Climate and gauges not working

Tiny
ABESVENOM
  • MEMBER
  • 2007 INFINITI M35
  • 3.5L
  • V6
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 149,000 MILES
My speedometer cluster gauges are not working, and the climate control is off as well. I found out my climate control module that's located above the stereo, controls both the cluster and air and it was toasted inside. So I ordered one and I just replaced it today. As soon as I plugged it in and started the car the module started smoking and no gauges or climate air worked either so I ordered few more but before I go through this again I need to know what's causing the overload? There is a small chip on the board of this controller that keeps getting hot and bubbling and getting toasted. All my fuses and relays are fine and when I had this controller module disconnected the car was running higher RPM I could hear the engine and the car overheated but when the module is connected it does not do that even though the board is toasted on the module. So something is overloading the heater control module or climate control module which is an electronic board in a white box above the Stereo or behind the climate control buttons. Did any of you guys go through this before? Does any body out there know what the problem is? I am sure if I connect the other modules I ordered they will burn as well even though they are cheep off of eBay but I need to find what's causing this overload. Will a bad blower motor cause this? Will fan control module cause this? Or is it wiring issues some where? If you know something help please.
Wednesday, September 30th, 2020 AT 11:25 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,125 POSTS
Hi,

The idea that something is causing it to overheat indicates a short or excessive amperage being drawn. There are different modules for different things related to the HVAC. The interesting part is that nothing is causing a fuse to blow and protect the circuit. Was the original OEM part burnt the same way as the replacement? I'm asking only because you mentioned they were cheap replacements and sometimes they don't meet the same specs.

I just looked through the cluster schematics as well as the HVAC schematics and don't see how the two connect.

Here is what I would do. If you have access to a scanner that can check the can bus system, I would test the entire can system to see if there is anything that indicates a specific breakdown. CAN stands for computer area network. Here is a video showing how that is done:

https://youtu.be/InIlnsjOVFA

If you are unable to do that, the next thing would be to disconnect each of the affected components and start plugging in one at a time to see which circuit is causing the problem. That is a more expensive way simply because you have to waste a module in testing.

Regardless, I am attaching wiring schematics for you. The first 4 pics are the instrument panel schematics. I had to cut them in half to make them readable, but I did overlap them so you can follow them.

_____________________________

Pics 5-8 are of the HVAC. I also overlapped them.

Take a look through them. Hopefully something will help. And yes, a shorted motor can cause an issue, but again, a fuse should protect the circuit.

_____________________________

Let me know.
Joe
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Thursday, October 1st, 2020 AT 7:18 PM

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