Air condition/recirculation switches, Fail Options

[thanos_kals]

So, apparently the A/C switch decided to go toast; no matter how you press it stays on all the time.
As you can see from the photos, my Zoe has the facelift console which it might not be helpful for you guys because you never received it in UK so I doubt if anyone of you has encountered this issue.
Nevertheless, I hope that someone might have fixed it and might want to share it's opinion because I'm not willing to pay 50€ (at least) for used replacement switches risking to encounter the same problem some time later.

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[sanitary]

how easy or difficult would it be to take the centre console apart?

maybe the switch just needs cleaning



san

[thanos_kals]

Hey San,
The console is not difficult to remove, so as the switch pcb.
The thing is I tried to clean it with some contact cleaner but no joy.
This situation is like that since summer but at that time it had some moments of proper work. For the past month it just doesn't like to do it's job so I have to keep the switch pressed with a piece of folded paper between the button and the console body.
That view is really frustrating

This post has been edited by thanos_kals: 29th November 2022 15:26

[dante giacosa]

Hey Thanos-

I've had this out, admittedly on the CF1 UK dash version, to swap the incandescent lamp that illuminated the buttons

where did you 'inject' the contact cleaner? Did you get right to the switch or attempt it from the front?

Do you think this is really a contact-closure/ PCB issue, or that it could be a sticky interference of plastic parts...?

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[thanos_kals]

Hey Dante
I dismantled the whole console to get the pcb on hands so I can work on it.
Then I removed the two buttons to expose the microswitches on the board so I can spray them with contact cleaner.
Apparently the problem is on the switches themselves. The internal spring seem to go bad so the contacts remain touched all the time.
In Greece they sell these pcbs separately -for 50€- from the console because they are known to cause problems like this.
Honestly, if I don't get to replace the switches in the pcb, I'm going to attempt a conversion to the older type of switches that "seem" more reliable.

[dante giacosa]

I must say I'm surprised an aftermarket PCB is available- or is it an Alfa part?

I wonder if alternative switches can be sourced to be soldered on..?

have you got better pictures than me of the actual switches? Perhaps I could identify an alternative.

[thanos_kals]

Dante, it's not actually aftermarket part. It is genuine used part.
Unfortunately I don't have the pcb on my hands as I've left it on my father to look on electronic parts stores for microswitch replacements.
Hope he has got better luck than me on finding those so I can post back here the results

[dante giacosa]

Hey Thanos-

you could try this...?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125212839240?has...X0AAOSwyfNiNwsG

[thanos_kals]

Good morning Dante,
That console would be great as i find it a lot more reliable but unfortunately it won't work! Due to the fact I have different wiring and also I would need the previous facelift dash to bolt it on

[sanitary]

any chance of a pic of the switches?




san

[dante giacosa]

no way-

surely the switches themselves and the connector are the same for that part, despite the wider difference in 'auto' functionality..?

[alfa146er]

Late to the party here but yeah those microswitches get nice and melty from the sun, their little latch breaks and remain stuck in the on position.

I think its particularly common in hot climates on facelift models, I would peak into the windows of parked 145 and 146s, 8/10 of them would have a piece of cardboard or a 1 cent coin stuck in the middle to keep them closed.

When I got my car both switches were broken, I had to stick a coin in the middle to keep them in the off position...

Eventually I got tired of the "look" so I ordered in a bunch of used PCBs.

One of them worked until the air recirculation button broke... my solution was to break off the original microswitch and solder in a new one on the back of the pcb. I run the cable behind the dash and mounted the switch inside the ashtray. Then the AC button broke as well and I grew tired of these DIY solutions...

So I replaced the pcb again with a used one. In total I think I've replaced it 3 times by now.. I try to keep the dash covered with a sunshade at summer because it seems heat is the main culprit here.


If you find a way to replace the microswitches behind the actual buttons please do post photos. I was planning to buy the smallest switches I could find and stick them behind the buttons but I don't think I have the skills or the patience required to do that

By the way, I was looking at used 146s online once and came across this center console here:




It doesn't look stock does it? I wonder if its an aftermarket unit or someone DIYed something here... Doesn't look too bad either way. Unfortunately I have no further info apart from this picture.

This post has been edited by alfa146er: 26th December 2022 22:00

[thanos_kals]

My friend 146er
I got hands on that particular console you posted and I saw what they did there.
It is not DIY or aftermarket solution. This is the dash they used for the manual recirculation (probably for the non A/C versions) and they simply hide the symbols with the strange shaped plastic above the switches
Also bought from a breaker a replacement pcb to try and operate the switches from that to mine because the replacement has got different "internal" connections. Alfa146er it is the black coloured pcb and mine is the green one.
These microswitches have to be particular to those pcbs as they have different push function compared to universal switches. I never thought that sun could be the issue although as long as I have the car I always cover it during the summer.
Dante, once I get back the switches, I will post pictures with the connection port. Pre-facelift models have connectors that are similar to those found at PC motherboard. Ours, have got rectangular connectors like power outlet. I could try the conversion but that would be a terrible pain in the a$& because of the climasystem.

This post has been edited by thanos_kals: 28th December 2022 10:50

[alfa146er]

My friend 146er
I got hands on that particular console you posted and I saw what they did there.
It is not DIY or aftermarket solution. This is the dash they used for the manual recirculation (probably for the non A/C versions) and they simply hide the symbols with the strange shaped plastic above the switches

Yeah but what about those square buttons, where do they come from? I've never seen those on a pre-facelift or facelift model? I think non-ac versions just had a single recirc button. EDIT: turns out there is a manual re-circulation version, but my question still stands.

I took photos of my old PCB for reference if anyone is interested:




It's a facelift PCB with the air recirculation button switch re-routed

This post has been edited by alfa146er: 28th December 2022 16:15

[alfa146er]

any chance of a pic of the switches?
san

Here you go:


It's an on-off switch with a spring attached on top of it for the button's return action. As I said the minuscule latch inside it perishes and It stays in the on position permanently.

I was wondering if it could simply be replaced with another microswitch, but you will have to account for multiple issues: connecting the pins correctly, the switch's different height, whether it contacts with the button shell correctly etc etc... So I gave up and replaced the whole PCB

This post has been edited by alfa146er: 28th December 2022 16:48

[Ganz]

It's probably what i would have done