ogre840 Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 Ok, so my heater fan blows... well more accuratly doesn't blow... though sometimes it decides to for a few hundred miles, then the next time I turn the car on... nothing. One time I fixed it by closing my sun roof cover a little firmer than normal. The next time I fixed it by slamming my glovebox shut. Sadly neither of those two fixes worked today. Neither has beating the dash. I've read my repair manual, which says to do all these fun and interesting electrical tests, which if I have to I'll do, but me and electricity don't mix (car - battery = a big shock... don't ask me how... and it wasn't just once...) so i'm trying to avoid touching anything, plus taking my dash off doesn't sound fun... Is there any other problems that it could be? Maybe the fan it self is sticky (the owner before me was a smoker, not sure about the owner before that) or dusty to the point of sticking? Or should I just rip it all apart and inspect it like the book says? Any pointers would be appreciated, it's hard to defrost a car w/o a fan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwiener2 Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 it's possible that after 15 years the fan motor burnt out. may be time for a new one My Mods List (Updated 8/22/17) 2005 Outback FMT Running on Electrons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pillboy Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 Does it run on ANY speed...such as high only? There is a step down resistor through which the current flows when you select the lower fan speeds. Sometimes this resistor goes bad and the lower fan speeds don't work (but high does since it bypasses the resistor). It is still ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 Does it run on ANY speed...such as high only? There is a step down resistor through which the current flows when you select the lower fan speeds. Sometimes this resistor goes bad and the lower fan speeds don't work (but high does since it bypasses the resistor). That's likely. I had it on my Nissan. Subarus have lots in common with Nissans... (due to former FHI ties to Nissan). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 Does it run on ANY speed...such as high only? There is a step down resistor through which the current flows when you select the lower fan speeds. Sometimes this resistor goes bad and the lower fan speeds don't work (but high does since it bypasses the resistor). Ladies and Gentlemen, What you see here is a very rare post. It is a post by pillboy, and in this rare post, you will note that he is not making a smart-ass remark. More amazing still, it's even helpful. History in the making folks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogre840 Posted December 31, 2006 Author Share Posted December 31, 2006 Does it run on ANY speed...such as high only? There is a step down resistor through which the current flows when you select the lower fan speeds. Sometimes this resistor goes bad and the lower fan speeds don't work (but high does since it bypasses the resistor). When I've used the "technical touch" fix, it runs at all speeds. It seems that if I leave it on Defrost after I actually get it working, it will stay working even after shutting the car off. If I shut it down in any other setting that does not include defrost (so Heat/Def is OK) then it wont come back on... I'm wondering if maybe it's just a loose connection in the back or something... Sure I'll still have to tear apart the dash, but atleast I wont have to test anything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogre840 Posted January 1, 2007 Author Share Posted January 1, 2007 Well today it came back on with a simple passenger door closing (front right door)... I'm leaving it set to defrost for the time being, test to see how long it stays working and what not. I've got bigger fish to fry (well... noises to fix) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pillboy Posted January 1, 2007 Share Posted January 1, 2007 Ladies and Gentlemen, What you see here is a very rare post. It is a post by pillboy, and in this rare post, you will note that he is not making a smart-ass remark. More amazing still, it's even helpful. History in the making folks! Hmmmm...10:38 on a Saturday night...shouldn't you be out looking for a rich drunk guy to drive home? (No people, I am not making a comment on Brady's sexuality...I'm just too lazy to include a link to the thread I am referring to.) It's just that since I am a boring old guy, I don't know a lot about swapping turbos, BOVs, FMICs, etc, I tend to keep my mouth shut unless I know what I am talking about. And as Brady points out, this doesn't happen very often (me knowing what I am talking about). It is still ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pillboy Posted January 1, 2007 Share Posted January 1, 2007 When I've used the "technical touch" fix, it runs at all speeds. It seems that if I leave it on Defrost after I actually get it working, it will stay working even after shutting the car off. If I shut it down in any other setting that does not include defrost (so Heat/Def is OK) then it wont come back on... I'm wondering if maybe it's just a loose connection in the back or something... Sure I'll still have to tear apart the dash, but atleast I wont have to test anything The way electrical connectors snap together, I doubt one would come loose unless you have had it apart and didn't get it back together completely. I'm still thinking maybe the resistor (banging the glove box door or passenger door shut causes the bad spot on the resistor coil to make contact again and work for awile?). Or maybe the fan speed switch itself has corrosion on the contacts or it is going bad. If it was me, I would first remove the resistor and look to see what kind of shape it is in. Either replace or reinstall if it looks OK. Then spray the fan speed switch full of cleaner spray and work it through all the positions and let it dry. If neither of these help, I would replace the fan position switch next (hopefully it is a separate item and can be replaced individually). The last thing I would replace would be the blower motor itself (although if it is fairly easy to access, you could take it apart and see if there is anything causing drag on the fan itself such as a mouse nest or old condom wrappers that have fallen down the defroster slots). Another historical post, smart guy. It is still ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogre840 Posted January 2, 2007 Author Share Posted January 2, 2007 The way electrical connectors snap together, I doubt one would come loose unless you have had it apart and didn't get it back together completely. I'm still thinking maybe the resistor (banging the glove box door or passenger door shut causes the bad spot on the resistor coil to make contact again and work for awile?). Or maybe the fan speed switch itself has corrosion on the contacts or it is going bad. If it was me, I would first remove the resistor and look to see what kind of shape it is in. Either replace or reinstall if it looks OK. Then spray the fan speed switch full of cleaner spray and work it through all the positions and let it dry. If neither of these help, I would replace the fan position switch next (hopefully it is a separate item and can be replaced individually). The last thing I would replace would be the blower motor itself (although if it is fairly easy to access, you could take it apart and see if there is anything causing drag on the fan itself such as a mouse nest or old condom wrappers that have fallen down the defroster slots). Another historical post, smart guy. I've never taken it apart my self, who knows what the previous owners have done though... Guess I'll just break down and take my dash apart and see what's back there (the last owners had kids... I'm expecting a gummy bear graveyard...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nemp Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 I had the same problem on my 1990 Legacy. The heater would sometimes work, in any speed. Driving fast (>60mph) usually fixed it, I guess by increasing inflow. But it wouldn't spin the next time I drove, and eventually it never worked. The electronics didn't seem to be the problem, so I took the fan motor apart. Took an hour or so. First, remove the glove box and its mounting bracket (a bunch of screws). Under there, locate the cookie-tin-shaped fan assembly, remove the hose (pull on other end), unplug the wires, and remove 3 screws. Move it to someplace more comfortable. Take the fan off. Take the motor apart, remove purple-brown crud from corroded foam gasket, examine brushes for wear, then put it back together. You'll need a screwdriver and some pliers. Plug it back in to the electrics to test it before you reinstall. If it still doesn't work, it's beyond me, but you could test it in another car to determine whether it's the motor or electrics. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B2.5GT Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 I don't believe you need to take the dash out to get to the blower motor or the resistor, resistor is usually really close to the blower motor. I think you can just take the glove box out and get to the blower motor with the resisor with few minor plastic covers underneeth. I agree with pillboy that it's sounds like a resistor, take the resistor and test the resistor with ohmeter with the specs in the service manual. You can test the blower motor, simply by applying power to the motor. Hope this will help in any way. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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