Hi,

the climate control panel has a blue connector. Where is this connector plugged in? What parts do I have to remove to get access?
It would be nice to avoid the removal of the wooden veneer.
My intention is to quickly test another climate control module as my module makes a strange high whining noise at low speeds every once in
a while only if the AC button is activated.
It has nothing to do with the usual insulation problem. It immediately stops if I press the AC button and deactivate the AC and start again after
reactivation. The red LED of the AC button is never burning independently of the AC setting. But the AC works fine.

Thanks Ben

 

Here is a link to a "how-to" replace the console back light bulbs which shows the steps you need to do to replace your upper panel. It's a pretty straightforward procedure and just takes an hour or so.

https://www.docdroid.net/ELjWoWy/ski...lbs-pdf#page=5

And here is an excellent video from one of our forum members.....

 

Thanks for the PDF. I looked at the pictures. The cable goes down to the J-gate on the left side. Do you know where the blue connector is located? Is it accessible without removing anything further?
I checked the electrical wiring diagram it seems that there is a connector that splits the nine control panel signals to two different connectors on the ac ecu.

The video is one of the best I've seen so far replacing the bulbs. But it's missing the disconnection of the ac control panel.

 

I have not needed to disconnect the upper console panel so am unsure as to the exact location of the blue connector, I'm afraid you would have to follow the light bulb disassembly procedure to the point of removing the upper panel and then investigate where the connecting wires lead to.

 

If I remember well, the blue connector is approx. where I put the blue circle, deeper down.

 

I will then remove the ski-slope for testing. Should not be that much of an issue. Thanks.

 

The connector is at the position of the blue circle. I disassembled it and changed the control panel. Unfortunately, the whining noise is still there.

 

So, something else is causing the AC control panel to "sing". If I am not mistaken, the only control that the AC panel may change at low speeds is the recirculation flap - it will close it. Perhaps the flap motor is bad or there is some problem with the flap. When the engine is started, the recirculation flap is normally closed (red light on the recirc. button is on) and will automatically open a bit later while driving (red light off). After the engine start, press this button once to switch the red light off (one beep) and then press and hold the button until you hear two beeps. If you then leave it there, and don't switch the engine off, the recirculation flap will always stay closed (until the next re-start of the engine). See whether this eliminates the whine.

 

I looked a the flaps. The whining noise is there only if the AC button is pressed. The flaps do not move when switching the AC on or off. I switched through all manual air distribution modes the whining noise is independent of the air distribution and temperature setting. Regarding HI and LO temperature settings. If set to LO the whining is present. If set to HI the AC is not used and therefore the whining is gone. At least I removed the glove box to check if the noise comes from the A/CCM. But this module is fine.

 

Did you experiment with the "Recirculation" button on the AC panel as I suggested?

 

Yes, I did. A long press and both flaps went and stayed into recirc mode. I did a 20-minute test drive but the noise is still there.

 

Strange issue. Well, if you are certain that the sound is coming from the AC panel box, and if all controls are working well, one solution could be to open up the box and disconnect the speaker inside (but you will lose the beeps).