In-car heater fan query...

[Mucker_325i]

Vehicle: 1987 tech 1 325i 2 door

Problem: cabin fans not blowing air on any setting (1,2,3 or 4)

Symptoms:

- whenturning temperature switch, air goes from cool to hot as it should.
- direction of air switches working as they should.
- when switching through fan speeds, no change in speed but temperature (on dash) needle flicks to 3/4 for a second then drops back down to correct engine temperature. Also dash lights and headlights dim very slightly.


Any ideas?

[Brianmoooore]

Time to take the fan motor out, unseize it, lubricate it properly, and refit.

[m8782538]

I have this job to do, turn mine on and you get a faint noise coming but no air on 1 and 2, turn it above that and the car stalls. Got to get my head around sorting that out, after the welding etc is done and it's MOT'd.

[maf260]

I have this job to do, turn mine on and you get a faint noise coming but no air on 1 and 2, turn it above that and the car stalls. Got to get my head around sorting that out, after the welding etc is done and it's MOT'd.

Don't bother. Plenty of hot air coming out of your back passage when you're talking.

[Mucker_325i]

Thanks Brian, I purchased another fan motor for it a while back but only just got round to sorting it, any ideas on the easiest way to remove and unseize it?

[Brianmoooore]

Remove bulkhead inspection cover, remove fan shroud, unplug wires to motor, release the big spring clip around the motor and remove it.
To free it up will require quantities of WD40 or similar, worked into the bearings by turning the shaft and pushing it sideways.
When it's free, connect the motor up to a battery, so that it runs in your hand, add more WD40 until it spins as new, dry the WD40 off, add thin oil to the bearings, work it in and power it up as before, then refit.

[Mucker_325i]

All done Brian, and to my surprise it only works on setting number 4!

I've heard of resistors to be changed to fix this fault, I don't suppose you know of any links or expertees yourself to fix this? Top bloke so far by the way!

[Brianmoooore]

The fan was left too long before being fixed, and has killed the resistor pack.
On an '87 car, the pack could either be right under the motor, or a brown clip in pack (follow the wires) tucked behind the electric valve on the LH side of the heater box.

[Mucker_325i]

I managed to get a resistor kindly from Ady (Pompey) and fitted that but it's exactly the same? It was located under the fan motor but accessed it by taking glove box out and up above the centre console. So now the resistor has been changed, anything else it could be?

[Brianmoooore]

The only other possibility is the rotary switch, but I've never seen a duff one yet.
There is a thermal cut out built into the resistor pack. Check that the contacts of this are clean and touching each other.

[Low_E30]

Any update with this?

Im experiencing similar with mine....

The fan doesnt blow on speeds 1,2,3, on speed 4 it didnt work initially, you could hear a clicking noise every 5 seconds or so but no turning..... so I then took the fan out and lubricated as Biran suggested....

I then put it back in and it would work for 2 seconds on speed 4 then stop for say 5 seconds... this has improved to the point where it works for 10 seconds and stops for say 7 seconds.... thats about as good its going to get I reckon....

Is the motor shot?... Or is it time to invest in a resister??

Anything else that could be of concern while im at it??

Thanks in advance

[Grrrmachine]

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/inde ... nly_on_Max

[Low_E30]

Ok thanks, I think im gonna go with changing the resister first...

My car is a Nov 87 Chrome bumper Cabriolet, so I assume the resister will be under the blower behind the bulkhead inspecion cover... If so, Is it still likely to be brown in appearance here like the later ones which are found on LHS of the heater box??

[BenHar]

If it does not work on 4, changing the resistor pack will not help.

Ben

[Low_E30]

Its now working at longer intervals on number 4, say well over a minute at a time and occasionaly works on number 2...

On a side note, (before I start another thread), Iv just changed the radiator due to a leak to the original and changed the thermostat while i was at it, this was after a quite a long storage period...

Iv fitted the new radiator no problem, done a cooolant flush with a hose pipe in the expansion tank and rad bottom hose off, but without taking the plug out at the back of the block...

I only managed to get in about 5 litres of new coolant (anti freeze and water), but i know that the system takes up to 10 litres... .... Theres a constant flow of water from the bleed nipple at the top of the thermo housing, indicating no airlock?.... But now the coolant warning light stays on....

The heater blows really hot air in the cabin also....

Whats going on here??

[Brianmoooore]

Since no one has replied to this in the last two weeks, I will do so now, as i eat my breakfast sitting in the sun, by the banks of the Moselle in Metz, France.

If you haven't removed the block drain plug, the engine will be still be full of coolant, although this will now be plain, clean water. You need to add the correct amount of neat, undiluted coolant required for the whole system, and then top up to the level with water.
The coolant light problem could either be that the level switch has failed (not unusual) or that the float has stuck.
First of all, pull off the plug, link together the two sockets with a piece of wire, and check that the light stays off when you turn on the ignition. If it does, the level switch is at fault, so remove it to see if it is stuck or needs replacing.
The wires have been known to break where they enter the plug, but this should be fairly obvious if it's the problem.