Air Conditioning Control Panel buttons work intermittently

[JDB]

I have a 1999 Limited. The clock displays very rarely as outlined in other post I have read but keeps perfect time. Now, the air conditioning control panel buttons work intermittently. For example, I hit the A/C button to turn the air on and it comes on. I hit it to turn it off and it goes off. I hit it to turn it back on and it may take quite a while to get it to come on or it may not. Usually, it does not work. It seems to be making the appropriate connection very seldom. The mode button and the off button also have issues. The mode works most of the time but has to be pressed hard. The off button works rarely but better than the A/C button. Mode works pretty well but has to be pressed pretty hard. The outside temp button works all the time but has to be pressed hard. The Auto button works pretty well but not always. The air flow selector works fine. So, the controls on the panel seem to work better moving from right to left. As a result no one is allowed to touch these controls for fear of not getting the air back on. I do not know that the clock and the air are related but they are situated close to one another. I have read the post about the Digital Climate Control Control Head issue. Does this sound like the same issue? If not, what?

 

[drmorbius]

I have a 1999 Limited. The clock displays very rarely as outlined in other post I have read but keeps perfect time. Now, the air conditioning control panel buttons work intermittently. For example, I hit the A/C button to turn the air on and it comes on. I hit it to turn it off and it goes off. I hit it to turn it back on and it may take quite a while to get it to come on or it may not. Usually, it does not work. It seems to be making the appropriate connection very seldom. The mode button and the off button also have issues. The mode works most of the time but has to be pressed hard. The off button works rarely but better than the A/C button. Mode works pretty well but has to be pressed pretty hard. The outside temp button works all the time but has to be pressed hard. The Auto button works pretty well but not always. The air flow selector works fine. So, the controls on the panel seem to work better moving from right to left. As a result no one is allowed to touch these controls for fear of not getting the air back on. I do not know that the clock and the air are related but they are situated close to one another. I have read the post about the Digital Climate Control Control Head issue. Does this sound like the same issue? If not, what?

Not sure if your system is anything like the 4th gen system but on a 4th gen when you push an A/C button you are really pushing a small tactile switch. These are soldered to the circuit board behind the A/C control assembly. When these switches go bad they act exactly as you have described. They are inexpensive and easy to find at electronics supply dealers. To replace you will need good soldering and desoldering skills. Otherwise they are easy to replace. If you could snap a picture of the circuit board I could tell you more.

 

[dbrooksf]

Same problem here...

I've got the automatic AC/Heat on my 2002 limited. Some of the buttons (AC, Auto, Defrost) only work some of the time. It's not a matter of how hard you push them, because when they are working you only have to touch them lightly. Also, when one doesn't work, the others don't either. I'd say they work 25% of the time.

I'm thinking of ordering a new or used auto AC/heater control panel (is that what it's called???) but have no idea where to get one at a reasonable price.

Any thoughts on fixing the button issue or replacing the control panel?

 

[JonCor2577]

Do a little searching around and you will find that there are a few companies that will rebuild them for about $150.

Search for these threads: (I have them saved on my Tapatalk so I don't know the links)

Climate Control Issues? (This one has links to the rebuild companies.)

Digital Heating System (This one has some info on some cleaning that could help the connections)

You don't want to buy a new one. They are way expensive.

Hope this helps!

 

[Jungoes]

I'm having the same trouble with my 2000 limited 4r, I bought some electrical contact cleaner and will give it a try tomorrow, seems like its a switch contact problem, I'll post some pics of the repair.

 

[TheDurk]

Before I dumped $$ on new parts I would run the on-board diagnostic check--you may just need a new sensor or servo actuator. No scanner needed, the DTC codes read out on the temp LCD. All is revealed in the on-line FSM, start here:Linky

The whole book with the codes is here: Linky

 

[JustinSmileySteele]

I'm having the same trouble with my 2000 limited 4r, I bought some electrical contact cleaner and will give it a try tomorrow, seems like its a switch contact problem, I'll post some pics of the repair.

Did this fix your problem?

 

[Jungoes]

No the contact spray did not work.. I did get it fixed though.. here us what I did.
Scrap the entire board.. And carefully place a low wattage soldering iron on the contacts.. there is a resistor array behind the LCD panel that was the culprit..... sorry I didn't take pics as I got so excited when I realized what the source of the short was..u can repair it.
The hardest part is removing the white plastic housing that holds the long wires or metal rods that connect to the LCD panel.you will need to carefully zip cut that plastic to remove it and get access to the parts. I carefully bent the LCD panel forward and went over the resistor array.. that fixed all the bugs.