Jeff115

Sorry for delay, am home alone minding young 'uns for couple of days :lol: Yes, MM, if we agree that the ambient temperature sensor in the plenum chamber just closes to allow full current to pass through when temperature is less than 10 degrees then I agree and I cannot see how this simple switch could protect the a/c by stopping the operation/engagement of the a/c clutch at temperatures < 1 degree. I can see how it works for the heater i.e. closes the circuit from alternator to booster heater (or clock switch to additional heater), on diesel engined models, when temperature less that 10 degrees to fire the heater and provides supplementary heating to coolant. However the Seat / VW workshop manual does depict and describe that this ambient temperature sensor does switch off the a/c magnetic coupling at low ambient temperatures (off @ -1 degrees and on at +7 degrees) in the case of a/c systems with manual controls from 06-2000. I wonder could this work in a similar way to disengaging the a/c coupling when you floor the accelerator? Is this done using the ECU? For a/c systems with manual controls to 05-2000 the ambient temperature switch is shown under and to RHS of the thermo switch (mid-engine chamber) but with same described functionality as above. For a/c systems with Climatronic to 05-2000 the same switch is depicted as Manual and to 05-2000 but function is described as

Hi Simon, You did not say why you changed the glow plug - a faulty glow plug e.g. open circuit, could have let to a fault being logged in the ECU which may now need to be cleared before booster will again fire with new glow plug. Was it working OK before you changed the plug? Regards, J.

Beg to repeat... If, as the SEAT workshop manuals suggest, that the ambient temperature sensor which is clipped to the wiper arm in the plenum chamber both controls operation of the booster heater AND protects the a/c by stopping the operation/engagement of the a/c clutch at temperatures < 1 degree, then if you bypass the ambient temperature sensor by using a resistor or a mini-fuse will your a/c attempt to work at low temperatures thus potentially damaging it? MM and adekeys - does your a/c still work at < 1 degree ambient temp? Hope not, regards, J.

Need anyone say more? :angry: Regards, J (unclear :lol: )

Sorry to quote my own post but a thought just occurred :P - if one bypasses the ambient temperature sensor using a resistor as suggested on another post, then what effect will this have on your a/c i.e. will this stop your a/c working? Regards, J.

Sounds like booster heater glow plug trouble :P , mikef - join the gang. I'd agree with johnb80's experience of booster heating having my own expeeiences with and without boost - you definitely get heat within a couple of minutes with it compared to > 20 without boost - (depending on driving i.e. tdi will heat up quicker under load) Regards, J.

Apologies for misleading you seatkid, 'F38' is a VW/SEAT naming convention for the ambient temperature switch taken from both Additional Heater and Heating and A/C Workshop manuals. TIS obviously has a different naming However Additional Heater manual says and depicts that this switch controls auxiliary / booster heater operation wrt ambient temp and Heating and A/C manual says that it switches off the a/c clutch at temp < 1degrees. Regards, J.

I tried this, MM, but booster again did not fire up until I had travelled half a mile or so. I suspect that it might be due to the movement / pumping of coolant past the coolant temperature sensor located in the heater. However it's only a minor issue. Thx, J.

The ambient temperature switch (F38) located on the wiper linkage and behind the battery: 1. switches on booster heater to heat coolant at temperature less than 10 degrees plus 2. switches off a/c magnetic coupling (clutch) at low ambient temperatures I previosly thought that the temp. sensor at the fog lamp controlled the a/c but there you go, Regards, J.

Hi Oggy, I managed to fix my booster heater recently enough - it only took me so long (several dismantlings and component checkings later :) ) because I believed a Ford mech. who assured me that the glow plug was fine - it's been sweet ever since with no smoking :P After I fitted the new plug (and cleared a Flame out DTC using VAG-COM) initially there was a lot of smoke but not since. Your 'local garage' must have cleared the glow plug open circuit (DTC 01491) to allow it to work again. Did they mention this or that the replacement plug was a revised version (Beru 0100.226.340)?

Hi Oggy, Yes, I subscribed to this and it does describe my booster heater plus other types of additional/auxilliary heaters. There is a manufacturers plate on the control unit side of the booster heater e.g. mines a 2002 Zetec non-climatrronic and has the EBERSPACHER 5000 watt booster heater unit identified as D5WZ - fault diagnostics (applicable to VAG-COM), removal, dismantling are covered in this workshop manual. Regards, J. Have been a bit infrequent on the forum recently - are you still having trouble with your booster heater?

No piccy Oggy, but you cannot miss the ambient temp sensor on the wiper arm linkage in the engine compartment and behind the battery. From memory it was made of a copper alloy metal with a blue connector and two cables running to it. You can also test it by spraying it with burn spray i.e. chlling agent to allow current to pass through it. I have not come across anyone that's found it to be faulty? J.

Yes, MM for the glow plug - I got one too earlier this year (

Beg to differ, You DO NEED to remove the two 4x10mm sunken 'bolts' at the top of the control unit plus the two 'socket head screws' (5x15mm + 5x65mm) at the bottom and you will need a torx screw driver or socket to do this. The control unit is attached to the side of the booster heater and covers access to the glow plug. In my case the 5x65mm socket head screw plus one of the 4x10mm bolts was seized and required a lot of teasing to get it out. I believe that you can get a service kit incl. the gaskets bolts and screws from VW or Ford for only a few quid so I'd recommend this if you're already going to buy a new glow plug. I understand that the glow plug for the booster heater was revised - you could mail Beru? Regards, Jeff.

