Marika Posted January 18, 2005 Report Share Posted January 18, 2005 This morning I went outside and in 12F weather, the car started right up and the ECON button was working fine. Heat came up, all was well. Went to the local diner, had breakfast, came back to the car, started it........no ECON mode. Button stopped working. All the other temp control buttons are working, just not the ECON button. What now? I have it set to AUTO and keeping the temp at 90F. If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted January 18, 2005 Report Share Posted January 18, 2005 I may be wrong, but in the winter I think that the AC is used to dehumidify the air so as to minimize interior window fogging in the winter. The interior and exterior temperatures may demand AC dehumidification and stop you from using ECON, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marika Posted January 18, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2005 I may be wrong, but in the winter I think that the AC is used to dehumidify the air so as to minimize interior window fogging in the winter. The interior and exterior temperatures may demand AC dehumidification and stop you from using ECON, Mike But it originally worked, then stopped less than 1 hour later when I restarted the car. And before when I went back out to the car and started it up to come to work, it worked again and I made the mistake of pressing AUTO to which it switched and when I tried to go back to ECON it would not go back, even though it happily started out in ECON mode. I'm so confused....LOL!! If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marika Posted January 18, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2005 I'm wondering if that module I installed under the hood a few months ago is starting to go bad already. Oh yeah, forgot to mention, no codes. If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted January 18, 2005 Report Share Posted January 18, 2005 This morning I went outside and in 12F weather, the car started right up and the ECON button was working fine. Heat came up, all was well. I have it set to AUTO and keeping the temp at 90F. Marika, all should be fine for now. The A/C is locked out below about 40*F anyway, so ECON or AUTO, the A/C should not be turning on. All the ECON button does is lock the A/C off if desired. As Scotty said, if the system is in defrost mode, the A/C cannot be manually locked out, even if it's too cold for it to be in use anyway. On our '97, if I have it in defrost mode, and hit the AC button (the '97 version of the ECON button), the light will blink 3 times and then stay out...meaning I can't lock the A/C out if the HVAC system is in a mode were A/C is required, like defrost. Perhaps your car determined that the front defroster was needed and it wasn't letting you lock out the compressor? Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marika Posted January 18, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2005 This morning I went outside and in 12F weather, the car started right up and the ECON button was working fine. Heat came up, all was well. I have it set to AUTO and keeping the temp at 90F. Marika, all should be fine for now. The A/C is locked out below about 40*F anyway, so ECON or AUTO, the A/C should not be turning on. All the ECON button does is lock the A/C off if desired. As Scotty said, if the system is in defrost mode, the A/C cannot be manually locked out, even if it's too cold for it to be in use anyway. On our '97, if I have it in defrost mode, and hit the AC button (the '97 version of the ECON button), the light will blink 3 times and then stay out...meaning I can't lock the A/C out if the HVAC system is in a mode were A/C is required, like defrost. Perhaps your car determined that the front defroster was needed and it wasn't letting you lock out the compressor? Dunno!!!!! But if something is wrong I need to know and of course get it fixed ASAP. Anyone else know what might be wrong, IF something is actually wrong? If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted January 18, 2005 Report Share Posted January 18, 2005 I can't do it now, but I will look in my 91 manual later and see what the flow chart says, i dont think its a problem, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regis Posted January 18, 2005 Report Share Posted January 18, 2005 Doesn't the Econ draw air from the outside and Auto draw from the cabin? Now I know this is true with a household thermostat and I maybe wrong as far as the car one but ..... I don't think the car cabin will get warmer any faster whether the temp is set at 75 or 90°. Unless you plan on driving around in shorts and a t-shirt hmmmm ..... you may be onto something there lol. "Burns" rubber " I've never considered myself to be all that conservative, but it seems the more liberal some people get the more conservative I become. