automatic heating & ventilation system

[K Dalgleish]

Somewhere in the back of my mind, a wee nagging voice tells me I
might regret asking this question. Still here goes....

Thema Turbo series 11. The one without air-conditioning but with
the "automatic heating & ventilation system."

Fire up the engine and everything looks good: lights flashing and a
bit of dashboard action as the system finds (presumably) it's default
settings. However once things settle down the heating system refuses
to respond to any of the buttons.

I've tried changing the control unit with one known to work but the
response was the same. My local Lancia dealer say it's probably
a "dash out" job and could cost more than the car is worth. He can't
say specifically what might be wrong.

If anyone has managed to cure a similar problem without taking out
the dash I'd love to hear how.

[Simon]

Easy you'll be glad to know. Under the bonnet, behind the engine you will find the bulkhead with the plastic cover over it containing the wiper motor, steering fluid bottle...and the heater fan. On the side of the fan, wiper motor end, you will see a big multi-wire plug going into a socket. The socket is actually a resistor unit for the fan speed controller. Carefully take this unit out and a) check it;s still intact, b) if it looks ok get a replacement from a breakers, c) makesure that everything seats nice and tight. I taped mine down with some gaffer tape and it cured the exact problem you have.