Fiat Punto fan heater is driving me mad!

mashedbanana

I posted a question here a few weeks ago about the car heater. It basically wouldn't work, some one suggested wiggiling the wires a bit in the passengers footwell, and low & behold the heater worked!

Well, it has stopped again, and no amount of wiggiling wires has worked. I check on line what it could be, ans ome people have problems with their lights at the same time a having the issues with their heater. Thankfully there is nothing wrong with the lights!

It was suggested to try the heater at the highest setting (4), i think this had something to do with the resistor (even if it was the resistor, it would still work at the highest setting)...anyway, It still won't work. There is no noise of it or anything.

Then somone else suggested that maybe it was leaves stuck in the fan. Well as a mum of 3, I don't fancy my chances of peeling back the cover and fishing for fans in the passegers footwell.

then to absolutely top it all off... the button on the key fob for locking/alarming the car won't work! It refuses to lock the car.

so I'm thinking, is it all electrical? It's a '06 1.2. Fiat Punto.

Thanks :-)

Oh btw, I took it to a garage this morning, (in the freezing cold) and the machanic said he didn't have a notion, that it was probably the wiring (as giggling it a few weeks ago, made it work then), that he couldnt possibly say how long it would take him. He thought it would certainly take most of the day, as he had never worked on a punto before (which I don't believe) So I brought the car home, and though I'd check here first :-)

dgt

mashedbanana wrote: »

I posted a question here a few weeks ago about the car heater. It basically wouldn't work, some one suggested wiggiling the wires a bit in the passengers footwell, and low & behold the heater worked!

Well, it has stopped again, and no amount of wiggiling wires has worked. I check on line what it could be, ans ome people have problems with their lights at the same time a having the issues with their heater. Thankfully there is nothing wrong with the lights!

It was suggested to try the heater at the highest setting (4), i think this had something to do with the resistor (even if it was the resistor, it would still work at the highest setting)...anyway, It still won't work. There is no noise of it or anything.

Then somone else suggested that maybe it was leaves stuck in the fan. Well as a mum of 3, I don't fancy my chances of peeling back the cover and fishing for fans in the passegers footwell.

then to absolutely top it all off... the button on the key fob for locking/alarming the car won't work! It refuses to lock the car.

so I'm thinking, is it all electrical? It's a '06 1.2. Fiat Punto.

Thanks :-)

Fan switch relay. Approx £70 quid. Replace this for all speeds once more

Edit: This part

mashedbanana

dgt wrote: »

Fan switch relay. Approx £70 quid. Replace this for all speeds once more

Edit: This part

Really? God, your were fast in your reply. Is it something that maybe my other half could easily put in, (assuming that he would be of average intelligence, with 8 finger and 2 thumbs) or would I be better off taking it to the garage? thanks :-)

dgt

mashedbanana wrote: »

Really? God, your were fast in your reply. Is it something that maybe my other half could easily put in, (assuming that he would be of average intelligence, with 8 finger and 2 thumbs) or would I be better off taking it to the garage? thanks :-)

A common problem on the Bravos for me, would only work at 4.... Got a brand new relay, all speeds once more

What causes them to stop working is damp, I'd look around the heater assembly for leaks. Does the car have a damp smell?

Easy enough to fit. Last one I fitted in a few minutes, it's held in with 2 philips screws, once I had the seat wound down flat and was in the car upside down :pac::pac::pac:

Try to source out a decent 2nd hand one first as new they are expensive

mashedbanana

dgt wrote: »

A common problem on the Bravos for me, would only work at 4.... Got a brand new relay, all speeds once more

What causes them to stop working is damp, I'd look around the heater assembly for leaks. Does the car have a damp smell?

Easy enough to fit. Last one I fitted in a few minutes, it's held in with 2 philips screws, once I had the seat wound down flat and was in the car upside down :pac::pac::pac:

Try to source out a decent 2nd hand one first as new they are expensive

Well, it's funny you should say that! I have it only about 6 weeks, and it smells of wet dog. i just assumed that the people beofre me had their dog in the car alot...thought no more about it.

