donut
|
 posted on 18/10/05 at 11:45 AM |
|
|
VW fan not working £300 to fix
Just got back from my local VW garage as the fan heater was not working. On setting 1,2 & 3 theres nothing. It used to work intermitently but
zilch now. On setting 4 the fan works a treat, no problem.
The garage told me that they need to order a relay and motor which will be £170 and £130 labour.
Q: if the fan works ok on setting 4 then i would asume the motor is ok. Would i just need to replace the relay? Or do i really know jack about cars
Andy
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andywest1/
|
|
|
|
|
GazzaP
|
| posted on 18/10/05 at 11:50 AM |
|
|
FAN
i know on the ford focus and fiesta when this occours it is just a simple resisitor that has burnt out £35 later fixed and very easy to do.
|
|
|
David Jenkins
|
| posted on 18/10/05 at 11:50 AM |
|
|
I'd be tempted to check that all the connectors are tight, for a start...
...and if there's a 'control box' in the circuit I'd see if I could get one from a scrappy - as said, it will be a few
high-wattage resistors and some wire - maybe a few relays to switch between them if it's a posh device.
DJ
[Edited on 18/10/05 by David Jenkins]
|
|
|
DarrenW
|
| posted on 18/10/05 at 11:50 AM |
|
|
Old shape Mondeos used to do that. something to do with the resisitor burning out that controlled the slower speeds. There was a resistor block on the
fan. I bought new block and a plug for mine for less than £25 iirc, took 2 hours or so max to replace.
I think id be taking a look at it myself and try and fix. Scrapyard????
|
|
|
James
|
| posted on 18/10/05 at 11:51 AM |
|
|
In my experience of them (White's Audi in Camberley, a White's somewhere in London and Colbornes in Guildford) VAG places are incompetent
and ridiculously expensive.
As you say, how can you possibly need a new motor if it works on setting 4!!!
A common fault with older Veedubs like mine is that the resistors that restrict the voltage (so the fan turns slower) on settings 1-3 can burn out.
AFAIK this just needs a new switch as the resistors are built into that!
Whether that'll work with your car though is another matter! 
Useful eh? 
Cheers,
James
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
- Muhammad Ali
|
|
|
Ketchup
|
| posted on 18/10/05 at 11:52 AM |
|
|
i am quite sure it is just a resistor that controls the power to the fan that has gone, if you want to, let me know the chassis number and i can get a
price for a replacement (i get a fair discount as i have an account that gets used alot!)
|
|
|
David Jenkins
|
| posted on 18/10/05 at 11:55 AM |
|
|
One afterthought - if resistors are burnt out - you have to ask "why?".
If the motor's bearings are getting sticky and dragging then the current will be higher, stressing the resistors. If you can get to the motor,
try spinning the fan - it should go round with zero effort. If there's any resistance, they may have a point (but I'd still be tempted to
try a drop of oil here and there).
DJ
|
|
|
Peteff
|
| posted on 18/10/05 at 12:09 PM |
|
|
It's the switch I think, there's a resistor or something soldered in which costs about 40p to buy. It's quite delicate but we put
one in a Polo with terminal connectors and it works now.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
|
|
|
Danozeman
|
| posted on 18/10/05 at 02:05 PM |
|
|
Definatley sounds like the resistor gone. Does the realy house the resistor?
Is it normal knob control or climate control?? They work differently. What car is it?
Dan
Built the purple peril!! Let the modifications begin!!
http://www.eastangliankitcars.co.uk
|
|
|
MikeRJ
|
| posted on 18/10/05 at 04:14 PM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
One afterthought - if resistors are burnt out - you have to ask "why?".
Because they are cheap crap built to a tiny budget. Resistor packs fail on lots of different cars, not just VW's. I just fixed the resistor
pack on my Honda Civic. The resistors were literaly little coils of resistance wire, and in this case actually bolted into the fan housing so the
airflow cools them. Trouble is and moisture in the air causes the wires to oxidise, certainly the resistors on mine had just rotted away.
I fixed it by replacing the resistance wires with proper ceramic 10 Watt wirewound resistors. Mine needed about 3 Ohms total for the slowest speed,
and I got the best range of speeds by grouping this into 1.5, 1.0 and 0.5 ohm divisions.
|
|
|
davidwag
|
| posted on 18/10/05 at 09:54 PM |
|
|
Hi,
On most cars theres a little pack of high wattage resistors, normally placed in the air flow from the fan and protected by a thermal fuse.
