Replacing A/C Control on 98 Grand Cherokee

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by treesap, Aug 9, 2006.

  1. treesap

    treesap Guest

    Hello. The a/c button on my 1998 Grand Cherokee Laredo has recently
    stopped working. It no longer stays in when pressed. Or has anyone
    even had this problem? I am considering buying a new switch and
    replacing the switch itself. Has anyone tried this? If I am
    unsucessful with this, I will most likely turn to ebay to purchase new
    a new a/c control. My primary question is: will the Limited (digital)
    control work on the Laredo vehicle? They are both about the same
    price, and if the limited will work, that is what I will go for.
    Otherwise, I guess I will just have to stick to the Laredo version.

    Thanks
    travis
     
    treesap, Aug 9, 2006
    #1
  2. treesap

    sqdancerLynn Guest

    My guess would be no ?? the computer would be different
     
    sqdancerLynn, Aug 9, 2006
    #2
  3. treesap

    Bill Putney Guest

    My guess is that your guess is wrong. I say this because the LH car
    manual and automatic ("digital") temperature controls of the same MY
    time frame are interchangeable without regard for the (body control)
    computer.

    Having said that, on the LH cars, it is not a simple matter of swapping
    just the manual for the automatic (ATC) control - the blower motor
    electronic speed control must also be swapped in in place of the passive
    blower motor resistor pak, along with either replacement or modification
    of the instrument panel wiring harness. I know this because I am
    considering doing the conversion on my '99 Concorde, and the detailed
    how-to is on the internet (for the '98-'04 LH cars).

    I'm assuming in the above comments that the system architecture, if not
    the actual individual ATC and blower motor modules, are the same between
    the platforms. The smarts and interfaces to control the cabin
    temperature in the LH car (and I'm assuming the Cherokee also) resides
    100% in the ATC module and blower motor speed control, and does not
    touch the body control computer.

    The conclusion you are implying, i.e., that the conversion is more
    complicated than the OP probably wants to get involved with (involves
    more than the mere swapping of temp. control modules), is likely
    correct, though the precise reason is incorrect (if my assumption of
    system design similarity is correct).

    I wouldn't have posted the above because it is speculation, but felt the
    need to do so because of your post which I think was even more
    speculative (if I'm wrong about that, i.e., if your statement is based
    on personal knowledge, access to schematics, etc. of the '98 Cherokee
    electrical system variations, apologies will be issued forthwith). :)

    Perhaps someone who really knows for sure will post.

    Bill Putney
    (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
    address with the letter 'x')
     
    Bill Putney, Aug 9, 2006
    #3
  4. treesap

    treesap Guest

    Thanks a lot. I will just assume that it is more complex than I want
    to deal with (unless someone else has a suggestion.) I was just
    assuming that it was a simple matter of plugging the wires into the new
    one. I would definitely consider converting to the digital controls if
    there was a detailed how-to available for my jeep, however, I have not
    found anything of the sort. Anyway, thanks for your suggestions.

    Travis
     
    treesap, Aug 10, 2006
    #4
  5. treesap

    Bill Putney Guest

    You might check out http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/index.php - register
    and post a question in the right forum (Cherokee Technical Forum) -
    maybe title your post "ATC conversion how-to". The details may already
    be posted on the site, or someone will be able to point you to some
    other site with the answer or give you some idea what's involved
    specific to the Jeep.

    Bill Putney
    (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
    address with the letter 'x')
     
    Bill Putney, Aug 10, 2006
    #5
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