Jump to content
SAU Community

R33 - Broken Climate Control Button

chicane

By chicane,
in General Maintenance

 Share

Recommended Posts

chicane Community Regular

chicane

Posted
Posted

Hi All,

So a button on the the Climate Control in my R33 has broken (AUTO).. and now looks like this.. :D

climate0medium4qa.jpg

So i decided to take it out of the car and have a go at opening it, which is done by levering up the tabs as indicated by the green arrows (both sides):

climate1medium6ld.jpg

Now the problem here is the button was floating around pretty much, as the two broken hinges which hold the button in place have broken - The off button shows how it should be. The button is actually connected only at the top 2 points, and when the button is pushed in the 'tactile feel' of the button is from the white switch underneath.

climate2medium2ct.jpg

(The broken button)

climate3medium0oe.jpg

Now what needs to be done is somehow for the button to be re attached (using the button to the left as a guide) with some form of bridge where the orange arrows are.

climate4medium3rx.jpg

Previously, I have put a dob of Araldite on the top of the white switch directly so it held it in place, but that wasnt strong enough and didn't last too long. On the weekend I'm going to try and fix it properly.. anyone tried fixing it before?

I'll post back with how i go :)

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/94431-r33-broken-climate-control-button/
Share on other sites
Bozz Proficient

Bozz

Posted
Posted

Go down to jaycar and buy a small roll of solder wick

Cut it to size so it overlaps both plastic bits and bend it to the right shape

Using a shitty old soldering iron that you dont care about the tip, melt the solder wick lightly into the surface of the plastic button hinges.

The wick will make it stronger than new and just as flexible.

Its a common method of repairing poorly designed and built buttons just like that.

chicane Community Regular

chicane

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Go down to jaycar and buy a small roll of solder wick

Cut it to size  so it overlaps both plastic bits and bend it to the right shape

Using a shitty old soldering iron that you dont care about the tip, melt the solder wick lightly into the surface of the plastic button hinges.

The wick will make it stronger than new and just as flexible.

Its a common method of repairing poorly designed and built buttons just like that.

Thats a good idea Bozz! Thanks for that, ill give that a try this weekend.

An idea i had so i dont stuff up my iron (i only have 1) is to wrap the tip in aluminium foil.

chicane Community Regular

chicane

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Fixed up the button tonight (took a bit of time!) however I did it, and now its as good as new. Here is the tutorial solution on how to fix a busted button!

I used some soldering braid Size #4, its about 3mm wide. Just used a normal soldering iron and wiped the tip clean (no problems) with a wet cloth afterwards.

repair19ln.jpg

repair27gd.jpg

repair33nz.jpg

repair44xv.jpg

repair56or.jpg

Hope this helps someone else!

cheers :(

chicane

Bozz Proficient

Bozz

Posted
Posted

Just for reference

repair33nz.jpg

is the correct way it should have been repaired. That way you have the entire length of the solder wick that doesn't have any plastic melted through it to act as the flexible part.

When you fill the entire length with plastic, it may create a weak point somewhere that has less plastic than another part, resulting in a much smaller area that can flex leading to the copper breaking quicker.

I've had a few sometimes come off and the reason almost always was I didn't leave enough plain copper to allow flex.

About the soldering iron, I reckon wrapping it in al.foil will probably do the trick. Melting plastics with a copper soldering iron tip can kill it quickly by eating away at the tip coating and creating pits and holes in the tip.

I have a professional weller soldering station and have numerous tips for different purposes and one old crap one just for plastic melting. If you're only using a $20 soldering iron then I wouldn't even worry about damaging the tip with the plastic, odds are it'll last for years if only used 2-3 times a year.

If you have used a good tip to melt plastic, immediately wipe it off on a wet sponge and put fresh solder on the tip to help wash away any residual plastic. You may find the solder wont adhere to some parts of the tip, they're the damaged parts. Sometimes you can keep applying the solder and the flux in the solder may clean out the damaged parts and fix it. Never leave molten plastic on a soldering iron tip if you care about it! :(

chicane Community Regular

chicane

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Just for reference

is the correct way it should have been repaired. That way you have the entire length of the solder wick that doesn't have any plastic melted through it to act as the flexible part.

When you fill the entire length with plastic, it may create a weak point somewhere that has less plastic than another part, resulting in a much smaller area that can flex leading to the copper breaking quicker.

I've had a few sometimes come off and the reason almost always was I didn't leave enough plain copper to allow flex.

Yep agreed.. I think the key is a good balance between allowing the braid to have plain copper so it allows flex (and doesn't break), and enough plastic in there so the button remains at the right height and doesn't sag.