On cars like the Mondeo failure to change the cabin/pollen filter causes reduced air flow resulting an increase in temp and the thermal fuse to
blow.
Sure your VW must be similar.
David
|
|
|
David Jenkins
|
| posted on 19/10/05 at 07:14 AM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
Because they are cheap crap built to a tiny budget.
I had that thought as I went home on the train last night!
Built to a minimum spec, and don't care if they fail after the warranty runs out.
David's thought is a good one to add though - check the fan runs free, check the air filters aren't blocked, and replace the resistor with
something substantial.
rgds,
David
|
|
|
DarrenW
|
| posted on 19/10/05 at 08:16 AM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
Because they are cheap crap built to a tiny budget.
I had that thought as I went home on the train last night!
Built to a minimum spec, and don't care if they fail after the warranty runs out.
David's thought is a good one to add though - check the fan runs free, check the air filters aren't blocked, and replace the resistor with
something substantial.
rgds,
David
Come to think of it, when i replaced Mondeo resistor pack it took 2 hours cos i had to remove the fan and free it up a bit. Plenty of WD40 and white
spray grease did the trick.
|
|
|
rusty nuts
|
| posted on 19/10/05 at 06:26 PM |
|
|
If only everything in life was as reliable as a Volkswagen. Which VW is it ? Euro car parts sell heater motors for a lot less than VW . Some are a
two minute job to replace , just 3 screws and a block connector P.S. should have kept the Mazda?
|
|
|
donut
|
| posted on 20/10/05 at 08:17 AM |
|
|
quote:
P.S. should have kept the Mazda?
If only.... trouble is i can't get the wife, 2 kids and in-laws in the Mazda
I think it will be a Toyota next time. They look very boring but are as reliable as the sun coming up.
Andy
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andywest1/
|
|
|
David Jenkins
|
| posted on 20/10/05 at 08:22 AM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by donut
quote:
I think it will be a Toyota next time. They look very boring but are as reliable as the sun coming up.
...as long as you keep them serviced.
Styling can be boring, but performance is often good with the larger engines on offer. Some time ago Jeremy Clarkson (who hates Corollas) raced a
Golf GTi alongside a bog-standard 1600cc Corolla - and the Toyota won the 1/4-mile sprint by a decent margin!
David
|
|
|
rusty nuts
|
| posted on 20/10/05 at 05:55 PM |
|
|
But you still haven't told us which V.W.?
|
|
|
donut
|
| posted on 20/10/05 at 06:45 PM |
|
|
Blimey you're right
it's a VW Sharan 7 seater, like the Galaxy and Alambra. (Sad i know )
Andy
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andywest1/
|
|
|
davidwag
|
| posted on 23/10/05 at 07:49 PM |
|
|
An extract from Ford TIS technical service bullitin for Gallaxy.
Not that ive got it you understand!!!
Summary
Should a customer express concern about the blower motor switch being inoperative in settings 1, 2 or 3 and/or there is a noticeable smell of melting
plastic and smoke coming from the the lower part of the crash padding, this may be caused by a poor electrical contact at the blower motor resistor
multiplug. The high current passing through the blower motor resistor may cause the multiplug to melt. To resolve the concern, a modified multiplug
should be installed on the wiring harness to the resistor, and a modified blower motor resistor installed. The blower motor resistor multiplug is
modified using solder/shrink connectors (contained in FDEP wiring harness repair set FP 0472514) and the repair multiplug.
David
|
|
|
iank
|
| posted on 23/10/05 at 08:12 PM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by davidwag
...
Should a customer express concern about the blower motor switch being inoperative in settings 1, 2 or 3 and/or there is a noticeable smell of melting
plastic and smoke coming from the the lower part of the crash padding, this may be caused by a poor electrical contact at the blower motor resistor
multiplug. The high current passing through the blower motor resistor may cause the multiplug to melt. To resolve the concern, a modified
multiplug should be installed on the wiring harness to the resistor, and a modified blower motor resistor installed. The blower motor resistor
multiplug is modified using solder/shrink connectors (contained in FDEP wiring harness repair set FP 0472514) and the repair multiplug.
David
To resolve the concern, and presumably stop the damn thing going up in flames! I hope that's a free fix
|
|
|
jon_haggerty
|
| posted on 24/10/05 at 09:35 PM |
|
|
Well thats handy, my escort done the same thing. worked fine on 1 and 3 but packed up on 2. So now i know. I work at a skoda garage, so if you need
bits cheepy ask. Although by the time its posted etc, prob cost teh same as your local motor factors etc. Ah well
|
|
|
.jpg)
