Thought I had updated this, sorry.
Used, unknown condition, screen fitted into my hvac body and all is well.

I used a bit of plate steel I had lying around and cut a slot in it with a grinder.

Only a few days ago I fitted an rpi one to mine, no problems with pixels now although I had a dodgy screen with a couple of iffy pixels which the rpi didn't cure but another screen with the rpi has got it all good again.

Cheers Marty!

OK. Today I've managed to get another hvac for not much money but it's working condition are unknown AND it's off a poverty spec model but the same year, 2001, as my dhse. So it has no heated screen, seats buttons. My question if anyone knows is are all the screens the same so I could pinch the display screen out of this one and fit it in mine?

Lpgc wrote:

Wonder if some cars won't turn the heated screen on if ambient temperature is high?

Is there no way to connect an Ammeter or just listen for alternator whine?

I did wonder about ambient temperature but I'm getting voltage on/off with the switch at 28 degrees.

Think the meter is faulty, didn't get anything like your readings then I got over heated in the sun so abandoned the fiddling for now.
I tried the other features using the probes and they work just the dc amps is questionable, not tried ac amps though.
I don't cope well in the heat, brain stops working so it's best to leave it a few days I think.

Just had the time to look at this. Clamp meter set to 100 amps dc after zeroing and I'm getting nothing on either side, tried on 20a and 2a too. Checked and still got healthy voltage at the hws connectors. New windscreen or the clamp meter is faulty, bit of lunch then I'll have a think of where else I can check the clamp dc function. Battery cable positive and interior light on/off maybe?

The kit needed to do the timing chains on the diesel? Not the pump dti, got that.

Oops, messed up the quoting it seems.
My reply is the last 4 lines in the above post.

Just putting this out there...shoot me down if I'm talking cobblers!
Start the engine with door and bonnet open, let everything settle for say 5 minutes, put the clamp around the battery positive, note reading, then switch on the front screen, would that tell me the screen is then pulling a load? I'm guessing the alternator might screw that idea.
leolito wrote:

I also remember from my past woes with the heated screen, that if there is any sort of short or open circuit, the nano will highlight it in the faults, and most likely the dreaded book should pop up in the HeVAC display.
I had this for a long time and it was puzzling, until I found corrosion in the C0229 connector (the big one by the footwell), which was keeping one relay permanently engaged.
One of the first jobs I did when I got the car as a project was to cut out those blocks both sides.

Just putting this out there...shoot me down if I'm talking cobblers!
Start the engine with door and bonnet open, let everything settle for say 5 minutes, put the clamp around the battery positive, note reading, then switch on the front screen, would that tell me the screen is then pulling a load? I'm guessing the alternator might screw that idea.

Thanks, I've ordered that item.
The screen had no non working elements, it was perfect , heating wise, then nowt out of the blue. So with that instrument I've ordered I just put the clamp part around the connected cable and I'll get an amp reading of say 20amps per side ,( guessing) if the screen is heating up? Luckily I've replaced all the chewed head rusty screws with nice stainless steel ones so getting at the connections only takes around 15mins instead of the two hours the first time I had to get in there.

Back story... the hs worked great up until the last couple of frosts earlier this year but then stopped. Decided to investigate this the other day. Both relays clicked so off with the plenum (much quicker to say then do!) And a poke with a dmm showed healthy voltage at both white connectors (disconnected) using both the battery and the ground stud for the hs. The ground stud looked a tad rusty though so I went to remove the nut and the stud sheared off. I'm hoping (bear with me here, I'm keen but green with leccy stuff!) that the stud was maybe causing high resistance and therefore the becm wasn't seeing the necessary load so it wouldn't work the hs. The ground stud is the only common connection under the plenum for both sides of the hs and as they both stopped working at the same time that sounds plausible to me.
That ground stud is now all repaired and finally to my question.
How can I test that the screen is now working? I have nano and a dmm and enthusiasm but that's it.
Googling about has led me to believe that a clamp meter may be useful?
Chris

Also, I only used a wooden lollipop stick, cotton buds and contact cleaner on the copper contacts, cotton buds and contact cleaner only on the screen which came away clean anyway after removing the old ribbon.
It's all pointing to a dodgy screen methinks.

Cheers marty, it's all back together now but there was no screw plastic damage and I cleaned the zebra strip just incase.
I even tightened the 3 screws around the screen first before doing the others but kept getting the same result after 3 trys at it, got fed up as lots of other jobs were calling so stuck the plastic all back together so I could still use the car.
I can't say, annoyingly, if ALL the pixels WERE there in warm dry weather, I just know the screen was much better in warm weather. I've not helped myself there by not actually noting if there were pixels missing, I just remember loads were in cold weather.

Get a dehumidifier in there? I've read that works well.

That worked on my phone ta.
Identical really to the rpi video so I've done it right. I'll try disassembling it again tomorrow and clean the zebra strip this time.
Dunno how these things work but is it possible the screen itself is faulty?

I didn't find the job at all difficult to be fair but I am curious as to how a solid lump as such, the new zebra strip block that is , can carry current to each individual contact without shorting across! Leccy stuff isn't my strong point hahaha!

Site not available sadly.