Cheers

chicane

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • 677_GTR
      R33 GTR running -9 with no tune

      By 677_GTR · Posted

      Thanks for all the replies fellas. Gonna finish putting it back together and see how it handles the set up. If it starts pinging it’ll be parked.
    • suko
      J50 clock date suddenly reset to January 1

      By suko · Posted

      Well, I can recommend the partial AV system translation CD I ordered from Car Audio Workshop in NZ. Whilst it didn't address the date issue, it has conveniently translated on-screen menu items into English, and now allows the GPS-received time to be offset in hours rather than minutes, so I can display Eastern Australian time accurately ( and bump it by another hour when daylight savings starts ).
    • GTSBoy
      Baron's R34 GT-R build thread - car in Japan for 5 years -_-

      By GTSBoy · Posted

      Yuh, if it's 45°C outside, my car is driving in it.
    • soviet_merlin
      Baron's R34 GT-R build thread - car in Japan for 5 years -_-

      By soviet_merlin · Posted

      I'd be curious to hear more. Otherwise, have you driven a modern x-trail? I wonder how it compares. Here in Australia they are/were popular for rentals and fleet vehicles. I have been in some and my impression was they are bad. But, this may have been very different in the 2000s at a good trim level. Twenty years is plenty of time to make the model worse. I do very much agree with the 2 silver cars in the garage approach. But, not driving because it's too hot would not leave a lot of time in the year for many Australians. I don't think you need to worry too much unless the car has actual issues with overheating. 
    • BaronOBeefdip
      Baron's R34 GT-R build thread - car in Japan for 5 years -_-

      By BaronOBeefdip · Posted

      Back again. I returned to Japan in Jul/Aug to spend time with the car on my birthday and remind myself what all the sacrifice and compromise is for. It happened to line up with the monthly morning meet in Okutama, which I have been wanting to go to for a long time. It's a unique event at a unique spot with really rare, interesting, and quirky cars. It's where all the oldheads and OGs gather. The nighttime scene at DKF certainly has its place and should be experienced if you're into cars, but there's too much bad attention and negativity around it now. IMO the better time is Sunday morning at DKF or Okutama; it's more chill and relaxed. I'm glad I was finally able to go, but not sure it's worth the drive from all the way from Nagoya immediately the day before, unless I was already staying in Tokyo for the days right before the meet, because you have to wake up quite early to make it in time. Funnily enough though I didn't drive the car all that much this trip because it was just too damn hot. While there were zero issues and running temps were nominal and the A/C was strong, RBs already run crazy hot as it is. Sure, it took it all like a champ but something about driving these cars in the ridiculous heat/humidity bothers me and makes me feel like I'm asking too much of it. I'm just me being weird and treating the car like a living thing with feelings; I'm mechanically sympathetic to a fault. Instead I was mainly driving something else around - a KX4(silver) 2001 X-Trail GT, that I acquired in May. There's a few different flavors to choose from with Xs, but visually it's the Nissan version of the Honda CR-V. Mechanically it's a whole different story as this, being the top-trim GT, has an SR20VET mated to a four-speed auto and full-time AWD! It was a very affordable buy in exceptional condition inside and out, with very low mileage...only 48k kms. Most likely it was owned by an older person who kept it garaged and well-maintained, so I'm really happy with how it all worked out. It literally needs zero attention at the moment, albeit except for some minor visual touch-ups. I wanted something quirky, interesting, and practical and for sure it handily delivers on all three of those aspects. I was immediately able to utilize the cargo and passenger capacity to its full extent. It's a lot of fun to drive and is quite punchy through 1st and 2nd. It's very unassuming -in the twisty bits it's a lot more composed than one would think at a glance- and it'll be even better once I get better tires on it(yes, it's an SUV but still a little boat-y for my liking). So...now I have two golden-era Nissans in silver. One sports car and one that does everything else; the perfect two-car solution I think👍 The rest of the trip...I was able to turn my stressed brain off and enjoy it, although I didn't quite get to do as much as I thought. I did some interesting things, met some interesting people, and happened into some interesting situations however, that's all for another post though only if people really want to know. Project-wise, I went back to Mine's again to discuss more plans and am hoping to wrap that up real soon; keep watching this space if that interests you. Additionally, while working in the tormenting sweatbox that is the warehouse, I was able to organize most of the myriad of parts that my friend is storing for me along with the cars, and the 34 has a nice little spot carved out for it: And since it can get so stupid hot in there, that made it all the more easy -after I was standing there looking at the car and said 'f**k it'- to finally remove all the damn gauges that have mostly been an eyesore all this time. Huzzah. The heat basically makes the adhesive backing on the gauge mounts more pliable to work with, so it was far less stressful getting this done. I didn't fully clean it up or chase the wiring though; that will happen once I have the car in closer possession. Another major reason to remove all that stuff is to give people less reasons to get in my car and steal s**t while it's being exported/imported when/if the time comes, which leads us to my next point... ...and that is even though it's time in Japan is technically almost up since it's a November car and the X would be coming in March, I'm still not entirely sure where my life and career is headed; I don't really know what the future looks like and where I'm going to end up. I feel there's a great deal of uncertainty with me and as a result of that, it feels like I'm at a crossroads moreso now than any point in my life thus far and there are some choices I need to make. Yes, I've had some years to consider things and prepare myself, however too much has happened in that time to maintain confidence and everything feels so up in the air; tenuous one might say. Simply put, there's just too much nonsense going on right now from multiple vectors. Admittedly, I'm struggling to stay in the game and keep my eyes on the prize. So much so in fact, that very recently I came the closest I ever have before to calling it quits outright; selling everything and moving on and not looking back. The astute among you will pick up on key subtext within this paragraph. In the meantime I've still managed to slowly acquire some final bits for the car, but it feels nice knowing there's not much left to get and I'm almost across that finish line; I have almost everything I'll ever want for my interpretation and expression on what it is I think an R34 should be. 'til later.
×
×
  • Create New...