toasting away.

BTW you wouldnt happen to have any pictures of the glove box taken apart would you? That might come in handy.

This is in Techinfo here:

http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... =49&t=3537

It's under electrical and interior.

But it's on a leSabre. I believe some of the Bonnevilles have the glovebox situated differently and it doesn't work as well. I hope I just misunderstood and it's as easy to get to as ours. The upper actuator is the one for the driver's side.

If not, you should be able to watch the linkage move as you change the settings on the dash control with the ignition key ON. If the rod doesn't always move the full distance or IF the rod on that can be moved with a slight force, you can move it to see if the heat turns on. That would mean you problem is that the gear is slipping on the gray plastic axle.

I repaired my cracked gear by using some superglue cement between the gear and the gray axle. Note that on the outside of the case, the gray axle has a prong that sits in a slot; that slot limits the movement of the linkage to the vane. Keep that prong in the slot (ask me how I learned that?).

The control for the passenger side should move the actuator that is inside the programmer box. That link is the obvious one at the bottom of the heater box. Both the actuators have metal rods that just snap into the plastic link. It's a force fit. Even though they look like screw threads, they are not screwed on.