Two problems - Horn and AC
04-16-2011, 08:28 PM
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1997 E290 Turbo diesel
Two problems - Horn and AC
I have a 1997 E290 Turbo Diesel (2.9l, 5 cylinder) in South America. Car is fantastic and drives great. Added a K&N filter and car runs smooth and with plenty of power.
I have a few weird issues that I resolved myself but two are now outstanding. Background--the wires look mostly dried out from the heat here in S. America but the best I could do so far was wrap most in electrical tape and ensure that all connections reachable are secure. Last month my headlights went out one at a time but the middle two lamps remained in working order. SO, after fiddling with fuses to no avail (switching fuses help fix the radio), I simply swapped the bulbs from the middle two lamps to the main lamps. Just like that, all of the lights have worked ever since. Since I did not actually repair anything, I sense that the real issue was the connections jolted loose and/or wires got screwed up.
SO, last week I replaced the V-belt and the tensioner pulley and the AC stopped working. The blower blows air but only at the outside temp. Put the temp dial on cold, no change ... put it on red, no change. Always the same. No clicking or hissing from the center vent -- AC was ice cold before and fantastic. Since air blows, I am guessing the compressor/blower are fine and since the air was ice cold just last week, no reason to think the freon leaked out totally. I think it might be the temperature sensor -- where could I find that on this car to see if the connection is bad?
ALSO, today while driving I used the horn one minute and then 10 minutes later it stopped working -- no beeps! I checked the fuse listing and see that the AC and the Horn have fuses in the glove compartment (Number 28 for the latter and 3 different fuses, depending on configuration, for the AC). i will explore this right away but cannot seem to find any info on getting to the glove compartment fuse box. I ran out of light today but checked quickly the side panel on the pass. side, removed the foot panel on the pass. side, and removed the screws that I could see from the glove box inside. But, to no avail. Glove box is solid (light doesn't work, by the way) but I did not yet remove the two tabs next to the cupholders to unscew those.
ANY thoughts on this? Potentially just weird wiring/fuse issues for both or temp. sensor and unrelated horn faltering? Thanks in advance.
I have a few weird issues that I resolved myself but two are now outstanding. Background--the wires look mostly dried out from the heat here in S. America but the best I could do so far was wrap most in electrical tape and ensure that all connections reachable are secure. Last month my headlights went out one at a time but the middle two lamps remained in working order. SO, after fiddling with fuses to no avail (switching fuses help fix the radio), I simply swapped the bulbs from the middle two lamps to the main lamps. Just like that, all of the lights have worked ever since. Since I did not actually repair anything, I sense that the real issue was the connections jolted loose and/or wires got screwed up.
SO, last week I replaced the V-belt and the tensioner pulley and the AC stopped working. The blower blows air but only at the outside temp. Put the temp dial on cold, no change ... put it on red, no change. Always the same. No clicking or hissing from the center vent -- AC was ice cold before and fantastic. Since air blows, I am guessing the compressor/blower are fine and since the air was ice cold just last week, no reason to think the freon leaked out totally. I think it might be the temperature sensor -- where could I find that on this car to see if the connection is bad?
ALSO, today while driving I used the horn one minute and then 10 minutes later it stopped working -- no beeps! I checked the fuse listing and see that the AC and the Horn have fuses in the glove compartment (Number 28 for the latter and 3 different fuses, depending on configuration, for the AC). i will explore this right away but cannot seem to find any info on getting to the glove compartment fuse box. I ran out of light today but checked quickly the side panel on the pass. side, removed the foot panel on the pass. side, and removed the screws that I could see from the glove box inside. But, to no avail. Glove box is solid (light doesn't work, by the way) but I did not yet remove the two tabs next to the cupholders to unscew those.
ANY thoughts on this? Potentially just weird wiring/fuse issues for both or temp. sensor and unrelated horn faltering? Thanks in advance.
