Heater stuck on full heat!!

[supa_fox]

Hey all!
We just replaced our little townace (a write off after being sideswiped) with a 94 l400 2.8l lwb! Super excited, we loved the townace, but it was underpowered and had a tendency to over heat, not the case with the l400!

Problem is, we cant figure out how to lower the temp of the heater. it has the digital controls and no matter what temp you set it at, it blows hot, full speed! (not so fun on the drive from vancouver to calgary!)

The rear works fine, and the a/c will come on in the front just fine if we press the little button with the blue bit over the guys head (for cooling off while defrosting?) but the heat is still on full blast, and the ac only hits one vent.

On a side note, 2 thumbs up for butch and the fellas at CVI, they were a great help and dialed the delica in great!

Any advice on the heater?

cheers

[loki]

is it on auto when it's blowing hot? if so it could be the inside temp sensor is bad or not connected, not sure where it is in the the L400 as mine works and haven't needed to look for it :)

the other possibilities are that the wiring and or motors that control the heat ducts are discoed or broken?

[Mr. Flibble]

Sounds like something is amiss. You should be able to adjust the blower level, and adjust the temperature with the normal controls. Does the temp reading dip down to 17 when you hold down the "DOWN" on the temp? And, does the blower stop when you press the off button?

[jessef]

I had that problem on one. Had to replace the control unit and trace one faulty wire. I paid an electrician to figure it out as it was past my skill.

Hopefully yours is just the control unit (what you see and push buttons). If it's a faulty wire/connection, just don't freak out if you have to pull the wiring loom for the whole system to test it. That is a royal pain and very time consuming.

Where did you buy it from ? They should fix it for you as electrical issues can be costly on a time/labour basis.

[FalcoColumbarius]

Could the cable on the other end of the hot/cold lever have come free?

Falco.

[supa_fox]

thanks guys!

it doesnt matter which setting,,, auto or selected temp all equal full heat.
The controls will go through the full range.. all looks normal there, just the heat doesnt change as you adjust the temp.

Where did you find the wiring loom for the controls? It would make sense if the controls were not talking to the heater core as a result of either bad wire or connection and default was full heat?...

option 2, redirect some of the ac from the rear controls to the front, a dremel and some spare vents would access the a/c for the rear. cow town is cold 9 months out of 12 anyway :)

oh yeah, it was a private sale, fair deal and $$ paid... im thinking my warranty ran out the minute I paid the bill!

[Mr. Flibble]

thanks guys!

it doesnt matter which setting,,, auto or selected temp all equal full heat.
The controls will go through the full range.. all looks normal there, just the heat doesnt change as you adjust the temp.

Where did you find the wiring loom for the controls? It would make sense if the controls were not talking to the heater core as a result of either bad wire or connection and default was full heat?...

option 2, redirect some of the ac from the rear controls to the front, a dremel and some spare vents would access the a/c for the rear. cow town is cold 9 months out of 12 anyway :)

oh yeah, it was a private sale, fair deal and $$ paid... im thinking my warranty ran out the minute I paid the bill!

I don't think going after the vents with a dremel is the right path. Far better off to fix or replace the front controls. You can find that stuff on ebay, the web, or from one of the Delica parts people listed on here. Jesse has the right idea, get someone to trace it down. I have not removed the front panel yet (I will have to to swap the stereo) but my guess is that you have to pull the facia off to get to that harness he is talking about.

If I remember correctly, there is a guide for taking apart the dash here:

http://www.delicaclub.com/downloads.php?cat=6

Although, you might need to become a forum member on the Australian Delica forum to access it. (I am a member and my browser automatically logs in for me.)

[supa_fox]

Hey guys,
Thanks for the ideas.
I think I am going to start by taking the control unit out and testing it. Hoping your right Falco and a cable has just come loose!
If the control unit (digital one) is fizzled... any suggestions on where to get one?/idea on cost? I would like to stay with a digital one, but would like to turn the heat down from full in august even more!

[jessef]

There is no cable behind the control unit.

It's all electronic.

The best thing for you to do is to find another person with an L400 and swap the control unit to see if theirs works in yours and yours doesn't in theirs.

That is really the sure way to test it.

[supa_fox]

I was thinking of testing at its wiring harness with a voltmeter.
A straight swap with a identical model is a great idea, would save me a lot of grey hair! need to find someone in calgary with an l400...

I posted on the oz site as well.. one fellow suggested looking at the heater flap

"welcome to the club
Sounds like your heater flap may be stuck open or the seals around the flap may be perished.
From memory the heater flap area is behind the glovebox."

sound reasonable? unfortunately, seems like its going to be a pain to trace out either way!

cheers