Now, when you say 'have a look around the heater assembly for leaks' Where would I actually find a 'heater assembly'? Is it an 'under the bonet' jobbie? :-)

dgt

mashedbanana wrote: »

Well, it's funny you should say that! I have it only about 6 weeks, and it smells of wet dog. i just assumed that the people beofre me had their dog in the car alot...thought no more about it.

Now, when you say 'have a look around the heater assembly for leaks' Where would I actually find a 'heater assembly'? Is it an 'under the bonet' jobbie? :-)

I'd say if you left the car standing for a few days, it would start to go mouldy inside....

The heater assembly is under the glovebox. It's on the left of this picture


Don't worry its not a dash out job I'm just using that pic to show what the heater unit actually looks like

This is the motor itslef


The resistor bolts into the unit. It has a 4/5/6 blade plug with a clip plugged into it

mashedbanana

Okay I just re-read my last reply and realised how mental I must sound (I blame it on lack of car heat) so please excuse! Thanks

mashedbanana

dgt wrote: »

I'd say if you left the car standing for a few days, it would start to go mouldy inside....

The heater assembly is under the glovebox. It's on the left of this picture


Don't worry its not a dash out job I'm just using that pic to show what the heater unit actually looks like

This is the motor itslef


The resistor bolts into the unit. It has a 4/5/6 blade plug with a clip plugged into it

Thanks very much for all your help, much appreciated. :-)

dgt

Let us know if that cures it

mashedbanana

dgt wrote: »

Let us know if that cures it

thanks, i'm just ringing around now trying to get hold of one! I'm being told that I'll have to go to a main dealer for one! Oh well...I'll let you know Thanks again :-)

mashedbanana

I just got through to a garage there (they offered a bit of advice without lookin for payment yET!!!)
they reckon that I should look at the 'loom to the motor' That it MUST be the resistor, and not the relay. He mentioned that it doesn't have a relay as it's a 06. (one of these that you plug the car into a computer and it tells you where it's hurting) So ya, according to him it doesn't have a relay at all...at all!

dgt

mashedbanana wrote: »

I just got through to a garage there (they offered a bit of advice without lookin for payment yET!!!)
they reckon that I should look at the 'loom to the motor' That it MUST be the resistor, and not the relay. He mentioned that it doesn't have a relay as it's a 06. (one of these that you plug the car into a computer and it tells you where it's hurting) So ya, according to him it doesn't have a relay at all...at all!

Sorry meant resistor

I even have a picture of it in an earlier post!

mashedbanana

dgt wrote: »

Sorry meant resistor

I even have a picture of it in an earlier post!

LOL, well thanks be to god that I wasn't on the phone long! So it's a resistor I'm actually after? Ok, any chance of a pic of an actual resistor so please?
I take it the other pics are of he relay? (which I don't need)

T'anks :-)

dgt

mashedbanana wrote: »

LOL, well thanks be to god that I wasn't on the phone long! So it's a resistor I'm actually after? Ok, any chance of a pic of an actual resistor so please?
I take it the other pics are of he relay? (which I don't need)

T'anks :-)

A picture of the resistor is on post 2, I got resistor and relay mixed up, relays on the brain

Green component with black base

mashedbanana

Good man, I'll get on the phone about that straight away. :-)

mashedbanana

Himself is having a look at it now, and we think it might be the motor itself. He unpluggd the resistor and had a good look at it, it looks perfect, no melted wires, or burnt bits...nothing.

If it was the motor, then how could we test it to know for sure (I'm doing my best not to have to take it to a garage to get it fixed, if we can fix it ourslves) There isn't a puff out of it...nothing..on any setting, thats why I think it might me the motor.

dgt

mashedbanana wrote: »

Himself is having a look at it now, and we think it might be the motor itself. He unpluggd the resistor and had a good look at it, it looks perfect, no melted wires, or burnt bits...nothing.

