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        General >> Give/Need advice to/from others >> Possible fix for cc code 57(S7)
        
(Message started by: Tompion on Sep 24^th, 2007, 2:09am)

Title: Possible fix for cc code 57(S7)
Post by Tompion on Sep 24^th, 2007, 2:09am

In common with others on the site usually when I did a cc reset I’d have a 57 code, so I thought I’d try & improve the cooling of the HBC.
Unfortunately I didn’t take any readings – just relied on how hot it felt.
I took out the HBC & reconnected it out of the housing & turned on the ignition.
The heatsink was fairly quickly at a temperature that I could only touch briefly, the rivets that hold the extension were a similar temperature but the extension wasn’t as hot & the temperature tailed off quickly along the length of the extension with the end being only slightly warm.

Holding the HBC up to the light I could see daylight between the heatsink & the extension.
I drilled out the rivets & found that there were raised areas cast around the rivet holes (a bit like a couple of thin washers around the rivets between the heatsink & extension).

I did the following:
>Tapped the holes in the heatsink and opened the holes in the extension so I could screw it back together.
>Filed the heatsink flat & smooth.
>Adjusted the angle marked in red so the end of the extension made contact with the heatsink.
>Drilled 3 holes in the extension corresponding with the vents in the heatsink to improve airflow.
>Slightly dished the face of the extension so it pulled flat when screwed together.
>Gave it all a polish & assembled with a little heatsink paste.

After this it was still hot but not so hot I couldn’t hold on to it, the extension felt the same temperature where it made contact with the heatsink and the heat seemed to tail off more gradually along its length.

I did the work about 6 weeks\1300 miles ago & have had no live or stored codes.

Dave

http://i.imgur.com/3Fvkofy.jpg

Title: Re: Possible fix for cc code 57(S7)
Post by jonnycab on Sep 24^th, 2007, 9:55am

Good idea ;)........I was thinking along similar lines a while back, but haven't got round to it yet. I've got 2 spare (dodgy) HBCs & was thinking to put two heatsinks on one.....although, not sure it will fit back properly :-/

Title: Re: Possible fix for cc code 57(S7)
Post by harry.m1byt on Oct 1^st, 2007, 8:40pm

I have not yet had any problems with the HBC, but my motorbike does have a known problem with the heat dissipation from its rectifier/regulator unit - which has killed them on other owners bikes. It lacked any fins and was simply bolted onto a thin steel section of the frame, lacked any heatsink compound and was covered preventing much airflow.

I resolved it on mine by adding a much larger heatsink and improving the cooling airflow with some cold air ducted in.

The thing to be wary of is the internal temperature of the electronics and the faster the heat can be drawn out the better. Below 50 is good, 60 starts to reduce its life and over 70 life is seriously reduced.

Looking at the included picture of the HBC, I would be inclined to suggest that the extension part was just a cheap botch to help make the HBC a little more reliable. It lacks weight (thickness) of metal where it clamps onto the built in heatsink and clamps to that heatsink where there is least quantity of heat.

Can I suggest a much better way, depending of course on how it fits into its housing?

If instead of a being bolted on the top, it were bolted on the flat side of the built in heatsink with three (or perhaps six) brass bolts it would be much more effective even using the existing extension metal piece rebent to suit. Even better would be a piece of alloy four or five times as thick. Holes drilled into the part which sticks out (the bit of the extension which drops down at 45deg), would also help increase the surface surface area of the extension heatsink. Spraying it matt black would help a little more.

Title: Re: Possible fix for cc code 57(S7)
Post by Tompion on Oct 1^st, 2007, 10:06pm

It’s a bit of a trick of the camera, the extension is a lot longer than it looks, it’s a bit of a fiddle feeding into the housing as it sits in the curve of the air duct around the blower motor, no problem making it thicker, but may be tricky to re-site it.

Title: Re: Possible fix for cc code 57(S7)
Post by jonnycab on Oct 7^th, 2007, 10:26pm

A couple of hours in my laboratory (garden shed) & this is what I emerged with.....

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i101/jonnycab/PA070054.jpg

A double heat sink HBC....I haven't tried it yet, so don't know if it works, but will try it tomorrow & see what happens ;)

If there is no difference, then I'm presuming that the internal circuitry of the HBC must be damaged (due to heat ?) & is therefore beyond repair :)

Title: Re: Possible fix for cc code 57(S7)
Post by peteHull on Oct 7^th, 2007, 11:07pm

You won't know if it is beyond repair until you have opened it up, it looks like one of two methods have been employed, either the whole circuit is encased in resin in which case it is likely to be no good. Or the circuitry is encapsulated within a compartment which is sealed with resin, if this is the case you should be able to cut it out (Dremmel) and possibly replace burned out components (resistors etc)
Would be interesting to know..... Nice looking job... ;)

Pete

Title: Re: Possible fix for cc code 57(S7)
Post by jonnycab on Oct 7^th, 2007, 11:24pm

I did open up the doner HBC & it was full of jelly, encapsulating a long, thin circuit board.

Repair or replacement of any components on the board would be a delicate & intricate job, even for a techy....so well beyond my 'hammer' skills ;)...... ;D

Title: Re: Possible fix for cc code 57(S7)
Post by peteHull on Oct 8^th, 2007, 7:29am

on 10/07/07 at 23:24:18, jonnycab wrote:

Repair or replacement of any components on the board would be a delicate & intricate job, even for a techy....so well beyond my 'hammer' skills ;)...... ;D

Maybe we are beaten on this then, makes you wonder why things have to be so complicated, wonder if there is an easier way (Heathe Robinson type) maybe, of doing the same job....? Anybody got any ideas?

Right, Stand in corner, fingers on lips, thinking caps on.... ;D

Pete

Title: Re: Possible fix for cc code 57(S7)
Post by jonnycab on Oct 11^th, 2007, 1:09am

It works !!....the new modification seems to have been a success :D

The blower isn't cutting out all the time, as it used to with this old HBC. It now blows constant at whatever speed it's set too, just like my good one. I now have two nicely working HBCs :)

Just one problem though, I'm still getting a code 07/57 ???......With both HBCs, I've listened for long periods, to the speed of the blower (engine off) & have not heard even the slightest dip in blower speed, even at the lowest speed setting ???

Two seemingly perfectly working HBCs, but still a 07/57 fault code.....now I'm stumped ???

Title: Re: Possible fix for cc code 57(S7)
Post by scorpio_man on Oct 11^th, 2007, 6:48am

on 10/11/07 at 01:09:54, jonnycab wrote:

hi jc

i take it you did a reset on them? did you do it twice to make sure the code was cleared? if so, i can only think that the voltage is drifting out of a preset limit and trigging the code again.

something like fan on full = 5volts, so 4.9-5.1 would be ok. fan on 1/2 speed, 2.4-2.6 would be ok, etc. (this is only an example, mind. don't know if this is correct.)

hth

Title: Re: Possible fix for cc code 57(S7)
Post by jonnycab on Oct 12^th, 2007, 2:38am

Every time I reset it, the code goes & stays gone for a good while. I checked it every ten minutes for an hour at one point & it was fine, then checking it a couple of hours later & the code was back :-/

I've not checked the voltage, but surely if were drifting out of a preset limit then wouldn't this show up as a speed fluctuation in the blower. As I stated before, I've not heard any dip in the speed of the blower.

I'm not going to worry anymore about the code as it doesn't seem to affect the climate control & I know that the main & the spare HBCs are working fine :)