Author Topic: HEATER BLOWER FAN NOT WORKING  (Read 6781 times)

collywobble

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HEATER BLOWER FAN NOT WORKING
« on: 10 April 2019, 06:46:44 PM »
My other half decided she needed a little warmth on the way to work this morning so she put the ACC on. Got heat but the blower fan isn't working even though the display shows the increase in speed as you press the fan speed button. Have done the fault code check by pressing AUTO and OFF but all that shows is 0 on the left hand side, blank on the right hand side.

So blower fan died or the control unit/resistor?

Please bear in mind I have no knowledge of auto electrics or any way of testing them and the nearest Saab specialist is over a 100 mile round trip away.

sgould

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Re: HEATER BLOWER FAN NOT WORKING
« Reply #1 on: 11 April 2019, 09:41:07 AM »
I suspect that the fan has died, or is stuck.  It's accessed through the black panel in front of the windscreen.  You have to remove the wiper arms to look.  The arms are usually very tight and will probably need a puller to get them off.  Once under there you may find a lot of leaves and stuff, which may have jammed thing.  See  if you can turn the fan blades.  If you need a new motor, get some sticking plaster.  I've not done a motor remove, but I did watch someone a while ago.  I think that the workshop manual recommends a crude bit of body bending to get the motor out!   At the age of your car, the brushes may have worn done and need replacing.  But an investigation is needed.  Not sure at the moment about resistors, speed controllers, etc.
« Last Edit: 11 April 2019, 04:32:28 PM by sgould »
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collywobble

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Re: HEATER BLOWER FAN NOT WORKING
« Reply #2 on: 11 April 2019, 04:15:21 PM »
Thanks Will,

The suggestion about the leaves is interesting as we live on the edge of our village and our back garden has a field behind it with a lot of mature trees in it.  I have already filled the green wheelie bin four times this year and that's using a mulching vacuum!

I have read the removal instructions and it is an involved process!

I have a puller which I bought to adjust the position of the wiper arms when I first bought the car and as I take aspirin daily due to having a heart bypass I bleed at the slightest scratch!  I will consider buying a second hand fan motor and fitting new brushes which seem to be ready available on ebay for a couple of quid.  (a new genuine Saab fan is £330 + the VAT, but a Valeo one is about £76.00 from GSF).

This evening I will replace the fuse on the cheapest option first principle!

collywobble

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Re: HEATER BLOWER FAN NOT WORKING
« Reply #3 on: 11 April 2019, 06:25:13 PM »
Replaced the fuse and it made no difference. I did see that fuse position 24 is  for the SAI pump but there is no fuse on my car.  I assume that the 2.2TiD does not have secondary air injection?

sgould

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Re: HEATER BLOWER FAN NOT WORKING
« Reply #4 on: 11 April 2019, 07:57:45 PM »
I don't think that there's any SAI on the diesel, or the four cylinder petrol engines in the 9-5.

There is a heater control unit.  WIS says it's on the "driver's side" of the ventilation unit, but the pictures shows it above the LHS, so anyone's guess...
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carrera

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Re: HEATER BLOWER FAN NOT WORKING
« Reply #5 on: 11 April 2019, 10:58:43 PM »
If you haven't read this then I suggest you should

http://www.saabtechtalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=3924.0

The normal failure mode for the fan control unit is for it to be stuck on full speed, rather than off.

It's a few months ago now but I think you should be able to check the voltages to the control unit from the connector in the passenger wheel well. (glovebox out).

The wiper arms can be a right pain to remove, apply plenty of penetrating oil / diesel to try and break any rust bond. IIRC you can remove the fan without removing the fan controller. You might even be able to stick your hand in to turn the fan/ motor by hand in case it's just stuck.

The fan controller is a right PITA to remove, getting the screws out is one thing, feeding it up the void past the bulkhead is very tight and not easy. I hope you don't have to do that.   
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collywobble

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Re: HEATER BLOWER FAN NOT WORKING
« Reply #6 on: 12 April 2019, 03:33:33 PM »
Update......drove car today for the first time since the blower stopped working. When I increased the fan speed on the ACC panel you could hear a humming noise.  Does this point me in the direction of either the fan being jammed with leaves or worn bushes.

