Heater/Blower/AC: Manual Control -> Electronic Swap possible?

[homerbundy]

I've searched for a thread about this, but didn't find any. So maybe noone ever tried to replace the manual heater/blower/AC control unit with the electronic one... (I'm pretty sure it has been tried before)

Well, I have this electronic control unit here (out of a wrecked '99 Ltd.) and I wonder if I can make it work in my '98 XLT. The connectors look different and there are no vacuum lines connected directly to the manual control as there are to the electronic one.
Of course there's also no interior temperture sensor in my '98 XLT and the wiring diagrams of either one of the control units look totally different too. So I became a little sceptic already, but I thought I'd better ask here before I put the control up for an auction on eBay...

 

[mawrazen]

The manual unit uses 2 cables. I would have to say it cant be done. But that would only make u more determined. : )

 

[Gator Jeff]

I'd say the first step is to identify what wires are what for your existing harness and the new control. For things like the interior temperature sensor, I'd try to pull one from a donor truck and try to run the wires down. See what pins, locations are still missing from your unit and what wires you don't have in your harness. If it's just a 12V or a ground, that would be easy to splice in wires from another location. If you're lucky, its just a matter of making a new harness.

 

[gijoecam]

The manual unit uses 2 cables. I would have to say it cant be done. But that would only make u more determined. : )

Umm, not on a 98.

It will not be an easy swap, but it is possible. You need all the control components off the donor vehicle, not just the control head. There are a couple members on here that have made the swap.

-Joe