S70 T5 1999, no power to heater/fan/AC, 'mist' from vents

[jim_from_surrey]

wow, can't believe it's 2 and a half years since my last post

my S70 has been parked up on SORN for a year due to "budgetary constraints", although it had this particular problem before it was laid up

i want to get him back on the road now... it drives fine and failed MOT today on minor things, no real problem there but what's bugging me is that the heater fan & associated bits won't work.

it seems there's no power to that area at all, nothing on the AC or air mix buttons, no function and the little lights don't light up (heated seat switches still work, as does the cig lighter i believe)...

the heater temp controls were fully up last time i drove it, and no matter what i do with them, i still get hot air, so whatever adjusts the hot/cold mix isn't moving

the fan doesn't work, although i do remember when i was driving it before, i had left it 'full on' and as i was driving along one day, the fan momentarily came on (but not for long) so a simple fuse or relay is not the problem i don't think (i'm assuming??). I haven't managed to get it to come back on since then.

the final symptom is a kind of 'mist' coming out of the vents, not a huge amount but it's there, obviously i'm a bit concerned about this in case its something hazardous (sure hope it aint!)

would love to get the old fella back on the road so if anyone can point me in the right direction i would be very very grateful!

i'm a semi-competent DIY mechanic although a long standing back problem means i can't do as much as i used to (i'm not liking this 'getting old' lark) but ideally would like to sort myself, as funds still not able to stretch to a £70 p/hour auto electrician!

cheers guys

Jim

[siamblue]

Could it be the regulator it sits next to the fan in the lower dash passenger side.

[jim_from_surrey]

maybe... how easy is it to get to?

[kmb]

If you find a coolant smell in the cabin and some misting on the screen could also be heater matrix (as well as the electrical issue)?

[siamblue]

maybe... how easy is it to get to?

IIRC it's just a couple of bolts I have a spare somewhere let me look and it and I will get back to you,I Think it might be 3 bolts.

[jim_from_surrey]

Thanks!

let me know on that please, siamblue

i'm hoping to have an investigate this weekend, but i can't find my haynes ... not quite so necessary in these days of tablets and stuff but i have no wifi in the garage

it's here somewhere, but i'm a bit of a hoarder lol

i'm thinking that i probably will find dampness when i lift up that passenger side footwell carpet as i seem to recall having some stubborn condensation when it was last in use, although it was the depths of winter

i've just got to refit the battery stay and all the fail items have been sorted, so hopefully road legal later today, friday!

no doubt driving it regularly again will highlight more little problems

such is the way with PUCS (parked up car syndrome), it is round here anyway

i just hope the mouse that was living in the boot and the mouse that was living in the soundproofing wadding under the bonnet have fully vacated!

i'll keep you guys updated, i really appreciate the input

[stribo]

If the buttons on the panel aren't lighting up, then it's likely to either be a fuse, or the panel is kaput.As for the mist, as above, it'll be the heater matrix, not a bad job, if you're a contortionist, luckily I am, as I've had to do 2 now.

[jim_from_surrey]

quick update... car is now MOT'd and road legal again!

definitely heater matrix... had a bit of steam again, some even from the under glovebox area, and misted windscreen

Stribo... i don't think it's a fuse because when i was driving the car before it's SORN it was like this, but one time it did come back to life, the fan blew and button indicators worked... not for long though

the A/C itself has never actually worked all the time i've owned it

is there an easy way to check if the panel is at fault, other than swapping it out?

It's an ECC if that makes a difference

if the fan resistor is the problem, does this make the panel stop working too?