Broken buttons in the dash (2 Viewers)

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digitalmarker

digitalmarker

Joined
Jan 5, 2016
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Location
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Hey guys,

I have a few buttons in the dash that have recently stopped working. They were "kind of"working when I got the truck a year ago, but since then they stopped de-pressing/clicking when pressed. The buttons I need specifically are the mirror defrosters and the actual defroster buttons.

I tried looking on a bunch of parts sites but can't find any diagram/assembly where these buttons are listed.

Any ideas or has anyone had to replace theirs and has the part numbers?

Thanks
 
For an LX or LC? What year? Also, what do you mean by the "actual defroster buttons"? Are you referring to the windshield defroster button?
 
Last edited:
If these are what you are looking for then here are the part numbers. If not then clarify a bit more about exactly which ones you want and I can do my best to find the pn's for them.

Mirror Defroster (84875-60010)
mono29269397-161201-02.jpg


Windshield defroster (84791-60010)
08171341381.jpg
 
You have to press a specific location on the button to active/deactivate the switch. If you look at the switch soldered on to the circuit board, only one side of the button cover is lined up with the actual switch.
 
Bringing this thread back from the dead.

I let this one go a while back since the only affected button that malfunctioned 100% of the time was the mirror heaters, which is a nice-to-have feature. A couple of days ago the inside/outside air button got stuck on outside air, and no matter how or where I press this button it will not switch back to inside air so the air is always blowing. On top of that, the AC button is starting to act up too and doesn't work 30% of the time.

Here is what it looks like when I press on the mirror heater button. The inside/outside air is exhibiting the same behavior:



Today I tried taking apart the climate dash panel. It's kind of tricky because the two parts are connected by a hard-wired harness, so I can't take the whole thing apart to really take a look at it.

But when I try to press the affected buttons (mirror heater or the inside/outside air) I definitely feel the button movement and feel it physically contacting the circuit board.

Any thoughts on what I could try next?
 
Just talked to the dealer and the cost of the replacement part for the whole panel is $2300 :frown:

No one else has had this issue? Any ideas on what I could try next to fix?
 
lots have the same issue. you can search but the only fix I have seen is to use some kind of epoxy and build up the back side of the button where it makes contact better or check if the screws are loose on the back of the unit if not you can add a small washer to force the contacts closer to to the buttons but if you go to far you can crack stuff.

I don't use the rear defroster enough to bother fixing it so I don't know how well the fixes works.
 
I have the EXACT same problem and always have with most those HVAC buttons. My A/C button is most noticeable. I've found holding it down does the trick... but sometimes I'm holding it for seconds at a time before it registers.

It sounds like the actual button on the circuit board is to blame. It should be perfectly replaceable if you can get the board out and de-solder the button. I worked with board components in my last job and we tested dozens of buttons for a product. I imagine the HVAC circuit board is a similar button-switch-on-board arrangement. The buttons/switches are somewhat standard so you just have to find one on digikey/mouser.

I haven't gotten desperate enough to dig into mine yet, but I'm sure a time will come when one finally stops working altogether.
 
I am at that point now because the inside/recirc air function is stuck on open so it is constantly blowing air through the front vents. Really annoying. I could have dealt with the mirror defrost only not working, but between these two and the AC button not working sporadically, I need to get this done.

I found this thread where someone tries to fix a similar issue, but it doesn't sound like it was a long term solution - his buttons worked for a couple of days then stopped working:

How to remove climate control knobs? Trying to fix mirror defrost button

I am going to try to take it apart more tonight and clean the contacts and install washers on the back to press the assembly together tighter. Will report back with results.

If anyone has any pro tips until then, post them up!
 
*CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC UPDATE*

I took apart the unit tonight and did the following. Sorry no pics on this, but between the pics in the thread above and bullets below should be pretty straight forward to try out:
  • Disconnected the two boards via the connector to allow for some more wiggle room.
  • Unscrewed the three screws holding the circuit board with the buttons on it, and lifted it out. This is a tricky part - I didn't want to remove the three knobs so kept them connected and it was kind of hard to balance but I made it work.
  • Removed the blue rubber boots of the affected buttons (in my case mirror heaters and inside/outside air)
  • Sprayed a cheap type of a Q-Tip (they are less soft and have less loose fibers) with CRC Quick Drying Electric Cleaner
  • Used the Q-Tip to liberally clean the two metal contacts located under the rubber boot on the circuit board
  • Used another wet Q-Tip to clean the black metal pad inside of the boot. I rubbed it with the q-tip repeatedly and all three buttons had some black dust come off and end up on the q-tip. Repeated this several times until there was no black dust coming off them.
  • Put the rubber boots back on. Unless you have tiny fingers or your girlfriend does and is willing to help you, this part is a PITA. I have stubby fingers and getting those boots back on took a long time. Resist the urge of using something pointy to make them fit - you will probably just cut into them. Make sure they are evenly distributed under the retaining lip, and are springy to the touch - leave them how you found them.
  • Reassemble and reconnect to try it out. I reconnected a couple of times without reassembling completely to test it out, and it worked.

