Multiple Problems With VT Berlina - Advice/Direction Welcome...

[lamensterms]

Hey Guys,

Brand new to the forum, i was hoping I could get some advice on having my Berlina repaired..

The problems are as follows:

- Climate control only blows out windscreen (demister) vents.

- Climate control fan only works on high setting (its either on high or off)

- Drivers seat back adjusting winder broken.

- Drivers seat back panel loose.

I have done a little research on the climate control issues, and i figure that I am not capable of the repair job, so i best take it to an auto electrician.

I thought about removing the drivers seat and taking a look at the winding mechanism, but then i read that tinkering with the drivers seat can lead to the air-bag being deployed... and i am not game to try. Can anyone recommend what type of repair shop i should visit to get the seat adjuster repaired?

With the front seat back panel... the problem is that one of the white round clips holding the back panel on is broken, i can fix and fit this myself... but i have no idea what the little white clips are called, or where to get them.

Thanks for taking the time to read... any help and/or advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys.

 

[Dz811]

i only know that the first problem is caused by either a faulty or not plugged in vacuum hose, its a really small hose that comes out of your firewall in the engine bay, but i only know where in the VZs. It may or may not affect problem number 2.

so im not much help

 

[lamensterms]

eyy, thanks for the reply mate. i have read that a faulty vacuum hose can be one of the causes, apparently it could also be the solenoid pack or the vacuum tank. i believe faults with any of these parts can cause distribution issues.

cheers.

 

[db_notso]

hmmm...
vacum hose (look at righ hand rear of motor small black hose)
fan only works on high (suspect fan speed resistor under glove box is two screws to replace not hard)
drivers seat see a holden parts shop and tell them they will know what part numbers you need off by heart)

 

[accentstencil]

Models with climate control have don't have a fan speed resistor but a Ventilation Motor Control.
Disconnect the battery before working on the seat to avoid any airbag problems. If you have the stock radio you will need the PIN when you reconnect the battery.

 

[lamensterms]

thanks for the replies guys... i finally took it to the auto-elec. and while they did fix the fan speed issues... they only half fixed the distribution problem.

most of the time i can get the air to flow from where i want (except face vents), but it appears it doesnt always work.

i will try and describe what works and what doesnt.

- demister vents - always works on all fan speeds.
- face vents - only sometimes works, and only when air-con is not recirculating. it will never only come out of the face vents, it seems half the flow will come from face vents and half from windsheild/demister vents.
- floor vents - works most of the time, but only when air-con is not recirculating.

pretty shitty repair job. i realise that it can take a few minutes for the air-con to act on the changed settings (i think you can hear the pressure change in the solenoid bank)... but ive driven around for up to 20 mins waiting for flow to go from demister to face.

thanks for any help dudes.

 

[Jasiel]

we have a vx berlina with the same ventilation problems. I might try the instructions given here -> https://forums.justcommodores.com.au/threads/repair-vt-variable-speed-fan-control-unit.51383 <- to see if I can fix the fan speed problem myself. Otherwise, I'll have to get a new ventilation motor control from Holden.

As for the demister/face vents problem: ours suddenly decided to play up right at the start of a long driving holiday. We would only get demister or face vents regardless of settings, and it would switch itself between the 2 depending on whether we were accelerating/going downhill or decelerating/going uphill. I've temporarily "fixed" it by tying the vacuum solenoids to face vents so that the family gets airflow. If I can find the vacuum hose in the engine bay, I might pull it off and blow some air through it under water to see if it leaks....

 

[Jasiel]

I got the transistor from futurlec in the mail today, and tried to repair the unit. unfortunately, I think I may have damaged the circuit board beyond repair in the process..... so i'll have to get a new unit from holden.

 

[Mick1988]

Climate control only blows out windscreen (demister) vents.

Sounds like you have a vacuum leak. Pretty easy to look at yourself if you take the bottom of the dash out on the passenger side.

Climate control fan only works on high setting (its either on high or off)

Fan speed resistor. Source one from a wreckers or get an electronics shop to source one. Auto elec will charge you a fortune.

Drivers seat back adjusting winder broken.
Drivers seat back panel loose.

Your car is a 1997 so it doesn't have side impact airbags. Just disconnect the battery for at least 20 seconds before you start removing the seat. The winder is a mechanical assembly so should be easy to diagnose and repair. The back panel is probably clips that can be replaced or modified.

 

[Jasiel]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I thought I would post my out-of-the-box solution to the vents/loss of vacuum problem. I purchased a 12V vacum pump from here: Vacuum Pump - 12V ROB-10398 and fitted it in the engine bay. Now the vent system vacuum comes solely from this pump and is not connected to the engine.

So far, it seems to have fixed the problem. I did also replace the solenoid pack a few months ago, which helped but didn't fix it completely. This pump was a far cheaper solution than replacing the actuators, which were the only other part left that might be causing the problem.

Be aware, though - this vacuum pump is a little bit noisy. You wouldn't want it inside the car....