heater not working on 306

[muhsin]

Hello everyone,

I bought this 1998 306 lx dt last July, and forgot to check the heater before buying it (well, the weather was nice and warm then...).

The heater fan had been disconnected under the passenger side fascia, and when I connected it it worked briefly then stopped. Turned out the fuse had blown. On inspecting the heater controls and adjacent wiring, I noticed two of the wires connecting to the controls had melted together, and had burnt themselves bare further down and into the loom. Some evidence of burning in the connector socket as well.

I suspect that the source of the problem may be in the heater control unit, and I plan to find a replacement from the scrapyard when I have time to go there. Anyone have any related experience with failing heater units on the 306?

I have also looked for a thermostat/switch unit around the matrix which sits on top of the engine, but can't find anything. This is my first 306, and I don't have a manual for it yet, so any comments from someone in the know would be welcome.

[spider]

If I remember correctly, the resistor unit is sat in the air intake.

To access stop the wipers when they are upright (just turn ignition off) and remove the scuttle trim on the passenger side.

The cabin air intake is below that, you will see that. I'm pretty sure the resistor unit lives there.


Models with A/C maybe slightly different as they have a much different control system (about two dozen steps on the fan speed instead of 1,2,3,4) , however I would still look in the air intake.

[muhsin]

Sorry I only just saw ur post. Thanks for the reply. I'll take a look at it in the morning and post my findings.

How about the cause of the electrical failure? I am guessing it must be a short circuit that caused the wires to burn and the fuse to blow, but any ideas where that might be?

[muhsin]

Oh and yes, this car has A/C, but like everything else on the heater control panel (apart from the lights), it doesn't appear to be working...

[muhsin]

well I am back on the forum again after ignoring the problem but it is TOO DAMN COLD to ignore any longer!

[muhsin]

If I remember correctly, the resistor unit is sat in the air intake.

Excuse my ignorance but why should I check the resistor? I just want to replace the heater console and run a fresh cable from the fuse box (no.21- a 30 amp fuse for a/c and ventilation) direct to the heating console connector, isolating and/or removing the burnt out and shortcircuiting cable of course.

D'you think it'll work then?

[spider]

If I remember correctly, the resistor unit is sat in the air intake.

Excuse my ignorance but why should I check the resistor? I just want to replace the heater console and run a fresh cable from the fuse box (no.21- a 30 amp fuse for a/c and ventilation) direct to the heating console connector, isolating and/or removing the burnt out and shortcircuiting cable of course.

D'you think it'll work then?

The resistor may be the actual 'cause' of the issue.

[muhsin]

Hi Andy, thanks for that.

At the moment I have an 'expert' from JustAnswer.com helping me to fix the burnt out wiring to the heater console. I picked up a spare console today, the old one is totally O/S, solenoid is burst on the circuit board etc etc.

I am going to try and wire up the new console tomorrow, together with the fan (it was the heater fan wires that caused the short circuit). If it works, then I have to see if there is any heat coming into the car, as haven't noticed any warm air coming into the car whilst driving since I bought it.

I will post any progress or new issues and let you know how I get on.