Smelly heater in a touring

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Jungian64
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Thu Mar 22, 2012 5:49 pm

318 90' touring -The heater, when all vents are open, blows through a sort of burnt/overheating smell, though the engine isnt overheating & temp gauge is middle..also blower only works on 4...any clues to either of these mysteries..?
TPS
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Thu Mar 22, 2012 5:53 pm

Fan Resistor, common fault.
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1991 325i Touring Alpine White II
1994 318i Touring Sterling Silver
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Jungian64
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Thu Mar 22, 2012 6:22 pm

Ah cheers Phil..is the resistor responsible for both these problems? ( Great seat by the way, cheers!)
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Brianmoooore
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Thu Mar 22, 2012 7:08 pm

The fan motor itself is probably the basic problem. Chances are it's in dire need of lubrication, and is partly seized.
This will overload the resistor pack, causing it to cook, both by the excess current and the reduced airflow.
Grrrmachine
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Thu Mar 22, 2012 7:14 pm

TPS
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Thu Mar 22, 2012 7:26 pm

Brianmoooore wrote:The fan motor itself is probably the basic problem. Chances are it's in dire need of lubrication, and is partly seized.
This will overload the resistor pack, causing it to cook, both by the excess current and the reduced airflow.
Glad you like the seat Gav., Brian is the expert, listen to him & you won't go far wrong!
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1991 325i Touring Alpine White II
1994 318i Touring Sterling Silver
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aimlessrock
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Thu Mar 22, 2012 7:41 pm

i replaced the resistor on mine a few weeks ago, a doodle, the wiki will show you how.

I found that the simplest way to remove it was to remove the panel on the bulk head (half a dozen 7mm bolts) and to your right you will see the resistor sitting proud, simply push it and you will see it dangling under by the cable behind the glove box. simply unplug remove and replace

nice and easy.
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Jungian64
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Thu Mar 22, 2012 8:30 pm

Thanks chaps - great to have 'knowledgable' folk at the end of a keyboard!
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