Heater blower stops when it wants????

wig · Post by **wig** » 15 Jan 2011, 07:47

Hi all, again! *sniff* My beloved baby 850 T5 on a '94 plate has yet another complaint, she wants me to freeze!!!

After starting her up, she blows warm air at me great, then sometimes (not all the time, but most of the time) the blower will stop and will not come on again until you stop the engine and start her up again, which you cannot do on a motorway!

It seems to me like a resistor problem, but before I start messing and spending money on parts, I would like to know if I am correct. And also, what kind of job it is to do. Knowing Volvo, it will be quite easy, everything else is, I hope it is!!! hehe!!

I look forward to any suggestions and help!

Kind Regards,

Wig!

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 15 Jan 2011, 10:02

I have not yet encountered a blower resistor that was intermittent. They either work or they don't. There are two areas that will get intermittent though, the blower motor itself can have the brushes hang up and not make contact with the armature or, more likely, the connectors inside of the blower housing have overheated and become deformed. Those can usually be repaired by removing the blower housing and crimping down slightly on the connectors.

...Lee

wig · Post by **wig** » 18 Jan 2011, 15:10

Hi Lee, We took her out for a good run the other day, and the blower worked all the way, I'm talking 2-3 hours, and in that journey we kept on sliding the blower to different speeds, and it didn't offer to stop at all. Yet, I got in it the next morning and throughout the day, and it cut out almost everytime, with me having to pull up, put it in park, then start the engine again and it worked for the rest of the journey's. The ignition switch is a bit dodgy, and I have been told in an earlier post that it could be that, but I tend to think that not just the blower would stop, I would lose more than just that surely????? When we start her up, we have to turn the key back a touch to get all the electrics on, such as lights etc etc.

What are your thoughts on this my friend?

Kind Regards,

Wig!

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 18 Jan 2011, 16:01

Deal with the ignition switch first. It is actually quite easy to change and, in Volvo terms, it is a cheap part. When the ignition switch starts to go bad the cars get downright demonic and there isn't any real rhyme or reason to the weird things that happen.

...Lee