Heater/climate Control Confustion

[cooper12000]

hi all, I am throughly confused with this climate control set up. last night i was driving back from essex and the windscreen kept fogging up. everytime i put the demister on the temp went down on the setting and the aircon came on. soon as i turned the aircon off the recycled air vents opened so i had to fiddle a third time and turn the recycled air off and turn on the fresh. that didnt seem to clear the windows so i tried the automatic setting and although that eventualy cleared the windscreen it blasted cold air into the cabin for 20 mins despite the heater being on max temp.

after clearing the windows no matter how i set the controls all i got was cold air for a good 20 miles with the engine upto temp (was fearing an air lock). in the end i turned the whole thing off . 10 mins later i was able to stop and as soon as i was stationary and turned the heater on it was boiling hot the whole car was lovely and warm in moments. carried on home and turned the heat down. all of a sudden the windscreen misted again as i was in the outside lane of the m20 and once again the whole demist issue started again with it blasting cold air everywhere.

my questions r these.......

1) how do u work this !Removed! contraption

2) should the aircon be on regardless of wanting warm air

3) does anyone else have issues with the windscreen misting up constantly

4) why is the hot air soooo hit and miss as to weather i would get it,

sorry for the silly questions and rambaling but its getting on my wick

thanks

coop

[alan333]

Air-con dries the air and can be used on hot setting as well as cold so It's not uncommon for air-con to switch itself on when on "screen" mode, but it shouldn't affect the temperature. On my T27 if I have it on "auto" mode with air-con off and press the screen button the air-con comes on, the flow changes to screen and the fan changes to one notch down from full flow. When I press it again it reverts to the setting it was at before, although I think it leaves air-con on. If, however, it's not on "auto" mode I think it only changes the flow to screen and leaves the fan at whatever speed it was at. I'm not sure whether the air-con comes on or not tho.

It sounds like there might be an air lock or something more sinister with yours tho, cos when set to hot it should blow hot. Also check the pollen filter, if it's choked there'll be a restricted air flow and it'll affect yourcscreen.

[cooper12000]

where is the pollen filter?

[alan333]

Behind the glove box. Open the glove box and remove the small damper at the left side, slightly squeeze the sides of the glove box together and pull the whole thing through the gap. You'll see the filter, unclip the black cover and slde the filter out.

[cooper12000]

had a quick look at the coolent lvl etc and the header tank was practicaly empty although the car hasnt overheated and no signs of hgf. i put a good couple of liters of water in and ran the engine for 5 mins although i didnt let it come up to temp and left it for another 5 mins when i looked at the lvl it was back to where it was b4. im ****** off cos this car was supposed to be serviced it hasnt been looked at for ages. the air filter is black the oil is black. power steering fluid needs changing. nothing has been touched. ill have to do it all myself and get everything right b4 i can go anyfurther with these issues.

coop

[alan333]

The low coolant level will almost definitely be why your heater is misbehaving. The reason why the coolant is low might be a bit more sinister tho, like head or head gasket failure. On the other hand it might just have a leak somewhere, or not have been topped up since it was new or something. The first thing I'd do would be to find out what's happening.

If the header tank was empty then you'd be better to check/fill the radiator first. Take off the front engine cover and you should get to the rad cap. Mind if it's hot you could get scalded when removing it so be careful. Fill it to the top and see if there's any bleed nipples around the system. If so then open it/them, starting nearest the bottom if there's a few. If there are none then squeeze all the hoses until bubbles stop appearing at the rad cap. Leave the cap off and run the engine til warm, topping up as necessary. If the coolant is being thrown out while the engine is running it could be compression gases and could point to HG failure. Once confident it's not sucking any more coolant in then put the cap back on and fill the expansion tank. Check it after it's been a run, tomorrow, the day after, and next week. If it's using coolant then you need to figure out if it's a leak or if the engine is using it.

Skip the expense of anti-freeze until you know whether you're going to put it down a drain next week or not. Unless you think the weather will be cold enough to freeze the system in the mean time.

[alan333]

Just another thought... Apparently the 2.2 diesel had an extended 7 year or 100k miles warranty on the CHG, dependant on full service history. Perhaps someone with more specific knowledge can say whether the 2.0 had the same deal.

[saxo265]

Sorry to hear you have a problem coop, two thoughts really. Windscreen misting up a lot especially now,dry weather conditions could be heater matrix leaking under dash causing excessive misting, especially as you have a water loss issue.Any wet carpets? Re topping up with water only I would not risk as the anti freeze used these days are not just to stop freezing but rust inhibitors. if just water is added,mixed with the air that is replacing the coolant could cause problems later on. Just hope it has not been leaking for long n' water been added over this time. I would have the system pressure tested first for an indication of leak. Have you smelt anything sweet or old socks when misted up? if so could be the anti freeze. The oil is dirty as you say but have you noticed any froth/gunge in it,if so could indicate HG problem. Not trying to pee on your parade or teach you things you already know, just a something to perhaps have a look at. Hope you get it sorted ok n' something simple to fix. Good luck! Nick.

[cooper12000]

no sign of hgf!!!! trust me thats the first thing i checked. however when i took the cap off the tank it had pressure behind it even though the car had been stood for 12 hours. i will change the coolent and look for water leaks b4 i go any further.

coop

[lee69]

hi,i have avensis 1.8 on 04 ..when i put the fan on hot or cold i get a smell of gearbox oil . i have checked for ant oil or gearbox oil leak and there is none . after driving for 20 mins ,when i stop i can smell it from the left side of the car,very strong gearbox oil smell. can anyone have any idea , help needed please

[t-spiritpete]

First of all check the pollen filter behind the glove box.

Pete.

[lee69]

changed the pollen filter and serviced it .as soon as the car is at running tempure the smell is bad ,even under the bonnet or standing on the n/s with the bonnet shut .