Somewhat unique climatronic issue?

[blackspaven]

Okay, so I've had a good look, and I mean a GOOD look through the octy forums and haven't found this little doozy yet so just wondering if anyone has any ideas?

 

Last night I noticed some frosty patches on only the passenger side windscreen above the dash. I had a little play and it turns out my climatronic is working absolutely fine on the driver's side, but it's intermittently 'stuck' on the passenger side, very much in inverted commas. Initially, it was obviously very cold so turned the temp up on my side to compensate. Got to my destination, got in a few hours later to go home and as the car warmed up, the passenger side was now blowing warm air so driver's control temp was backed off. This morning it was cold again, so when I got home with the engine all nicely toasty, I had another little play and found that whatever temp you have the driver's side on (with it working completely fine on that side as per usual) when you turn the engine off, when you turn the engine back ON again, THAT is the temp the passenger side is stuck on.

 

Next time I go out for a drive I'll try the econ/bottom-left-button reset trick and see what happens, but the engine is now cold so I won't know what it's doing as it'll only blow cold air at this point, BUT has anyone come across this or got any suggestions?? Before anyone says it, I know it's dual zone and tried that but the passenger display changes without affecting the working temperature.

[Fr0d]

Can't say I've ever noticed, but then I do tend to keep mine set to AUTO most of the time.

[blackspaven]

Can't say you've ever noticed what? It's not a climatronic feature, it's a problem I'm trying to alleviate!!

 

Thanks for the bizarre statement though... good to know you've not noticed a problem your car shouldn't have. CUCKOO!

Edited 1 November, 2014 by blackspaven

[Guest]

At the risk of sounding confused, I am just awake...

Drivers side works fine but passenger side output doesn't correspond to setting, correct?

Try the reset trick as you mentioned, it could be a stuck flap.

I get the impression the flaps are prone to sticking, either from lack of movement and environmental particulates gluing them in position or the electronics just gets confused.

When I first got my Octy the heater had a mind of its own, blowing full hot or cold now and then but regular use of controls set LO-HI/RECIRC/ECON and the various vent options and with the reset trick seems to have fixed it.

Seems to be use it or lose it, keep the system exercised.

[blackspaven]

At the risk of sounding confused, I am just awake...

Drivers side works fine but passenger side output doesn't correspond to setting, correct?

 

Sort of. Driver's side is completely normal, passenger's side blows out air at whatever the temp was on the driver's side when you last turned the engine off. Does that make sense?

[blackspaven]

I posted about different temperatures left and right a few months ago on my Cimatronic, and it turned out that it was the air con system had become very low on gas, and the refrigerent that remained was only doing its job on one side of the heater matrix because of the low pressure. In my case it was due to a hole in the air con condenser.

 

Here are a couple of links to my posts:

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/321944-£280-poorer-but-my-air-con-works-now/

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/213111-cold-air-from-right-vents-only/

 

Might well not be your problem, but worth checking, especially after doing a flap realignment.

 

Mike

 

Yeah, I was reading that when it was a current thread, so I remember you saying about the grill. Might be low refrigerant, but when it's cold, it IS cold, enough to create frost on the inside of the windscreen on both sides. It seems to have full range of temperatures, just sticks on whatever it was when you switched off the ignition. Present solution is set it for something ambient and adjust my side to accommodate. Very far from ideal though, hopefully it IS just stuck vanes sorted by a reset. :(

 

 

Just noticed, people with low refrigerant on the threads seem to have a loss of cold on their passenger side primarily and the ice on the inside of the passenger side of the screen last night would make me think it's not that.

Edited 1 November, 2014 by blackspaven

[blackspaven]

Been a change of symptoms today, dunno whether last night was a fluke or not, or whether me trying the reset a few times had anything to do with it? Now, the passenger's side is blowing nothing but air con cold, the driver's side is doing the whole range of temps, although it may very well be my imagination or the fact the other side is cold, but the HI setting isn't absolutely burning/roasting as I remember in my head. I may have been recollecting incorrectly that it was ever that hot though just because of the present situation.

 

So.... Passenger side - cold, driver's side - fine.

 

Does that sound more like something common?

 

Oh, and re-reading mike's bit, no the whole system is as quiet as a mouse, no Darth or anything. The only slightly strange noise was a bit of a light creak right at the end of the reset mode around the pollen filter area, one of the vanes probably having a stretch or summat

Edited 1 November, 2014 by blackspaven

[Anddenton]

That now sounds like a temp sensor may have come adrift from the piping behind the dash. I can't give anything more than that but I'm sure someone will be along shortly to suggest where the sensor might be.

[blackspaven]

Ah, that sounds a lot cheaper to fix if it IS something someone recognises!

[blackspaven]

Cracking, thanks guys, I'll have a look a little later. Last night it was stuck on blowing warm air again so it's obviously an intermittent thing.

 

Out of interest, I've read on here somewhere about another two button combination which is like a self diagnosis fault find, and if I'm reading correctly it'll show fault codes on, I presume, the climatronic display. Two things: 1) what is the button combination to do that, 2) anyone know if there's a fault code for the sensor, just in case that's what it kicks back?

[blackspaven]

Can anyone help with the button combination to show faults on climatronic so I can see if it is just a sensor?

[blackspaven]

Anyone know it?? :(

[Guest]

I knew I had it written down somewhere after playing about with the controls... just couldn't find the bit of paper!

Simultaneously press ECON + DEMIST/CABIN (upper right of the four in middle) buttons.

Birl the passenger/driver temperature controls for various numbers.

Good luck deciphering them!

If you do, please post the info so we can all learn.

[MadHATR]

I've got a version of this ( I think), driving up the motorway last night - AC on same both sides, the passenger had warm air, my side was very cold, put the temp on both up to red, got loads of hot air from both sides, then changed temp down to 24 and had warm/hot on passenger side, but cold on drivers side.

 

Read this topic, I can't find an 'econ' button on my ac setup, which I think is the basic version.

 

But, spent five minutes with engine running  and pressed everything, twiddled everything and it appears to work now.

 

Thanks

[blackspaven]

Yup, I was all ready to take the top cubby hole off (annoyingly I have to do it now anyway as I heard the pop of the rubbish little plasticky long bar that controls the vents opening & shutting jump off it's ball end... such a weak design!!), and weirdly it all started working fine today again!

 

I've got a feeling it ain't gonna stay like this though so if it goes again, I'll have a play and report back on what I find.

 

Thanks for the button combo though.

[Booters]

I have an issue on my Vrs, passenger side working as normal, drivers side is playing up, heating on the lowest setting but fan nearest side window is blowing red hot, but fan above the bolero is fine, it's still under warranty but I hope the whole dash doesont need taking apart