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldgamer Posted January 18, 2005 Report Share Posted January 18, 2005 This morning I went outside and in 12F weather, the car started right up and the ECON button was working fine. Heat came up, all was well. Went to the local diner, had breakfast, came back to the car, started it........no ECON mode. Button stopped working. All the other temp control buttons are working, just not the ECON button. What now? I have it set to AUTO and keeping the temp at 90F. As jadcock said, in the winter time there no much difference between ECON and AUTO modes, so use AUTO for now. Anyway A/C will be off, but heat will on just fine. It's possible that cause of it just a button...who knows. Why you set AUTO to 90F? For me it sounds kinda hot. I beleive if you set it to 70F it will heat anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted January 18, 2005 Report Share Posted January 18, 2005 There actually IS a difference in setting it at full hot (90) or full cold (60) while in auto mode. Normally, the system draws air from outside the car, regardless of ECON or AC. On our '97, there is a separate RECIRC button (looks like two arrows in a circle) where you can lock it in to recirculation mode, which draws air from inside the car. In addition, if you set it to full cold (60) or full hot (90), the system will automatically go into recirculation mode for a time, drawing interior air, so the system will reach the desired temperature quickest. In AC mode, it draws the inside air so it doesn't have to cool the hot humid exterior air. Likewise, when you're heating, it will draw inside air, so it doesn't have to heat the frigid cold air from the outside. Again, the system only goes into automatic recirculation at the extremes of the scale (60 or 90), but the distinction is there. Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted January 18, 2005 Report Share Posted January 18, 2005 I just set the climate control panel to the desired temperature and let the system do the work. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldgamer Posted January 18, 2005 Report Share Posted January 18, 2005 Thanks, I didn't know that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marika Posted January 18, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2005 I may be wrong, but in the winter I think that the AC is used to dehumidify the air so as to minimize interior window fogging in the winter. The interior and exterior temperatures may demand AC dehumidification and stop you from using ECON, Mike I just went through the owner's manual for this '92 Seville and it doesn't say anything regarding the ECON button not being available in the winter or when it's very cold. In fact, the manual states that you should use ECON in the winter when you want maximum heat in the car and you want to save fuel. I guess something went bad AGAIN on this car. If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted January 19, 2005 Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 I may be wrong, but in the winter I think that the AC is used to dehumidify the air so as to minimize interior window fogging in the winter. The interior and exterior temperatures may demand AC dehumidification and stop you from using ECON, Mike I just went through the owner's manual for this '92 Seville and it doesn't say anything regarding the ECON button not being available in the winter or when it's very cold. In fact, the manual states that you should use ECON in the winter when you want maximum heat in the car and you want to save fuel. I guess something went bad AGAIN on this car. You are sounding frustrated everytime something goes wrong, remember she is 13 years old.... What did you replace that time under the dash, the controller and why did you replace it what were the symptoms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marika Posted January 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 I may be wrong, but in the winter I think that the AC is used to dehumidify the air so as to minimize interior window fogging in the winter. The interior and exterior temperatures may demand AC dehumidification and stop you from using ECON, Mike I just went through the owner's manual for this '92 Seville and it doesn't say anything regarding the ECON button not being available in the winter or when it's very cold. In fact, the manual states that you should use ECON in the winter when you want maximum heat in the car and you want to save fuel. I guess something went bad AGAIN on this car. You are sounding frustrated everytime something goes wrong, remember she is 13 years old.... What did you replace that time under the dash, the controller and why did you replace it what were the symptoms There's a module under the hood near the firewall that apparently controls the fan and other stuff with the system that I replaced. Now this ECON button apparently does not work. Does anyone know about replacing the impulse board behind the buttons, if that's what needs to be replaced or is this a sign that the module is going bad again? Remember, this is a 1992 Seville. If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marika Posted January 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 When the module went under the hood, the fan would no longer run even though the buttons worked. Now when I press the button for ECON, the word ECON does not light up and it does not work. I have to press any other button to make the system work so I'm assuming that the impulse board behind the button is shot. If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted January 19, 2005 Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 I have been scanning my manual and there is very little besides a description regarding the ECON setting.