DA20 FLC DEVIATE DUE TO WX AND EQUIP PROBS ON CLBOUT WITHOUT ADVISING MMTO CTL.

Narrative

UPON DEP FROM MMTO; OUR CLRNC WAS CHANGED OTHER THAN PREVIOUSLY EXPECTED. WE SET UP FOR THE NEW RTE. WE ELECTED FOR A TKOF WITHOUT BLEED AIR DUE TO THE ARPT ELEVATION OF 8448 FT MSL AND HIGH TKOF WT. AFTER DEP; THE L BLEED WAS TURNED ON. LITTLE TO OUR SURPRISE; SOMEONE HAD MOVED THE CABIN TEMP VALVE TO HOT. THIS THEN HEATED THE COCKPIT TO AN EXTREME TEMP AND INDUCED SMOKE INTO THE COCKPIT. WE CONTINUED THE CLB AND I ATTEMPTED TO FIX THE VALVE AND DONNED THE OXYGEN MASK. WITHIN A FEW SECONDS THE CUMULO NIMBUS CLOUDS WE HAD CLBED INTO BEGAN TO EMIT A NUMBER OF LIGHTNING STRIKES AND DISSIPATE QUITE A BIT. THE CAPT ELECTED TO DEVIATE APPROX 10 DEGS TO THE L. MY MASK MIKE WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY AND I WAS STILL WORKING ON FIXING THE VALVE; SO I WAS UNABLE TO COMMUNICATE THE DEV. THE DEP CTLR THEN CALLED TFC TO US TWICE -- FIRST 1000 FT BELOW AND APPROX 15 NM AND THEN 1500 FT AND 10 NM. WE TOLD THEM WE WERE IN IMC AT THE TIME AND WERE UNABLE TO GET A VISUAL. THE TFC WAS NOT A FACTOR AFTER THIS CALL AND WE CLRED THE BAD CONDITIONS AND CONTINUED DIRECT MMEX (MEXICO CITY VOR). THE BIGGEST FACTOR WAS THE NUMBER OF THINGS HAPPENING AT ONCE. WE TRIED TO DEAL WITH ONE THING AT A TIME. ATC WAS A MAJOR HELP IN GIVING US TFC INFO.