Further to the (long!) thread on the car misting up and subsequent diagnosis of goosed air con recirc flap mechanism....
Basically, the new recirc flap actuator motor is £32 + VAT from Fiat. However, to get to it is a dashboard out job (6hrs labour)
I know the recirc function comes on automatically when the outside air quality is poor (and since this car travels back and forth to Italy every year it does get used in some of the longer tunnels). It also comes on occasionally when the outside temp is high and the aircon is set to "lo" to aid with cooling.
My question is would it be foolish to simply remove the flap completely instead of going through the trauma of removing all the dash?
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>> would it be foolish to simply remove the flap completely
I'd have thought the worst that could happen is that you'd lose the ability to shut off incoming air.
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"My question is would it be foolish to simply remove the flap completely instead of going through the trauma of removing all the dash?"
Not really, I have done it myself, the only disadvantage is that you wont be able to stop the fumes comming in in the tunnels but if you turn the fan off it will help
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maybe a trawl of the internet may produce a short cut way of fitting this flap?
i fitted a fan a few weeks back on a vehicle where its timed for the dash out and i only did minimal damage to the bits i broke doing it
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The flap is still in place, either it isnt attached to the actuator or the actuator is broken.
Fiat said the warranty job time Fiat would recompense the dealer is 5.9 hours "C".
The C stands for complex operation and means that the dealer can go back to Fiat for more time if needed.
I have the schematic of the system and the actuator is fitted on the outside of the air intake box. Doesnt look like you can get to it from the scuttle panel
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I'd be leaving it too, and only fix it if the dash needed to come out for something like a heater matrix leak or similar.
Have you asked a competent make specialist indy if they can do it BB style, indy's often know short cuts.
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Not yet but will do. My Alfa is in for its 108k mile service in the next week or so and I will explore that avenue. With the Bravo still being a fairly new model the indy's tend not to know much about it yet.
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>> My Alfa is in for its 108k mile service in the next week or so and I will explore that avenue.
Don't bother and then take the Alfa to Italy instead. Problem of tunnels avoided.
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Used to....now its a bit pricey to take it (3.2V6 petrol 27mpg vs 1.9JTD diesel 50mpg) :(
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>> maybe a trawl of the internet may produce a short cut way of fitting this
>> flap?
Just what I was thinking. I managed to fit a new blower motor in one of the Golfs just before Christmas without removing the entire centre console (to get the last glovebox mounting screw out) as the Haynes manual wanted me to do. The whole job took 5 minutes, and some plastics bent alarmingly during the procedure, but everything went back as it should have done, and looks fine.
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Just rig it to stay on outside air. I can't remember tha last time I used recirc, and haven't yet died from others fumes/pollen/something else that's in everyday life but is now dangerous to health.
The advantages are you'll save money, plus once they've pulled the dash apart you'll be back there every week for new things that now don't work, rattles, dash lights kapput etc, which they'll swear blind are nothing to do with the dash out.
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If it's easy enough to remove the flap, or lock it in 'fresh air' mode, then why not suck it and see. If it's not satisfactory, then replace it.
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Air con recirc function / flap - needed? - Dave_
