EATC Questions

[TAM]

Hey folks -

I bought a '95 hard button eatc, installed it in my '93 sho and seemed to work fine. Then suddenly the eatc thinks it is -5 to 15 degrees outside! SO you get heat baby (and plenty of it) unless you throw it to mac a/c.

I took a look at the outside ambient air temperature sensor in the front of the car and it is hanging there kinda loose and wiggling around a lot. I try to pull it out of the socket to look for moisture and naturally I make some dumb mistake and I broke one of the clips that holds it in tight. Gave up and decided to regroup for a moment.

Just in case I ordered a new sensor from FPN I'll get next week. When I install it (surely I won't break the other retaining clip!) maybe the problem will be solved.

I ran the self test on the unit and got no bad messages. In fact, after the self test it simply displays the same messages (888, etc) that you see when you start it up.

I still have my broken button '93 unit and I took a look at swaping the button face for the broken button portion of my '93. Some of the wires look hard wired to the board in the back of the unit, but maybe they will unhook in the front.

Questions - (1) can you put the front end of a '95 eatc on the back circuits and plastic box of a '93 unit?

(2) Is there some problem throwing a '95 unit into a '93?

(3) any speculation on the ridiculous outside temperature numbers (-7 to 15%)?

(4) Any insight on the self test results?

Thanks, Tom

 

[Mr Anonymous]

You're on the right track. You might want to just swap back your old EATC to see what the OAT reading is -- if it's the same, then it's probably the sensor; if it's not then the EATC you got might be defective or not the correct one.

The front display/switch unit is soldered to the EATC logic via a flex cable. I can't remember if the pinouts are the same within the 95 and pre-95 designs and don't have both handy to check. The signalling is the same, so it can be done but might require some minor rewiring.

 

[Jr's Sho]

A couple of months ago I realized that my outside temp. was displaying a figure about 20 to 30 degrees under what it should be reading. I replaced the front temp. sensor with a used one and got no good results immediately. But a week ago, I checked it and it seems to be reading fine now. My self-test came up with no codes but I did do one thing you should too if you haven't, reset your computer by disconnecting your battery.

 

[TAM]

Thanks for the feedback and help. I tried resetting it by disconnecting the battery cable right off but it didn't help. Temp went to like 36 degrees and now it has crawled back down to -7!


Yeah, I saw that hardwired flex cable and did not think I could resolder it, but I may be the proud owner of another broken button unit. If all else fails I am going to try and rewire the front end of the '95 to the back end of the broken button '93.

I've already ordered the temperature sensor because I had some pretty goofy readings last summer - however I think the problem is probably going to be the new hard button EATC I bought off ebay.

Thanks for the help.

<small>[ May 17, 2003, 12:21 PM: Message edited by: TAM ]</small>

 

[TheNoachSHO]

Does anybody know if the newer ETAC units will work in a 90. I've swapped two 95's in and they both make it do funny things like you hit off and it goes off but the fan goes on high, or if you put it on vent it goes to the deforst. Any insight?