MK7 Climatronic upgrade with instructions and pictures.

[Goodbar]

Has anyone observed the recirculation flap position and behavior after installing the Climatronic panel? I recently replaced my cabin filter and hit the recirc button while the filter was out to see what happened in Auto. It appeared to go from 100% fresh to about 50%. I was a little surprised, so I ran "Adapt flap end stops" from Basic Settings in VCDS. Now it goes from 50% fresh to 0% fresh. Weird. My panel is PN: 5GM 907 044 A

Running the output test to activate the recirculation motor sent it from 100% to 0% fresh, as expected. Still puzzled, I looked up the cabin intake duct (with recirc motor) for manual and Climatronic cars and they are different. The servo, sold individually, also has a different part number.

Climatronic
Assembly: https://parts.vw.com/p/Volkswagen_2...Cabin-Air-Intake-Duct/97176067/5WB898304.html
Servo: https://parts.vw.com/p/Volkswagen_2...n/Actuator-Door-HVAC/78750165/2Q0907511F.html

Manual
Assembly: https://parts.vw.com/p/Volkswagen_2...-AWD-S-Wagon/Duct-Air/97175989/5WA898304.html
Servo: https://parts.vw.com/p/Volkswagen_2...ctuator-HVAC-Door-Air/53763849/5Q0907511.html

Can anyone confirm operation on their car? Incidentally, the recirc codes reappeared after adapting the end stops.

 

[Belthasar]

Has anyone observed the recirculation flap position and behavior after installing the Climatronic panel? I recently replaced my cabin filter and hit the recirc button while the filter was out to see what happened in Auto. It appeared to go from 100% fresh to about 50%. I was a little surprised, so I ran "Adapt flap end stops" from Basic Settings in VCDS. Now it goes from 50% fresh to 0% fresh. Weird. My panel is PN: 5GM 907 044 A

Running the output test to activate the recirculation motor sent it from 100% to 0% fresh, as expected. Still puzzled, I looked up the cabin intake duct (with recirc motor) for manual and Climatronic cars and they are different. The servo, sold individually, also has a different part number.

Climatronic
Assembly: https://parts.vw.com/p/Volkswagen_2...Cabin-Air-Intake-Duct/97176067/5WB898304.html
Servo: https://parts.vw.com/p/Volkswagen_2...n/Actuator-Door-HVAC/78750165/2Q0907511F.html

Manual
Assembly: https://parts.vw.com/p/Volkswagen_2...-AWD-S-Wagon/Duct-Air/97175989/5WA898304.html
Servo: https://parts.vw.com/p/Volkswagen_2...ctuator-HVAC-Door-Air/53763849/5Q0907511.html

Can anyone confirm operation on their car? Incidentally, the recirc codes reappeared after adapting the end stops.

Very interesting. Is this discovery suggesting that recirculating doesn’t quite work correctly when doing this partial retrofit?

Also, I’m confused by this:

hit the recirc button while the filter was out to see what happened in Auto.

When you hit recirc, does your Auto light stay on? Cross referencing @2018gti ’s factory system, it appears that mine correctly shuts off auto when engaging recirc. Or is the recirc door behavior that you’re describing occurring while in manual operation?

 

[Goodbar]

Yes, I'm wondering if the part number differences between Climatronic and manual HVAC parts affect fresh/recirc operation on retrofitted cars. I only have one data point, so hoping others can confirm or disprove.

Mentioning auto mode was probably not helpful. I don't have it coded for recirc to persist through a key cycle, so it's off when the car is started. The behavior was the same in auto or manual.

 

[Belthasar]

Yes, I'm wondering if the part number differences between Climatronic and manual HVAC parts affect fresh/recirc operation on retrofitted cars. I only have one data point, so hoping others can confirm or disprove.

Mentioning auto mode was probably not helpful. I don't have it coded for recirc to persist through a key cycle, so it's off when the car is started. The behavior was the same in auto or manual.

I came back to this thread to ask about recirc and completely forgot about your post. After enduring the summer months and a few heat waves with my partial retrofit, I started to feel as if the recirc button doesn't actually do anything. I hear no change in airflow, and it doesn't seem to cool the car any more efficiently.

What's the easiest way to confirm whether the recirc flap is open/closed? If I pull out the cabin filter, can I see it somewhere? Or is there a VCDS measurement I can monitor?

 

[davegsm82]

I came back to this thread to ask about recirc and completely forgot about your post. After enduring the summer months and a few heat waves with my partial retrofit, I started to feel as if the recirc button doesn't actually do anything. I hear no change in airflow, and it doesn't seem to cool the car any more efficiently.

What's the easiest way to confirm whether the recirc flap is open/closed? If I pull out the cabin filter, can I see it somewhere? Or is there a VCDS measurement I can monitor?

Pretty sure you can pull the glovebox down and see the recirc intake, I checked my recirc function and it definitely worked when I did my install.

 

[golfather]

Pretty sure you can pull the glovebox down and see the recirc intake, I checked my recirc function and it definitely worked when I did my install.

Great write up mate, very useful indeed !

Im about to order a kit from Ali. Need to decide between 2 straight sensors or one straight and 1 right angled sensor

Original post recommends 2 straight sensors to go in each end side vent
Is the general concensus now to install a straight sensor in the passenger side vent (RHD car) and a 90degrees sensor in the driver side footwell (RHD)?

Will it actually make a difference to the accuracy of the climate control or is it just a much of a muchness?

Cheers

 

[Belthasar]

Pretty sure you can pull the glovebox down and see the recirc intake, I checked my recirc function and it definitely worked when I did my install.

Thanks for the tip. I'm due for a cabin filter change anyway, so I'll take a peek at this when I get the chance.

