Heat/AC question

[rick1083]

I was driving my Delorean today and I turned the heat on. After a few minutes, and I thought I was crazy for a second, I thought I saw a little smoke coming from the engine bay. The temperature gauge was good so I wasn’t overheating. Then I noticed the heat stopped working. I did notice a little bit of a smell too. I then gave the air conditioning a try and that isn’t working either. I never observed smoke again when I had the heat/ac switch set to off. Any ideas on what this could be? And is the car still safe to drive so I can take it to have it fixed? I’m kind of a novice right now.

[DMC5180]

I was driving my Delorean today and I turned the heat on. After a few minutes, and I thought I was crazy for a second, I thought I saw a little smoke coming from the engine bay. The temperature gauge was good so I wasn’t overheating. Then I noticed the heat stopped working. I did notice a little bit of a smell too. I then gave the air conditioning a try and that isn’t working either. I never observed smoke again when I had the heat/ac switch set to off. Any ideas on what this could be? And is the car still safe to drive so I can take it to have it fixed? I’m kind of a novice right now.

Define the heat stopped working?

Hot Coolant flows through the heater core continuously, except when in A/C max. ( heater valve is closed )

Does the cabin fan work or did it stop blowing air?

[rick1083]

Define the heat stopped working?

Hot Coolant flows through the heater core continuously, except when in A/C max. ( heater valve is closed )

Does the cabin fan work or did it stop blowing air?


I get no air blowing out at all. Doesn’t matter if it’s set to 1, 2, 3 or 4.

[DMC5180]

Check the blower motor power and grounding connections at the motor.

It’s above the passenger feet.

Also check the Green 30 amp fuse connection.

[Michael]

Could be coolant or electrical(very different and distinct odors)...being the blower is not working at all and AC stopped, I'm going with electrical. If it was bad enough to actually cause visible smoke from the engine bay then it's much more serious than popping a fuse. You should see some evidence of melted wires, insulation, a melted wiring harness sheath. It is possible that the odor and smoke came from the relay compartment and the smoke you thought was in the engine bay was directly behind you (assuming you were in the car at the time of the discovery), so check the relay compartment. Look closely at the fuse and the breaker first.

[David T]

The smoke you saw *could* be a coolant leak and it is dripping onto a hot surface like an exhaust pipe. Check the hoses and heater valve in front of the motor. As for the no air blowing, figure out why the blower motor isn't working. First step would be to see if you have any voltage at the connections to the motor. Check the coolant level. If it is OK the car is safe to drive.

[Ron]

Could be coolant or electrical(very different and distinct odors)...being the blower is not working at all and AC stopped, I'm going with electrical. If it was bad enough to actually cause visible smoke from the engine bay then it's much more serious than popping a fuse. You should see some evidence of melted wires, insulation, a melted wiring harness sheath. It is possible that the odor and smoke came from the relay compartment and the smoke you thought was in the engine bay was directly behind you (assuming you were in the car at the time of the discovery), so check the relay compartment. Look closely at the fuse and the breaker first.
+1

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The coolant level shouldn't have anything to do with the blower not working.
The fluid level being OK doesn't have anything to do with whether it is safe to drive it or not!
If you shut it off right away and haven't tried it again, the thermal breaker may have cooled and reset. If so, be prepared to see more smoke, I.E., be able to disconnect the battery quickly...use a fire extinguisher. Better safe than sorry.....