Please note I am unable to check voltages as auto electrics is not in my area of expertise or level of ability.....

sgould

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Re: HEATER BLOWER FAN NOT WORKING
« Reply #7 on: 12 April 2019, 04:40:19 PM »
I think it suggests that the current is trying to do something.  So not likely to be a fuse.  I would look at the motor first, but the humming could be coming from the regulator too.  The cooling pins could be vibrating and amplifying the sound.
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collywobble

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Re: HEATER BLOWER FAN NOT WORKING
« Reply #8 on: 14 April 2019, 08:28:31 AM »
Did the check for fault as listed on WIS as 870-489 New fault diagnosis for noise from the fan in climate control system which is run the fan in position 3-6 and then press the off button.  The noise stopped on pressing the off button so this means that there is an internal fault in the fan control unit but WIS also says to check the fan for leaves and cracks at the same time.

So it is a pig of a job to do and a new control unit is over £100 and is on factory order, and living in North Devon there is probably no local garage who will have a clue about Saabs!
« Last Edit: 14 April 2019, 10:09:23 AM by collywobble »

carrera

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Re: HEATER BLOWER FAN NOT WORKING
« Reply #9 on: 14 April 2019, 11:18:08 AM »
I assume you read my thread, it is one of those little jobs that could end up taking nearly a full day, which means expensive.

How do you fancy a bit of hand holding to test the voltages from the ACC unit as in post 6 - you will need a multimeter
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collywobble

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Re: HEATER BLOWER FAN NOT WORKING
« Reply #10 on: 16 April 2019, 03:57:37 PM »
Thanks for offer of help Carrera.

The main obstacles to me doing this myself are that I have to work on my drive, I am 71 years old and my back isn't good having b******d it up using an 11kg breaker on some concrete last year because the builder who built our new patios didn't understand no haunching where we are going to have turf laid, and as I have to take an aspirin everyday having had heart surgery in 2005 my hands won't be just red raw they will look like they have been through a mincing machine and lastly I don't have a clue about auto electrics!

From your excellent post it appears that you remove the fan controller from under the dash but according to WIS it comes out from under the scuttle?

sgould

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Re: HEATER BLOWER FAN NOT WORKING
« Reply #11 on: 16 April 2019, 05:27:53 PM »
Just had a look at the wiring diagram and the four wires connecting the fan controller are Red, Red/Brown, Grey/Red & Black.

I found an old photo I took when I had the glovebox out, and the controller seems to be just out of the picture top left, but I can see Red & Red/Brown wires, and they look reasonably accessible. Photo is looking upwads at the side of the aircon unit.

I've been through the heart op process and take aspirin.  When I have to work in difficult places, I use some thin leather gloves as long as possible, then drop to disposable vinyl gloves after that.  Not 100% at stopping blood, but I miss most of the scrapes. :)
« Last Edit: 16 April 2019, 05:41:01 PM by sgould »
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carrera

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Re: HEATER BLOWER FAN NOT WORKING
« Reply #12 on: 16 April 2019, 07:35:42 PM »
You're both making me feel like a spring chicken  :)

The fan controller is on the right hand side of the car. Behind the glovebox in LHD I think, drivers side in RHD. I have seen a couple of times now where the translation in WIS is language only, not always LHD / RHD as well.

The connector to allow testing of the voltage from the ACC is visible when you remove the glovebox. The cable for the controller side then goes up through the scuttle into the void behind the bulkhead, around the fan housing and motor, and then down back through the scuttle into the drivers footwell. The cable is nearly a metre long.

I have checked my phone and I have no more photos to upload, sorry. If you have WIS then use the "location" button to find item 220. You can see from  the diagram that the electrical connector is on the LHS from the view.

The offer is still there if you want to test the voltages after removing the glovebox, which is fairly straightforward. But if you aren't comfortable with that or don't have a meter then it's time to get someone else to do the job. If you do, get a fixed price quote for it.
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sgould

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Re: HEATER BLOWER FAN NOT WORKING
« Reply #13 on: 16 April 2019, 10:01:06 PM »
The WIS is confusion in the left/right consistency.  The diagram I posted a fwe posts up, shows the controller on the left, but it also shows the two big metal pipes on that side which they are on a LHD car.  On a RHD car the pipes are under the glovebox behind the panel on the side of the centre tunnel.  Always difficult to know which bits are switched and which bits aren't.
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collywobble

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Re: HEATER BLOWER FAN NOT WORKING
« Reply #14 on: 17 May 2019, 08:57:53 AM »
Since my last post I have not done anything about trying to fix the lack of A/C fan but yesterday my partner set off for work and as usual the aircon starts up when you start the car. She must have only gone a 100 yards up the road when I get a phone call from her saying that the air con is working again!

It has been fine for the last two days!

So - have the leaves jamming the fan all dried up and disintegrated?