Great write up mate, very useful indeed !

Im about to order a kit from Ali. Need to decide between 2 straight sensors or one straight and 1 right angled sensor

Original post recommends 2 straight sensors to go in each end side vent
Is the general concensus now to install a straight sensor in the passenger side vent (RHD car) and a 90degrees sensor in the driver side footwell (RHD)?

Will it actually make a difference to the accuracy of the climate control or is it just a much of a muchness?

Cheers

At this point, I recommend one straight and one angled, as I think it's better to get a footwell reading and a vent reading than to get two vent readings. As for driver vs passenger side vent sensor, I don't think it makes much difference which side you place it in, in the absence of dual zone capability. I wired up both driver and passenger side, in addition to the sunlight photo sensor and footwell sensor, but I'm not convinced that having all of the sensors is particularly impactful to how the unit functions in sync mode.

 

[Belthasar]

Pretty sure you can pull the glovebox down and see the recirc intake, I checked my recirc function and it definitely worked when I did my install.

I just changed out the cabin filter and had a look while I was in there. I don't see anything obvious; no flaps, actuators, etc. When I hit the recirc button, nothing visual nor audible happens. The airflow pitch stays the same and the blower motor under the filter still runs. Do you have a visual of what flap/motor/etc. should be moving when I hit recirc?

 

[davegsm82]

I just changed out the cabin filter and had a look while I was in there. I don't see anything obvious; no flaps, actuators, etc. When I hit the recirc button, nothing visual nor audible happens. The airflow pitch stays the same and the blower motor under the filter still runs. Do you have a visual of what flap/motor/etc. should be moving when I hit recirc?

eBay is a great source of parts pictures, I've just pulled this one from an auction, you can see the cabin filter pleats, the thing to the right is the recirc flap actuator, the actual flap is at the top of the picture.

The auction is here if you want to take a look at the pictures in better detail;
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125996420825

 

[Belthasar]

^ Thanks, @davegsm82 . After figuring out that the pic you posed is looking at the unit from behind, and mirroring it for my LHD car, I was able to confirm that my recirc flap is, indeed, functioning correct. Pictures for anyone searching this in the future:

You can see this by removing the cabin filter and looking upward toward the center console.

It turns out I wasn't noticing any audible difference because there isn't any when the filter is out. I can detect a slight audible difference when the filter is installed and I suspect that I wasn't able to do so earlier because the filter was so dirty and airflow was suboptimal.

So for closure: the retrofit does NOT affect recirc function.

 

[golfather]

Thanks for the tip. I'm due for a cabin filter change anyway, so I'll take a peek at this when I get the chance.



At this point, I recommend one straight and one angled, as I think it's better to get a footwell reading and a vent reading than to get two vent readings. As for driver vs passenger side vent sensor, I don't think it makes much difference which side you place it in, in the absence of dual zone capability. I wired up both driver and passenger side, in addition to the sunlight photo sensor and footwell sensor, but I'm not convinced that having all of the sensors is particularly impactful to how the unit functions in sync mode.

Cheers.
Ordered installed and fitted. Works well

For fitting on RHD, only had to remove the AC panel, and part remove the lower steering dash panel, then the lower drivers airbag.
THis gave as much room as possible to remove lower vent for drilling, and easily feed all vent wiring through to the Climate module
Nothing else required to be removed.

Just a question, with just the one vent sensor mounted on the right drivers vent on RHD, is it worth pinning this to Pin14 to follow G151 or keep it in Pin 13, for G150?

 

[Belthasar]

Just a question, with just the one vent sensor mounted on the right drivers vent on RHD, is it worth pinning this to Pin14 to follow G151 or keep it in Pin 13, for G150?

This is an excellent question, as I'm unsure whether G150/Pin13 and G151/Pin14 are tied to "left side and right side respectively", or "Driver side and passenger side respectively" in a LHD-centric labeling. I imagine that the correspondences are to driver/passenger, so in your case G150/Pin13 should correspond to your driver side location.

If this is terminal in your retrofit, I don't think it makes any practical difference. But I would stick with connecting driver side to the pin that it's intended for in case someone devises a simple dual-zone retrofit in the future and you want to expand your project. So unless someone else chimes in with better understanding of RHD wiring, I would connect your driver side vent sensor to pin 13.

 

[Goodbar]

^ Thanks, @davegsm82 . After figuring out that the pic you posed is looking at the unit from behind, and mirroring it for my LHD car, I was able to confirm that my recirc flap is, indeed, functioning correct. Pictures for anyone searching this in the future:

View attachment 287695

View attachment 287696

You can see this by removing the cabin filter and looking upward toward the center console.

It turns out I wasn't noticing any audible difference because there isn't any when the filter is out. I can detect a slight audible difference when the filter is installed and I suspect that I wasn't able to do so earlier because the filter was so dirty and airflow was suboptimal.

So for closure: the retrofit does NOT affect recirc function.

Thanks for confirming. Can you post your module info and coding, please? I'm having weird behavior where the fresh setting is only 32% open. BUT, if I run the output test, the door cycles through the full range?!

Module info:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 08: Auto HVAC (J255) Labels:| 5G0-907-044.clb
Part No SW: 5GM 907 044 A HW: 5GM 907 044 A
Component: Climatronic H03 1001
Revision: 00001K01
Coding: 0202000420000001000400400111140A

 

[Cuzoe]

You nerds have me questioning doing this partial retrofit at all... I love it! Please keep up the research.

 

[Goodbar]

EDIT: This is not the answer! It results in the recirc button functioning backward.

Got the recirc problem solved. It was in Byte 6, Bit 3 of long coding. It should be set to 1: