Climate Control - Your problems? fixes? experiences?

[89s rule]

I am wondering if I should just go ahead and send mine in. Mine works OK but if you spin the knobs fast it will not respond correctly as the temp may not change or it may even go the other direction. I figure its only a matter of time.

 

[Trub]

Just picked up a 99 with CC and it has the same issues. Going to try the DeoxIT first and see if that works before spending the cash.

 

[ncsugrad2006]

Got it back now! And this thing is awesome now! It's probably better than when it was new! Everything work flawlessly and with just a regular push of the buttons! No more pushing so hard it seemed I was going to break the plastic!

So on their website it's $150 + shipping.

But you can find their auctions on Ebay for alot cheaper! I payed $98 with Free Shipping for mine!

I recommend these guys 100%!!

For less money than 2 tanks of gas, I can now use my climate control again! Can you tell how happy I am? lol! arty:

Sorry for dragging up an old thread, but I don't think there is enough feedback out there, and there should be.

The only thing that worked on my climate control was the temperature knob, which thankfully kept me able to at least adjust the temperature and live with it. I am now selling mine, and the buyer wanted this fixed prior to taking ownership.

I sent mine in on Monday (shipped Monday, got there Tuesday). They fixed it Tuesday, tested it Wednesday morning and shipped it out Wednesday. It arrived yesterday afternoon and I re-installed it this morning

The verdict: EVERYTHING WORKS! Wish I had had this done a long time ago. These guys were good to work with so I recommend them. If you're on a time crunch try to let them know--they sure helped me out.

edit: I used that AutoECU company, for what it's worth

 

[KAILUAZ]

Good to hear and thanks for posting. Mine is doing all of the above so I might give them a try.

 

[Mindomission]

Mine 2002 had classic button problems - hit or miss, sometimes worked partly, 'Auto' LED never came on. I happened to hit it just right one day recently and it all worked. So (being the former electronics tech that I am - or was) I knew it was intermittent connections. So a couple of days ago I pulled out the board with the display and buttons and began looking for problems.

Of course, there were no obvious bad connections (broken solder joints) but it is a two-sided board (circuit traces on both sides). There are feed-throughs all over the board that connect the two sides. I took a small soldering IRON (15-25 watt - DON'T USE YOUR 200 watt Weller gun or you will destroy the board) and went over each solder connection (adding a small dab of solder every now and then to the IRON to transfer heat). Be careful not to short across conections (some are very close).

I put it all back together and it works great now (except the lights are burned out - next project). The feed-throughs probably break loose after pressing the buttons a few thousand times and they become intermittent. Which one is anybody's guess, but I made sure I got the ones near buttons done well.

Mad props, 98OR, for posting this! Became inspired, frustrated enough or bored (perhaps all of the above) yesterday. Went to O'reilly and picked up a 30-watt soldering iron and a roll of rosin core 1/16" solder (about 12 clams total).

Sat down and got comfortable cuz I didn't know how long I was going to be there. Put the CC module face down on the table and heated the soldering iron. I made sure the module was stable, didn't want it moving around. I noticed that the feed-throughs are labeled, i.e. "sw3" or "LED4". I didn't mess with the LED bleed-throughs, cuz I know the lights are fine. Only touched each bleed-through long enough to make the solder liquid and removed the iron. Some formed a hole in the solder. I retouched the bleed-through and added a small amount of solder to fill the hole. Looked it over afterward to admire my "maiden-voyage-with-a-soldering-iron" handywork, and slapped it all back together. The whole start to finish time: less than an hour.

NOTE: There is the ribbon cable that links the two circuit boards together. At the connector that holds it to the circuit board behind the control module, there is a small collar on the outside edge of the connector. It needs to slide away from the connector to release the ribbon. Be careful. We're only talking a 1/32" that it has to slide. Tweasers may help with this. Don't get in a hurry, your patience is needed for this project. When putting it back together, insert the ribbon and reslide the collar toward the connector. You will feel it click into place. This will now keep the ribbon cable from coming loose from the connector.

If I can do it, it is a no-brain operation. The most important tool to use is PATIENCE!

BTW, plugged it into the wiring harness in the dash and it worked perfectly. Every knob, every button!

CARRY ON!!

 

[drtyjerz47]

i have been having the same problem with my 99, it works sometimes then it doesnt. it will go into self-diagnosis mode and i have to piss with it for a couple of minutes holding off and mode at same time then hitting a few other buttons just to get it working. I have never came across any related articles that describe a solution or for that matter what is exactly wrong, also no service bulletins are posted for the problems, nor does the toyota or lexus dealership mechanics have heard any problems, so i guess i will bite the bullet and take it apart and see whats going on, keep you posted if i come into contact with any real noticeable problems.

this guy does them for 70$ i haven't personally used him but he's got outstanding reviews
1999 2000 2001 2002 Toyota 4 Runner 4Runner Digital Climate Control Repair Servi | eBay

 

[MountainBiker]

this guy does them for 70$ i haven't personally used him but he's got outstanding reviews
1999 2000 2001 2002 Toyota 4 Runner 4Runner Digital Climate Control Repair Servi | eBay

I just used this provider on ebay (mandigital) 4 weeks ago. $70 (plus cost of shipping on the way out), fast turnaround time, and working perfectly so far!

Before getting the rebuild service, I replaced all 4 bulbs. I figured that after 14 years, they would go out soon, and Mandigital puts a seal on the CC, so replacing the bulbs after the service would void the warranty.

