As stated in last month's "Going Retro" article, I recently picked up my first C5-a fully loaded '02 coupe. As any new-to-you used-Corvette owner knows, the good and the bad sometimes go hand in hand. As such, I'll spend this month covering repairs to the car's Dual Climate Control. A true thing of wonder and comfort, this was one of those upgrades I was glad to see featured on my Corvette. But mine, like many of its vintage, was showing its age, with burned-out lights and a dim (and sometimes non-functional) main display. The easy answer to these issues is to send it to Corvette Central for service-but what about the handy DIY'er? For you (and for the curious), we present this quick overview of the magic that goes into this sort of repair.
With kaput Dual Climate Control...
With kaput Dual Climate Control lights, homing in on the right temperature-or knowing the external temp-is nigh impossible.
For the handy, this repair...
For the handy, this repair starts by removing the armrest.
Just pop these hardware c...
Just pop these hardware covers...
...and remove the nuts with...
...and remove the nuts with a 10mm socket.
Next, remove the traction-control...
Next, remove the traction-control bezel, the hardware hidden behind it...
...and the wiring that's still...
...and the wiring that's still holding the armrest in place.
Pop the A/C sensor cover to...
Pop the A/C sensor cover to access the hardware hidden behind it...
...and remove these final...
...and remove these final few T15-rated screws.
The center-console bezel is...
The center-console bezel is now ready for removal-after you unhook the wires leading to the cigarette lighter, of course.
Finally, the climate control...
Finally, the climate control can now be accessed...
...and removed.
Disassembly starts with these...
Disassembly starts with these screws, one at each corner.
Afterwards, you'll be rewarded...
Afterwards, you'll be rewarded with a view of the guts.
It's also a pretty good idea...
It's also a pretty good idea to remove the knobs-which can be pulled straight off-to access the retaining nuts. Having the dials free will make the job easier.
Depending on the shape of...
Depending on the shape of your bezel, now is a great time to give the plastic a good cleaning. Going by all the crud we found on ours, we're guessing the previous owner was a Coke drinker.
With the PCB plugged back...
With the PCB plugged back in, it's easy to see just how few of the OEM lights are working.
To address the display issue,...
To address the display issue, you'll need access to the power board.
Things changed year by year,...
Things changed year by year, so a visit to the Corvette Forum may be involved. For the '02, I needed to re-solder both rows of "241" resistors. Here's before...
...and after.
The results were noticeable...
The results were noticeable immediately.
Next, I hunted down some ...
Next, I hunted down some "as close to OEM as I could get" replacement bulbs-0.6W 12v micro lamps rated at 50MA.
The burned out-bulbs were...
The burned out-bulbs were de-soldered, pulled off the PCB, and replaced.
These are somewhat smaller...
These are somewhat smaller and dimmer, but they worked great.
With the climate control reinstalled,...
With the climate control reinstalled, we can see the difference the new bulbs (bottom) made. Not bad considering the alternative is around $200. We spent $7.