If it was the motor, then how could we test it to know for sure (I'm doing my best not to have to take it to a garage to get it fixed, if we can fix it ourslves) There isn't a puff out of it...nothing..on any setting, thats why I think it might me the motor.

Look for rust on the pins of the resistor: a sign its gone

The motor itself isn't held on with many screws if it needs to come out. Last one I worked on was a Bravo, under the scuttle panel was the pollen filter, you could test the fan from there.

Do you have a Grande?

colm_mcm

Sounds lie a grande punto

dgt

colm_mcm wrote: »

Sounds lie a grande punto

The year suggests it, bee a while since I was in a 2b, can't remember what the controls were like. Mk2 has a knob not buttons

colm_mcm

Punto mk2.5 was knobs anyway same as your sporting, so was any grande punto I've seen.

dgt

colm_mcm wrote: »

Punto mk2.5 was knobs anyway same as your sporting, so was any grande punto I've seen.

BWs

2b was sold alongside the Grande till 2008 iirc. Have seen a few 06 and 07 2bs knocking about

mashedbanana

Stall the donkey.... we have it sorted...

One of the connections was actually gone/going brown/blackening. It was tought to pull that particular one out. Himself gave it a spit & a rub, re inserted it, and Thanks be to God, we have heat in the car.

Himself said it was the 'female' (wtf???) connector that slots onto the 'black thing'

So, we have heat for now.... does anyone have any ideas how much an actual 'resistor' piece would cost? This will have to be replaced asap.... before it happens again! :shock horror!!!

dgt, for all our help today... Thanks You :-)

(btw ya'06 Fiat Punto Grande 1.2, bought it after selling my Volvo s40 (the devils in the details lol ) )

Esel

mashedbanana wrote: »

Himself said it was the 'female' (wtf???) connector that slots onto the 'black thing'

In electrical components, 'female' = socket, 'male' = plug.

dgt

mashedbanana wrote: »

Stall the donkey.... we have it sorted...

One of the connections was actually gone/going brown/blackening. It was tought to pull that particular one out. Himself gave it a spit & a rub, re inserted it, and Thanks be to God, we have heat in the car.

Himself said it was the 'female' (wtf???) connector that slots onto the 'black thing'

So, we have heat for now.... does anyone have any ideas how much an actual 'resistor' piece would cost? This will have to be replaced asap.... before it happens again! :shock horror!!!

dgt, for all our help today... Thanks You :-)

(btw ya'06 Fiat Punto Grande 1.2, bought it after selling my Volvo s40 (the devils in the details lol ) )

Glad its sorted

Might be best to clean up the connectors on the plug and spray some WD40 on them, to kill any damp

Last one I bought was (for yet another Bavo :rolleyes:) at a discount but normally are £70 + vat from NW Kehoes in Newry, I'd imagine in or around that price for a GP

mashedbanana

Esel wrote: »

In electrical components, 'female' = socket, 'male' = plug.

It was the plug so that was starting to go brown.... not the socket.
i wonder could *just* the plug be replaced....and not the whole piece. ..

(Wouldn't ya think at this stage we'd know our sockets from our plugs?!:P)

mashedbanana

dgt wrote: »

Glad its sorted

Might be best to clean up the connectors on the plug and spray some WD40 on them, to kill any damp

Last one I bought was (for yet another Bavo :rolleyes:) at a discount but normally are £70 + vat from NW Kehoes in Newry, I'd imagine in or around that price for a GP

the wd40 is a great idea, might keep it going for a bit longer. we are in Cork so i suppose 70 pound, would be closer to a ton. Can be without the heat though!

Bruthal

Esel wrote: »

In electrical components, 'female' = socket, 'male' = plug.

And outside electrical as well

AzureAuto

Sounds like the earth wire has burnt out and melted into the connector. I have found that bypassing the earth wire from the car wiring loom around the connector and reattaching it (solder/splice) back to the earth wire of the fan unit itself is a quick and effective solution.
Ideally you would snip off the connector and reattach a good terminal connector for a longer term fix.