Hi Dave, I was logging on to ask if you then had the cooland run-on pump (V51) as you should have either V55 or V51 but your PM answered that for me (I'll get back on the Seat Workshop Manual). I'm tempted to suggest that you attach a fluorescent glow tube in place of your 12v headlight bulb so that you complete the space theme i.e. jet turbine sound plus glowing purple light from under your Galaxy but you're probably not in a good mood for jokes as you've no heat at the moment :ph34r: I'd follow Mike's suggestion, if you can weather-proof the connection. You don't say in previous mails if the aux heater has ever worked for you so I assume that you've inherited the problem? I'd say that someone previous to you has failed to diagnose the problem. I'd say that the connector is for the recirculation pump which you do not need as you have the run-on pump - could someone else have re-fitted an aux heater not appropriate to your car with the additional connection? Regards, J.

Hi Dave, Do you have the physical recirculation pump (V55) in front of / near the booster heater unit and on the coolant circuit? It seems (from drawings) to be surrounded by a retainer box. Docs. seems pretty vague about it but it seems to be installed with engines which do not have the coolant run-on pump. Unfortunately if suspect the only remedy recomended if open circuit, after checking wiring and connections, is renewal. :ph34r: Regards, J.

Me too, I'm near 30k with good pad life left and little apparent wear on the discs. I'm in the process of preparing for an advanced driving test and seemingly the latest thinking is that 'brakes are for stopping and gears are for going' i.e. you should'nt go down through the gears to assist deceleration as 1. your left hand is leaving the sterring wheel unnecessarily during braking to change gears and 2. it's better to use brakes only while braking and avoid unnecessary wear and tear on your gearbox. Well I'm having a tough time adjusting after 20+ years doing it, (esp. earlier years on bikes when habit was formed), but I have to say it I'm adapting :( ATB'J.

This one's heading for the 5000 views :P I see that martin's raised another one this year 'just out of curiosity' For my 2005 tuppence worth: Mine stopped working; VAG-COM reported flame out, flame interruption, combustion blower fault but dealer insisted that glow plug was fine; I dismantled without disconnecting coolant pipes (as GSMGuy directions) but no apparent fault; I replaced the glow plug (excellent service from Lloyd Parchment @ Hans Motors, thanks Mike ) ; I cleared the DTC's using VAG-COM and it's worked fine ever since. Glow plug new part no. is 0 100 226 340 Aux heater unit can be removed from under car quite easily when bracket bolts are removed but watch out for dislodged dirt in your eyes ; dont' stretch the wiring harness and support the unit on a block when you drop it down. The 4 torx screws on the end of the body (control unit) may be heat-seized and dirt clogged so plenty of WD-40 but otherwise replacing the glow plug is not difficult and no specialist tools required. You'll need a new clip for the fuel pipe (about 5-10mm) and I put some silicone under the the plastic cover of the cover of the water jacket as it has lifted. Fuel pump and blower unit operation can be tested using VAG-COM without dismantling. regards, J.

Hi Rich, I got my VAG_COM Key-Pro interface cable from http://www.skpang.co.uk/ It connects from serial or USB port on laptop to interface port (under steering wheel in my case) in Galaxy. I see that it's now priced at

Hi MM, VAG-Com should have interrogated Address 18 to Auxilliary Heater control unit as this address was included in the VW Sharan profile that you ran. Did you get a comm's failure error message on Address 18 during the scan? Did it attempt to connect several times and time out each time? Can you elect to connect directly to Address 18 via the VAG-COM interface? I've used VAG-COM many times to connect to the Aux Heater controller without issue. Mines an '02 tdi, I wonder if the interface is different? I'm not sure what you mean by 'Does this mean there are two versions, one a dumb unit and one that logs faults?' Regards, J.

You should be able to upload an image and host it from here http://imageshack.us/index.php OR http://www.citroenpicasso.org.uk/picasso/i...hp?showforum=34 Guest Area

Well done, Ivor, 'bout time someone gave the pictorial edition - this should help a lot of people :) 3 observations 1. centre piece/cover for air blower - I did not notice the insulation on mine. This must be a mod to try and reduce the noise from the blower http://img96.echo.cx/img96/4825/pict00142dg.jpg 2. cover for water jacket at end of coolant pipes - I noticed that this was also raised in the centre on mine and tried without joy to fit it tightly down. Bad design as it must allow water and dirt ingress. 3. you're a brave man - did you tell SWMBO before you took the sheet off the bed :) Did you have much trouble getting the control unit/end plate screws out? I had a bit of grief there as they were seized. Regards, Jeff.

Yes, Oggy, DO YOU NOT DISMANTLE YOUR A/C EVERY WEEK-END :lol: for the craic, like? YOU'D BETTER GET A TRANSLATOR, THEN Seriously though, my 'electrical expertise' at 12v is limited to DIY on previous cars and bikes. Day job is connected but on software side and at a much higher voltage :D Nowadays, I'll avoid diagnostics and repairs on the Galaxy that I don't fully understand or that require specialist tools especially where it could endanger my valuable cargo i.e. SWMBO + kids. In sad_git's case above I was purely reading the manual to analyse the DTC's for him :D as I have not had occasion yet to visit my air con for a fault. Regards, Jeff.

Hi s_g, Glad that you got it sorted :D Here's a link to the erwin site for the Seat Heating and A/C Workshop Manual. I've been lazy and quoted from a previous :lol:

shefki, Obviously if the smoke was excessive then you could have a problem. However could it just have been a still day and you've never noticed the smoke before? Alternatively if there is a fault it could be relatively simple such as a faulty glow plug (most common problem), bad fuel to air mix/faulty metering pump. Do a Search on the forum for 'auxiliary' or 'booster' and get a flavour of the different issues with the unit. Bring some print-outs to the 'local dealer'. At least yours is still working albeit potentially faulty :lol: You will get a better picture of the damage using VAG-COM (again do Search for more info ! ) if there's a willing forum member local to you or dealer using VAG 1551 diagnostics on the fault code returned by the booster heater control unit. Mark, Please explain