Heater and "Smoke" Problems

[Jayqueueaitch]

Hi All,

I have a "51" Alhambra 1.9TDi which has done about 98,000 miles.

Last summer I had the misfortune for the 6Speed gearbox to catastrophically fail and had to be replaced together with a new clutch for good measure! So don't want to really get rid of yet as the resale won't be much and it should be good for a few miles.

Now I have 2 more problems!

1). The 4 speed Heater Fan only works on settings 3 and 4.
No fan action on 1 and 2.
When I switch to 3 or 4 the heater works ok.
However, when I switch to either 3 or 4 and the Aircon is on (when I am either using the Aircon or have the heater switch set to "Windscreen Clear") the Aircon Light GOES OFF.

It doesn't seem like a straight replacement of a faulty switch.
I have had a non Seat Diagnostic Check done by a non dealer which states 3 Faults:
Under "Heater":
a). Aircon 00926 Terminal 30 Lower limit reached.
b). Aircon - 01271 - Temperature Regulating Flap Motor open circuit will short to ground.
Under "Additional Heating"
01414 - Intake air fan V6 open circuit.
Anybody got any idea what the solution is to sort it all without costing an arm and a leg!


2). When the outside temperature is at freezing or below, after about 5 mins running (seems to be when my Turbo Fan Cuts in) a huge cloud of bluey fuel smelling smoke comes out of the exhaust. This lasts for about 5 mins and even continues if you pull over and stop at the side of the road and switch off the engine. (Continues whilst the Turbo fan keeps running). People think the car is on fire!!
This does not happen when the outside temperature is higher which leads me to think that it is not a straight "Turbo" going problem.
I am not suffering severe oil loss, I am not losing coolant. My oil stick does not overly smell of diesel.

I have had a non Seat Diagnostic Check which shows a Fault:
Under "Engine Management":
Coolant temperature Sensor open circuit will short to ground FAULT CODE (Mfr) 17664 and P1256.

I would like to fix these faults and keep the car but I am sure the resale/trade in not worth main dealer repairs.

All thoughts gratefully received!!

JQH

 

[OldNewtown]

Not a techy sort of guy so the fault codes you list mean little to me but had similar problems to the second one that you describe.
Obvious question I know but are you sure that the smoke is coming from your exhaust?
Could the smoke be coming from underneath the car?
The reason I ask is that this sounds very similar to the dreaded auxillary heater problem. When this happened to me I literally dragged the wife and children from the car as I thought it was on fire.
The auxillary heater is located below the front/rear passenger seat and burns diesel to warm the car up in cold conditions, there is a known problem with the spark plug, along with others, that causes the smoke you decribe.
If you search the forum you will see lots of threads on the aux heater.
Oh one other thing, do you get a noise like an aeroplane when you turn off the car after a short run, if so this would also point to the aux heater.
I hope this is of help, if not sorry for wasting your time.

 

[Jayqueueaitch]

Thanks for your response.
- what you describe is what I am getting and I have since seen the other threads.
Can you tell me what sort of £ did it cost you to get it fixed?
Regards
JQH

 

[OldNewtown]

Hi- I was lucky I was covered by warranty and it did not cost me a penny.
That said i have just made arrangements to get my latest Alhambra booked in for exactly the same problem.
It could be something as simple as a replacement spark plug it could be a complete replacement and i have seen figures of £600 mentioned.
I also know of some people that just removed the fuse and coped with the cold start thought others have netioned that there may be problems with that.
I would strongly recommend that you read threads on the AUX heater problem on this board and on the Ford Galaxy board as this will give you a further insight.
Sorry i could not be of more help but hope this points you in the right direction.

 

[Seat Adam]

With your heater not working on speeds 1 + 2, have you checked the heater blower resistor, if one is fitted. My MG ZR had the same fault. You will find if it is that that the speed 3 probably takes a straight power feed from the fuses and distributes it through 2 or 3 resistors.

 

[Jayqueueaitch]

Thanks for your suggestion

Thanks for your suggestion - I'll pass it on to my mechanic to check out when I drop the vehicle round to him.

 

[MJ]

the problems you are experienceing sound like or require to fix:

-A secondary heater GLOW PLUG - try this first, if it fails then you'll need a new secondary heater, or to unplug it. The reason its smoking is because its mis-firing, its a little diesel powered engine basicly - glow plug first then a heater if that fails.

-Coolant temp sensor - very common fault throughout the VAG range and can be remidied for about £50 by any decent garage - but it might be worthwhile getting the tech who looks at it just to check the joining wires for any damage or breakages at the same time - New sensor

The heater control panel - if it acts crazy and turns things off and on when you press buttons or turn dials it could be the control unit thats built into it. i dare say you'll have the heater unit at the bottom of the dash, then a storage box, then a radio and above that are 2 cup holders - any spilt liquid from these can run down and damage the heater control unit internally by causing it to short out inside - thus creating your strange fault - the remedy is a new heater control panel.

Hope that helps