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marika Posted January 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 OK, I just went outside in the bitter cold with a can of compressed air and started spraying the air under the switch. Then I started to press on the switch while rolling my finger on it so I was pretty much pressing it at different angles. The ECON light can ON and the unit now works in ECON mode. I turned off the engine without pressing OFF so when I turn it back on it will be in ECON mode. I'm not touching that off button!! LOL!! Dirty switch maybe? What can I spray back there to try to clean the switch or do I need to get a new impulse board? If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted January 19, 2005 Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 The module you replaced earlier is for the fan speed control, nothing more. It sounds like you have found the problem. Maybe just a good shot of shop air will do it. If not then perhaps electrical contact cleaner but be careful. That stuf can eat some plastics. You might test it with a small drop on the tip of a pencil in the corner of the panel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marika Posted January 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 The module you replaced earlier is for the fan speed control, nothing more. It sounds like you have found the problem. Maybe just a good shot of shop air will do it. If not then perhaps electrical contact cleaner but be careful. That stuf can eat some plastics. You might test it with a small drop on the tip of a pencil in the corner of the panel. Can those buttons be removed? Maybe I can clean underneath them with FREON TF and cotton swabs. I still have a can of that stuff. It was used years ago for cleaning the read/write heads from large capstan style tape drives for computers but can be used to clean anything electrical. If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted January 19, 2005 Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 You could try but I doubt it. I had a light go out on the ECC panel on an '85 Eldo and had to replace the control panel to fix it. I'm sure at very least you'll have to remove the ECC control panel and see if it can be disassembled. It is probably not intended to be repaired but I have fixed many things that were not meant to be fixed with a little investigation and enginuity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marika Posted January 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 You could try but I doubt it. I had a light go out on the ECC panel on an '85 Eldo and had to replace the control panel to fix it. I'm sure at very least you'll have to remove the ECC control panel and see if it can be disassembled. It is probably not intended to be repaired but I have fixed many things that were not meant to be fixed with a little investigation and enginuity. I'll have to look at it more closely but that's for another day. At least now I know what the problem is and I can try to tackle it. Thanks for your help and thanks to everyone else who chipped in to help. If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted January 19, 2005 Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 I just got back from a long ride. Now I know that I have a 96 and its different but i noticed this, when its on auto, I can press defrost and all is fine, if its in ECON and I press defrost ECON light goes off and AUTO comes on, undoubtedly to produce dehumidified air... just a thought for this thread and I believe someone above mentioned this... maybe jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrenJ Posted January 19, 2005 Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 Can those buttons be removed? Maybe I can clean underneath them with FREON TF and cotton swabs. I still have a can of that stuff. It was used years ago for cleaning the read/write heads from large capstan style tape drives for computers but can be used to clean anything electrical. I'd be wary of using FREON TF on your switch contacts. That stuff will leave them bone dry and a candidate for rapid oxidation. Rather, use an electrical contact cleaner that purposely leaves behind a light coating designed to prevent oxidation. Of course, no reason you can't drown it in TF first. Regards, Warren EDIT: Oh, and pay close attention to any flammability warnings on the contact cleaner can. They'll often recommend air drying for a period of time. There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marika Posted January 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 I just got back from a long ride. Now I know that I have a 96 and its different but i noticed this, when its on auto, I can press defrost and all is fine, if its in ECON and I press defrost ECON light goes off and AUTO comes on, undoubtedly to produce dehumidified air... just a thought for this thread and I believe someone above mentioned this... maybe jason This morning I got up and went out to the car (got dressed first) and started it up. First, the starter motor seized and would spin and not engage. That set me cursing for a few golden seconds. Finally got the car started and the ECON light was on and the heat started to come up after the coolant temp reached 104F. Temperature was 8F outside. Went to have breakfast and left the car running, doors locked. Came back out and the car was toasty warm. I was sweating inside the car!! I'm not touching that OFF button, that's for sure. I don't understand the logic behind the AUTO setting in the winter time. Even if there's moisture in the air, I would think the pure, hot air produced by leaving the setting on ECON would be much better at getting the moisture out of your car. Even my door locks were moving freely again after the car heated up while on ECON and you use less gas according to the owners manual. If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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