All of my faulty buttons are back to working. I hear the servo move when I hit the inside/outside air button. AC button works fine again. Couldn't test the mirror heaters because it's 60 here tonight, but the button lights up and comes on.

According to the other thread, some folks performed a similar procedure and their issues returned several days/weeks later, so we will see what happens.

My next theory is that the buttons are not reaching far enough to make enough contact with the front circuit board with the rubber boots on it. It felt kind of flimsy when I was disassembling/reassembling, and think that it's possible that the vibration over the lifetime of the truck makes them come apart to a point where they are not making enough contact. When testing unassembled, I did have to press down onto the front circuit board in order to make proper contact, otherwise the buttons weren't working. If this is the case, I am going to find some tiny rubber washers to put in between the front circuit board and the back panel of the enclosure to apply some extra pressure on the front board and push it forward.

Hope some of you find this useful and fix yours without spending an ungodly amount of money!
 
@digitalmarker How has this held up over time? Did you end up installing the rubber washers? I may have to do something similar to the climate buttons on my 2001 LX soon.
 
digitalmarker said:
Bringing this thread back from the dead.

I let this one go a while back since the only affected button that malfunctioned 100% of the time was the mirror heaters, which is a nice-to-have feature. A couple of days ago the inside/outside air button got stuck on outside air, and no matter how or where I press this button it will not switch back to inside air so the air is always blowing. On top of that, the AC button is starting to act up too and doesn't work 30% of the time.

Here is what it looks like when I press on the mirror heater button. The inside/outside air is exhibiting the same behavior:



Today I tried taking apart the climate dash panel. It's kind of tricky because the two parts are connected by a hard-wired harness, so I can't take the whole thing apart to really take a look at it.

But when I try to press the affected buttons (mirror heater or the inside/outside air) I definitely feel the button movement and feel it physically contacting the circuit board.

Any thoughts on what I could try next?
Click to expand...


I have the same issue with my rear air button, I've cleaned it out with the spray can contact cleaner and that helped a bit. Seems the issue is the contacts, if I press and wiggle the switch around, or press the switch at an angle it seems to work... I have yet to find a better solution and I am not brave enough to rip apart the console down to the board to investigate and replace the (i believe) surface mounted switch. realistically, this shouldn't be a tough project for someone who has more soldering skills than I do...
 
I have the board for a 8/2002-5/2005 LC that I can sell if anyone is interested. Everything works on it. It does not include the button covers, but it has all other parts. Shoot me a PM if anyone is interested.
 
ga89hoss said:
@digitalmarker How has this held up over time? Did you end up installing the rubber washers? I may have to do something similar to the climate buttons on my 2001 LX soon.
Click to expand...

It hasn't - the buttons are unresponsive most of the time.

One detail I noticed about the mirror heating button is that the button starts working after the truck has been running/driving for about 15-20 mins. Which is ironic because by the time it starts working, I am parking my truck at work.

The AC button is obviously the most problematic, but that one works somewhat consistently - although most of the time I have to keep pressing on it for several seconds to the right side of the button to get it to switch on and off.

Anyone else experiencing this, and does anyone have any other ideas for a fix?
 
Ok, first real post here... I hope it is helpful. I was having the same issue with intermittent/hard-to-push buttons. I pulled the circuit board halves apart and removed the one that interfaces with the offending buttons (in my case, the rear air button had stopped working, and the ac was out.) I then reconnected the board and operated the surface mounted switches manually, not with the button. They worked fine. Therefore, my hypothesis is that the plastic in the circuit board is actually flexing away from the physical buttons as the cars (and related plastics) age and are used. To test this, I took three layers of electrical tape and layered them on the backside of the buttons, thereby decreasing the clearance between the buttons and the surface mount switch. I reinstalled everything and it works like new.
 
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