Mod Description
Hot or cold. No warmMod Details
PremiumNo Difficulty
Mod ID541
CreditEvilution
For
Linkhttps://www.evilution.co.uk/mod/451-heater-faults.htm Copy to ClipboardThere are 3 main issues that affect the heater and stop it functioning properly in the 451.
Blower Motor Stops Working
The cabin fans have been suffering from spark errosion on the motor interior contacts. The burning that occurs between the motor brushes and the commutator increases resistance to the point that the electricity can no longer flow into the motor, this obviously stops it working.
Click here for a fix.
Heater Won’t Blow Out Cold AC Air
This is the newest failure of the 451 heater setup. The temperature sensor inside the heater box fails. This creates the same error as having low AC gas (AC light comes on but compressor doesn’t engage).
The sensor measures the temperature of the air to ensure it’s worth putting the AC on at all. The smart doesn’t activate the AC when the air temperature is very low. Unfortunately, disconnecting or having a faulty sensor makes the car believe it’s about -40 degrees outside.
Click here to check and fix the fault.
The Temperature Selector Is Inaccurate
This fault is as old as the car itself and started to appear only months from the 451 being released. As you adjust the heater selector, you either get cold or maximum heat.
We initially believed that something on the controller PCB failed, like a chip, solder joint or sensor.
What we didn’t realise was how clever (or stupid) these control units were. It would have made sense to hard code the position of the heater selector. Oh no!
The unit attempts to accurately control the climate of the car by automatically adjusting the cabin heater flap to mix hot and cold air to reach the desired temperature selected. The problem is that the controller learns a bad habit and its control over the heater flap become erratic. So you only tend to get hot or cold.
Initially, smart would replace the entire unit but further inspection allowed them to recode and recalibrate it from the OBD port. It is believed that the new coding will stop the problem happening again. We’ll see.
Potentiometer Fault
The potentiometer that selects the temperature fails, more information here.
Diesel Heater Booster
On the diesel smart, the car has a resistive heater inside the cabin heater box to supplement the standard heater. It’s because diesel engines are more efficient so they create less heat therefore the coolant doesn’t heat up very quickly.
To make the electric heater booster work, the temperature slider must be put to maximum and the cabin fan must be spinning. However, as mentioned previously, if the calibration for the heater slider has failed, you’ll probably not be able to activate the electric heater booster.
Calibration
The heater controller monitors two cabin temperatures, one by an infrared sensor, second by the thermistor probe in the A.C. plenum found on the left side of the right hand foot well. To calibrate this system, an infrared temperature gun is required to calibrate the infrared sensor. Also, temperature probes placed in the vents as well as the vicinity of the foot well air intake. Verification of damper door calibration is also required. And the star machine to set the calibration. (Rich S, August 2011).
Other Issues
Have a look here if you are having any other problems with the heater or AC.