Hey everyone, does anyone know what goes in the GM Electronic Climate Control systems that makes them not work? My fan doesn't turn on at all, but before, it wouldn't turn OFF at all.. LOL Amy ideas? I checked the relays and fuses.. the rest of the junk, I don't know how to check. I poked around with the multimeter, but I couldn't figure out a thing. I have 4 boxes exposed, one main box, and three smaller ones.

My plan is to go to the wreckers, grab all the units for the climate control (hoping they work.. LOL) and replace one unit at a time, and when/if it works, I will buy a replacement unit.

Any ideas would be appreciated

Oh, its a 1989 Oldsmobile 98 Touring Sedan

 

If this is the same ECC that GM started using in higher-end Cadillacs, Buicks, and Oldsmobiles in 1984 (control panel -I'm working from memory here- so please forgive me) had an 'off' button in the top left hand corner I believe, temp controlled by two up/down buttons and a moving LED across middle and a selection of source/mixture switches along bottom and high/med/low fan controls on right hand side. Whole control panel is slightly shorter than a stock stereo...

If this is the one, I can guarantee the control board in the heater housing (i.e. where heater core is) is shot. If it's the same system, the board has a 5-wire harness plugged into it and the connectors rot/rust over time and the board electronics go flakey. Hey- you go sit your home computer out in the rain and dust and wind for awhile and see how well it works...

 

I think the system is different, but the same... because the 5 prong plug sounds familiar. Is there any way to test the main unit? It appears easy to remove as soon as I figure where all the bolts are, I only see 3 at the moment.

Here's a picture of my control unit... its the best picture I have at the moment

 

Look for a box under the passenger side dash with vaccuum lines attached to it..This is where the ECC is on my Cadillac is..First it wont shift between defog and vent then it just stopped working..

Daz

 

Different setup than the unit I am talking about- older system used a template-type button panel.

I'd still bet on it being the main ECC board though...

 

Tried that unit Daz... either the one from the wreckers is garbage, or there's somehting else wrong. The car I got it out of was in decent shape, so I am thinking the climate control was pooched, thus why it was in the junk yard (I know its dumb to junk a car because of the ECC, but you know some old people).

Should I just go for the brand new unit?

 

While it's unlikely someone trashed their car over a defective ECC unit- when I was pulling them way back when for my '84 Buick- roughly 50% were defective- all I could assume was that alot of people drove in the rain with their windows open and didn't drive in winter at all...