Heater Blower issues

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Sapphire
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Location: Lost in France and wingin' it

Heater Blower issues

Post by Sapphire »

Hi Guys,
That darned damsel in distress again :wave ...still lost in France and wingin' it x
My heater blower faltered and faffed and then finally gave up on me a while ago. Everything else seems to work ok.
Had a go at it, gave it a clean, threw WD40 at it, ...and it worked for a short while then stopped again. Now it does nothing.
Any suggestions what I should be looking for please?
Much appreciated x

FIY: The new petrol tank is spot on - thanks for that :thumb
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Cavalier342
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Re: Heater Blower issues

Post by Cavalier342 »

Hi, there has been another thread about this same issue only made recently, take a look through it to see if you can spot anything that you can do to resolve it.

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=16274


It could be the resistor pack that's gone, there is a small fuse on it which can die, if the blower unit is dry around the bearings, it can cause a lot of resistance which can overheat the resistor pack which it plugged onto the side of it where the wiring plug attaches to it.

Did you remove the fan unit or just spray it while it's in there?

Regards.
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Sapphire
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Re: Heater Blower issues

Post by Sapphire »

Just sprayed it in there - does that make a big difference?
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Cavalier342
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Re: Heater Blower issues

Post by Cavalier342 »

Well for one, I would expect a strong smell of WD-40 through the vents which isn't the nicest smell you could have, and also as it's a water dispersant, it dries up pretty quickly, resulting in wasted effort as a long term lubricant. You may have to get a new thermal fuse for it, or if you can find a correct resistor pack for that fan unit, as there are a couple of different types, but first check the number 4 fuse in the fuse panel under the dash, to make sure that hasn't popped.

Sometimes the added resistance from the fan bearings drying up can cause either the small thermal fuse to blow or the main fuse under the dash as it tries to draw more power to get over the resistance. Very rarely do the fan motors themselves actually fail.

Andrei.
Previous:
China Blue 1989 Vauxhall Cavalier L 18SV
Kings Blue 1992 Vauxhall Cavalier LSi Auto C18NZ
Smoke Grey 1994 Vauxhall Cavalier V6 C25XE

Am I a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? Well that depends on how much I've had to drink...
Sapphire
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Location: Lost in France and wingin' it

Re: Heater Blower issues

Post by Sapphire »

Ooh ok - I'll try all that - Thanks Cavalier x

Yeah, it did smell a bit lol

:p
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Cavalier342
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Re: Heater Blower issues

Post by Cavalier342 »

The smell will go eventually as WD-40 dries off, if you can remove the fan unit from under the scuttle panel or ask someone to do it, and spin the fan by hand to see how easy it is to spin, if it feels a bit tight to move and stops almost immediately after letting go then the bearings are dry. Oil works best, like 3-in-1 drip oil, with a thin nozzle you can apply it to the spindle and on the back of the motor where the other end of the spindle is.

Good luck.
Previous:
China Blue 1989 Vauxhall Cavalier L 18SV
Kings Blue 1992 Vauxhall Cavalier LSi Auto C18NZ
Smoke Grey 1994 Vauxhall Cavalier V6 C25XE

Am I a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? Well that depends on how much I've had to drink...
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Robsey
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Re: Heater Blower issues

Post by Robsey »

Agreed -
A thin oil such as 3-in-1 oil in all the motor shaft bearings.
Enough to free things up, but no too much to send excess oil into the air vent trunking.

I think Andrei has covered everything really.
Thermal fuse on the resistor pack, fuse in the fuse box and the motor bearings.

It is a bit faffy to get the motor out, but not silly difficult.

There is also a plastic shield around the base of the blower motor that keeps rain water out from entering the fan and cabin.

Whilst you have the motor out, whip the shield out and put some silicon seal / bathroom seal around the bottom of it and refit. Otherwise on the odd occasion, it has been found that water can get in if the motor of the bottom shield are disturbed.

It did on mine a few years ago - nothing serious though thankfully.
Sapphire
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Re: Heater Blower issues

Post by Sapphire »

Hi again,
A couple of questions:

A) I bypassed the thermal fuse to see if fan actually worked - It does, but only on full speed (4) ...What does this tell me?

B) Is there a right and a wrong way to place the thermal fuse, ie: does it have a front and back or something, that I need to know about before I go fixing it in?

Thanks Guys xx
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Cavalier342
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Re: Heater Blower issues

Post by Cavalier342 »

Hi, the full speed is basically a default 12v live speed, the resistor pack is there to regulate the speeds from the dashboard switch, but as least you now know that the motor works fine, and if it doesn't squeal or stop spinning immediately after cutting power then it should be in good condition. It should spin for a few seconds after cutting power on it's own. But it's always good to put some more drip oil on the end of the spindle just to help keep it turning well.


The small thermal fuse itself doesn't mind which way you fit it. Line the new thermal fuse up with the one that is on there to see if you need to snip any excess wire off the new one. What I did is just cut the old fuse off at each end of the thin wires where it joins the thicker metal wires on the resistor pack, just use a pair of pliers and wrap the metal wires around the posts at both ends and squeeze it firmly at both ends, and make sure it's not loose. Careful not to snap the thin metal posts on the resistor pack while doing so. If it's on there firm and does not move around, then fit the resistor pack back onto the fan motor, hold the motor unit tight and either ask someone to try the switch on all speeds to see if it works as it should, or get them to hold it and try the switch yourself. It won't electrocute you if you have the fan motor in your hand with it on, it's perfectly safe.
If all is well, re-fit the fan motor back into the housing and re-fit the plastic shrouds, test once again, then shut the hood and have a cup of tea. (Or in my case a beer)

As with most small jobs, it's more difficult to explain over the internet rather than showing you in person, but I hope I've been clear enough, if you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Hope this helps.

Regards.
Previous:
China Blue 1989 Vauxhall Cavalier L 18SV
Kings Blue 1992 Vauxhall Cavalier LSi Auto C18NZ
Smoke Grey 1994 Vauxhall Cavalier V6 C25XE

Am I a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? Well that depends on how much I've had to drink...
Sapphire
Posts: 17
Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2015 6:25 pm
Location: Lost in France and wingin' it

Re: Heater Blower issues

Post by Sapphire »

Ok thanks - Yes your descriptions are fine :)

What if it doesn't work on other speeds though... just the full speed - Is that an issue? ...or am I simply stuck with a single speed blower?

Thanks x
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Cavalier342
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Re: Heater Blower issues

Post by Cavalier342 »

If it doesn't work on the other lower speeds than I presume the resistor pack itself is gone. They are fairly hard to find as there are 2 or 3 different types, and they don't all fit the same way unfortunately.

But try the new thermal fuse for now and see how it goes.

Regards.
Previous:
China Blue 1989 Vauxhall Cavalier L 18SV
Kings Blue 1992 Vauxhall Cavalier LSi Auto C18NZ
Smoke Grey 1994 Vauxhall Cavalier V6 C25XE

Am I a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? Well that depends on how much I've had to drink...
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Robsey
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Re: Heater Blower issues

Post by Robsey »

Agreed - the cheapest fix is to replace the thermal fuse.
Approx 80 pence or €1 from you local electronic components supplier.

Resistor packs are available, but most suppliers have no idea which is which, and so often send out the wrong item.

It is worth having a good look at your resistor pack to get a comparison with pictures on the online auction sites such as ebay if you need to buy one.

If your fan was noisy before it stopped working, it is very likely that it will have broken the thermal fuse.
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