No heating, no A/C, no radio

[Homeoboxter]

Hi All,

Going through the numerous issues the grey Boxster S has the next one coming up is the heating. The heating panel is completely dark and unresponsive, and so is the radio. I checked the fuses, they are all good. Looking at the wiring diagram, nothing obvious seems to come up, such as common grounding point, connector, etc., that would lead to the lack of power suppy to both the heating panel and the radio but would leave everything else unaffected. Before I tear into the dashboard, I just wanted to ask around if it rings a bell to anyone.

[Tailwind]

Ignition Switch? Try moving it slightly without starting.

[Homeoboxter]

Originally Posted by Tailwind

Ignition Switch? Try moving it slightly without starting.

Thanks, I`ll look into that, although I don`t see how all the rest of functions would remain unaffected if it was the ignition switch.

[Homeoboxter]

Looks like I found out why the heating system is not working. It`s not related to the radio as I thought originally, that`s a separate problem. Anyone with a good working unit to sell?

[piper6909]

Originally Posted by Homeoboxter

Looks like I found out why the heating system is not working. It`s not related to the radio as I thought originally, that`s a separate problem. Anyone with a good working unit to sell?

If you do find one, I'd try to find out what caused it before you put a new one in. It looks like a short or a circuit overload from some source caused that kind of damage. And maybe your radio is a casualty of the same event. That could be a clue as to where to begin your investigation.

[Homeoboxter]

Originally Posted by piper6909

If you do find one, I'd try to find out what caused it before you put a new one in. It looks like a short or a circuit overload from some source caused that kind of damage. And maybe your radio is a casualty of the same event. That could be a clue as to where to begin your investigation.

Yeah, I agree, I`ll try not to fry the new one instantly. I will look around for modifications and check the actuators, perhaps one got stuck. I don`t think that should overload the controller such that it fries though, it should just throw an error message. As for the radio, the little fuse in the back of it is blown, so something was going on there too... To me it seems something was not working well and some attempts were made before me to fix it and it all went south. I just don`t know what...

[Homeoboxter]

Quick update on this thread: simply replacing the HVAC controller solved the issue, now I have heating, A/C, all functions work and the new unit did not burn down (yet). Thanks for all who commented and helped me finding a replacement!

I also replaced the connector because the original was mouldering, pieces broke off from it upon touch. It`s nice from Porsche to build a car that slowly disintegrates in about 20 years so it won`t be such a big burden for the environment. Very thoughtful.

Below is the original and the replacement is on top. The replacement is also used, but it`s somewhat newer, perhaps from 2002.



It also has this organizer/protector piece that slides in between the wires and help separating them. This part was missing on mine, which may have caused some sort of short and ended up burning down the circuit board.



Rebuilt connector.