Problems before the servicing were:
- most buttons and knobs wouldn't work every time
- temperature knob goes in reverse sometimes (I'd turn it clockwise, but the temp setting would go down!)
- sometimes the "mode" would switch on it's own, either when I restarted the vehicle, or even just driving along

All of those issues were fixed!

 

[MountainBiker]

I just used this provider on ebay (mandigital) 4 weeks ago. $70 (plus cost of shipping on the way out), fast turnaround time, and working perfectly so far
.
.
.

All of those issues were fixed!

3 month follow-up:
I don't hate the climate control anymore! I'd still prefer manual controls that were on the SR5, but at least the climate control works as it is supposed to.

 

[skier46er]

I don't know what to tell you if you aren't using the factory replacement bulbs. They are not LED, they are bulbs. If you look at the schematic, there are a bunch of them and they typically cost $5-$9 each. I have replaced all of mine...because, like yours they were all burned out and you can't see anything at night.

How did you replace the bulbs and where can I find them?

 

[JRZEE2000TR4LTD]

How did you replace the bulbs and where can I find them?

Check this link for the LED replacements



http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...-climate-control-dash-bulbs-2000-limited.html

I used these

https://www.superbrightleds.com/mor...ulb-high-power-instrument-panel-led/221/1008/

https://www.superbrightleds.com/mor...ulb-high-power-instrument-panel-led/221/1003/

 

[Labrum777]

Does anyone have pictures?

 

[JRZEE2000TR4LTD]

Does anyone have pictures?

Pictures of what??

 

[Labrum777]

Pictures of the Climate Control unit apart showing where they soldered?

 

[ATX4Yota]

Mad props, 98OR, for posting this! Became inspired, frustrated enough or bored (perhaps all of the above) yesterday. Went to O'reilly and picked up a 30-watt soldering iron and a roll of rosin core 1/16" solder (about 12 clams total).

Sat down and got comfortable cuz I didn't know how long I was going to be there. Put the CC module face down on the table and heated the soldering iron. I made sure the module was stable, didn't want it moving around. I noticed that the feed-throughs are labeled, i.e. "sw3" or "LED4". I didn't mess with the LED bleed-throughs, cuz I know the lights are fine. Only touched each bleed-through long enough to make the solder liquid and removed the iron. Some formed a hole in the solder. I retouched the bleed-through and added a small amount of solder to fill the hole. Looked it over afterward to admire my "maiden-voyage-with-a-soldering-iron" handywork, and slapped it all back together. The whole start to finish time: less than an hour.

NOTE: There is the ribbon cable that links the two circuit boards together. At the connector that holds it to the circuit board behind the control module, there is a small collar on the outside edge of the connector. It needs to slide away from the connector to release the ribbon. Be careful. We're only talking a 1/32" that it has to slide. Tweasers may help with this. Don't get in a hurry, your patience is needed for this project. When putting it back together, insert the ribbon and reslide the collar toward the connector. You will feel it click into place. This will now keep the ribbon cable from coming loose from the connector.

If I can do it, it is a no-brain operation. The most important tool to use is PATIENCE!

BTW, plugged it into the wiring harness in the dash and it worked perfectly. Every knob, every button!

CARRY ON!!

I just bought my first T4R today! The Climate Control Module was acting a bit weird (very similar to issues listed in this thread) but figured I needed to read the operating instructions. I'm going to give your solution a try this weekend and will post results.

 

[Mindomission]

I just bought my first T4R today! The Climate Control Module was acting a bit weird (very similar to issues listed in this thread) but figured I needed to read the operating instructions. I'm going to give your solution a try this weekend and will post results.

It's always nice to read about a new owner and forum member. Welcome to the club. You may want to read this thread, sort of a sequel to the one you're reading.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/210485-2001-2002-climate-control-unit.html#post2246254
Note the members' names and dates posted. As Paul Harvey once said, "And now you know the rest of the story." Definitely a simpler solution.

 

[ATX4Yota]

Thanks for the 'welcome' and updated info Randy. Will remove the controller in the next couple days and ship it JRZEE2000TR4LTD.

Side note...I've been browsing this site for several weeks in preparation for buying my first Runner. The info gained here thus far has been priceless and I'm sure it will continue. I want to thank all members for their time and sharing of knowledge.

 

[lulu95726]

FIX for Climate Control issues - 99 00 01 02

I just bought a '99 Ltd and the climate control unit had a mind of it's own.
Luckily from lots of online research I found someone on EBay that repairs
the board and gives a lifetime warranty. All for $48. The best news is that
the turnaround was so fast - in my case - 1 day ! Now it works perfectly.
Just wanted to share with everyone !

Toyota 4Runner 4 Runner Limited Climate Control Heat AC Repair 99 00 01 02 | eBay

 

[Miyota]

There is a person on ebay who actually fixes these from what I understand. You ship your unit to him and he repairs / refurbs it and return ships it. Here is one example I found. There are others.... eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices

Good luck!

I did this with my auto climate control unit. Shipped it out of Maine on a Monday and had it back from them on Friday of the same week. So far i have had no issues and it has been about 6 months since they did it. I though the cost was a little much but it was so worth it in the end.

 

[tystaco]

Has anyone had this not work for them? I just tore mine apart today and hit the solder points on all of the switches....and I am still having the same issues I had before.

Do I need to hit ALL solder points? Is the DeoxIt that important?

 

[RockyrT4R]

Somewhat fix...

I took it all the way apart so I had just the button panel and with an air compressor blew out the buttons and pushed the little buttons in and messed around with it, it got a few buttons to start working again but then i did it again and it reversed the effects some how But if you mess around with the buttons on the panel(just the panel not any of the plastic pieces that go on the buttons.