98 Regal GS climate control display dim or out

[DrDave1958]

My climate control display (e.g. shows temp, fan speed, air flow direction...etc) went out a while back. I noticed that if the car is out in the cold (below 15°F) for a while, the display works until the interior warms ups. This tells me there's probably a loose connection somewhere that "makes" due to the shrinkage from the cold. Does this mean I need to replace the unit, or could I possibly repair it myself? If it needs repaired professionally, how do I remove it? I took a quick look to see if it was obvious how to remove it, but didn't see anything. Is there an IPB or removal instructions I can buy reasonably, or perhaps online somewhere?

Thanks for any help,
-Dave-

[rlh41com]

I recently fixed my 98 regal gs w/the same problem. I started by removing the climate control module which is a long story in itself, briefly, I had to go to the dealer & look @ their shop manual to see how to remove the unit, which is explained pretty good in the manual. after removal, I decided to try & fix the unit myself since I am an electronics mechanic by profession & the unit costs ($500 dealer) or ($250 @ gmpartsdirect.com), just by opening the unit and visually inspecting the solder joints on the circuit board with a magnifying glass I found a resistor that had a terrible "cold solder joint" on 1 side of the resistor, I also touched up several other suspect looking joints on other components on the circuit board. If you do not know how to solder with precision & professionally trained I very much caution you to have it done by a professional or you will waste a lot of your time. I reinstalled the unit & wah-lah it worked, & I saved myself $500. Anyway the point is you may not want to fix your existing module, but the problem is probably a faulty solder-joint on 1 or several components on the board.
Maybe a replacement is what you want if you are worried about repair.

Good Luck; sincerely: R. Halling
p.s. please reply if this was of any use to you or you have already resolved the problem. thanks

[DrDave1958]

R. Halling,
I really appreciate your reply. I am very interested in trying to repair this myself. I am not an electronics expert, but was in electronics in the military about 20 years ago, so I have no problem giving this a shot.
My main concern is breaking something trying to remove the unit. Evidently, it's quite complicated getting this thing out? I guess I'll stop by the dealer and see if they'll let me take a peek at the manual. If you think of anything else that might help, please don't hesitate to let me know.


Thanks, Dave

[Skavoovie]

Go to http://www.regalgs.org/ and check out the "How-To" section (I'd find a direct link, but the site is down at the moment). The basic procedure is to resolder several resistors. This is a common problem and people who have done the fix seem satisfied with the results.

[DrDave1958]

SUHWEEEET!!!!

Took less than 90 minutes and this puppies fixed! I've got to be honest, I thought posting on this forum was a waste of time after waiting so long for a response, but man was I wrong.

Thank you R. Halling, and especially Skavoovie!

-Dave-