Question on Blower/Resistor

Post by **Grantkat** » 02 Mar 2026, 12:20

1999 S70 GLT.

I noticed this morning that my HVAC fan was not blowing all that great this am and I heard a noise I do not recall hearing before.
At lunch today I went out and tried it and here is what I have:

When moving the slide switch from 0 to full blast, the fan initially comes on and blows like it should, however soon after that (maybe 20 seconds) the fan starts to slow down and it makes a weird noise that i would have trouble describing. The noise is subtle but not what I would expect to hear.

normally this is behavior one would expect in an electric fan motor which is failing. However, i want to make sure it is not a bad or failing resistor. My experience has been a failing resistor either blows full blast no matter what or it does nothing.

thoughts?

Post by **abscate** » 02 Mar 2026, 14:54

If you have the slide fan control, you have ECC and a power transistor pack, not a resistor pack. These can fail in part, unlike the resistor pack which usually fails open and leaves you with high speed or none.

But , Irish betting puts 15:1 odds of blower motor over transistor pack on these cars based on history here.

Okay, I made up that last bit, but I would lean that way

About $100 for the TYC replacement with the FCP warranty

Post by **Grantkat** » 02 Mar 2026, 16:39

awesome - so can the fan be bench tested once removed? i.e. can I connect my 12vdc power supply to it to test the motor?

Chieber · Post by **Chieber** » 02 Mar 2026, 17:45

Spin the motor and you’ll feel that it doesn’t smoothly turn around anymore.

Mine went out like a squealing pig. When I took the fan out, it wouldn’t spin freely anymore. There was a lot of resistance trying to turn the blades round.

Post by **scot850** » 02 Mar 2026, 19:06

The orientation you have the motor when testing it should be the same as when fitted in the car. The bearing wear and the fand can move forward and backward which can jam it from turning. Sometimes all the bearings need is a little light oil lube to get it moving well again. If that does not work, then it is a new/used motor.

Neil.

Post by **abscate** » 02 Mar 2026, 23:13

Can be bench tested.

Looks like only the FEBI brand is left. It’s a 1998,1999,2000 only part since we are special

jmartin919 · Post by **jmartin919** » 03 Mar 2026, 05:29

Just be ready for that blower to jump across the bench when you put power to it.

Post by **Grantkat** » 03 Mar 2026, 06:52

Great guys! I will see what i find, planning to pull it tonight. Abscate I saw that as well. Backorder is a bad word in my dictionary...Assuming the motor is bad Febi it is....

Post by **abscate** » 03 Mar 2026, 23:46

…or ignore Erikv posting there is a two word solution..

It’s junkyard, not junk yard

The problem with the S/V70 platform in junkyards is you can read the mileage on the ODO without battery power, and it would be good to get a blower from a 100k car rather than a 200k car. I guess a wreck would be a decent bet

Post by **Grantkat** » 04 Mar 2026, 06:40

OK guys - the blower motor failed the bench test - but here's a big FYI

I initially hooked it up backwards - reverse of how its connected inside the vehicle. Put 12V to it and it ran flawlessly in half a dozen starts and stops including 3+ minutes with no indication of issue. Then I reversed the leads, realizing I had it backwards and Viola it ran for about 10 seconds and then slowed down more as time when on. Additionally it failed to start in 3 attempts to the point where I had to budge the cage and then it started turning. So.... bad blower motor.