Climate unit blower replacement

Alex318 · Post by **Alex318** » 22 Dec 2010, 05:44

My problem is a little different on a 98 S70. When the outside temps are below 40 degrees or thereabouts, I have no lights on the ECC and the fan doesn't work or any of the other adjustments (temp or where the air will blow). It's as if the unit has no power. As soon as the outside temp is warmer, the lights come on and everything works normally. And it sometimes will work after I've driven the car 15-20 minutes and I turn it off and back on - my assumption with this is that the warmth flowing from the engine has finally heated whatever is not working when it's cold. I could live with this intermittent problem except I'd really like to have heat when it's cold. Any suggestions as to what might be going on would be great.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 22 Dec 2010, 09:46

Welcome to MVS Alex318,

In your case I would be looking at the fuse socket. On an 850 it is fuse number 31 that powers the controller but that may be different on a 70 series. I don't have my daughter's owners manual for her S70 handy to check it.

...Lee

Alex318 · Post by **Alex318** » 22 Dec 2010, 11:49

Thanks, Lee....I just checked and not sure what I should be looking for. The fuse was good of course and the connection into it's slot was tight with no obvious corrosion. None of the fuses have ever needed to be replaced, so I'm not sure how often if at all that fusebox has been opened. Not sure if this add'l info will matter or help, but a month ago the ECC was flashing and throwing codes that said cabin temp sensor was bad (had it replaced) and then a damper motor was stuck (mechanic got it unstuck w/12v jolt).....things were fine until the first real cold weather 3 wks ago, and then no lights (and no codes either!) on the unit until it gets warm enough. Mechanic says power is getting to the unit (he replicated the problem by my leaving the car w/him overnight), and says I need to replace the ECC. Am looking for a used one, but for some reason, I just don't think the ECC is the problem....circuit board looks fine w/no obvious (not using magnifier) solder cracks.

Next suggestion? And thanks for all that you give to this forum. I've been reading it for years and finally got around to signing in.

Susan

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 22 Dec 2010, 13:19

Mechanic says power is getting to the unit (he replicated the problem by my leaving the car w/him overnight), and says I need to replace the ECC. Am looking for a used one, but for some reason, I just don't think the ECC is the problem.

I have my doubts as well but the mechanic has presumably tested for power on the connector and if there is indeed power going to the unit then the mechanic may be correct. eBay is a fairly good source for used climate control panels and I've found most of the eBay stuff to be cheaper than I can get it at a local junk yard. If you strike out there Erie Vo-vo (link at the top of the page) should have one.

...Lee

scenmed · Post by **scenmed** » 21 Jan 2011, 22:41

My 2004 XC90 fan is intermittent regardless of switch settings. The problem is that it's -13f in Minnesota this evening and not enough air flows to keep the windshield defrosted, not to mention driving with 4 layers of clothing is getting old. Here's the catch - if I place a 1500 watt electric heater under the glove compartment, facing the blower for an hour or so prior to driving the blower will come on full blast. Once the electric heater is removed (to drive away) the blower kicks off and will only come on occasionally. Is there a sensor telling the fan to quit or is the resistor reacting to the cold?

The only common denominator is when I apply this external heater the fan blower works. The colder the ambient temperature is the quicker the fan wants to quit. My extention cord is only 50'

so any solutions to this issue would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
Cliff

scenmed · Post by **scenmed** » 21 Jan 2011, 22:50

My apologies for the previous post...I just noticed this is for 92 - 00. I'll search for the appropriate location. In the meantime, any suggestions? It's COLD here!

Sorry,
Cliff

Post by **jimmy57** » 21 Jan 2011, 23:01

moved.

Ubbm · Post by **Ubbm** » 27 Jun 2011, 16:11

Great instructions. I oiled the screaming banshee

and now all is peaceful. Thanks.

Graham.

christhekiwi · Post by **christhekiwi** » 30 Jun 2011, 16:30

Hi, i must be missing something because i have two fan units that i am keen to fix, one the bearing is completely shot, the other is just getting a bit stiff to turn. I have tried to follow the intructions here for punching out the pin from the cage side, to release the cage but have only managed to punch out the plastc dome on the back of the unit that covers the end of the motor shaft. This does not look like a removeable part and will have to be glued back together. Can anyone clarify how to get the thing apart to expose the bearings?

Susans_Volvo · Post by **Susans_Volvo** » 07 Sep 2011, 20:31

I could not possibly have pulled my blower without Ozark Lee's instructions on the very first page of this thread.

But while I was doing mine I found a few differences that may help the next person out. Sorry for the poor quality on some of these pictures -- new camera is on the list but after all the car repairs are done!

Anyway. I did this on a 2000 V70 XC wagon, which doesn't have the knee panel and bolster, instead it has a shelf (what I learned to call a "package shelf" back in my AMC Eagle days). This called for some modifications to the procedure:

1) Start by using Ozark Lee's instructions to release the glovebox arms and remove the glovebox. Then you'll see this:

: Accessing Panel Screws; DropPassengerPanel1.jpg (20.13 KiB) Viewed 2194 times

The two screws on the "face" where you'd just removed glovebox screws hold in the shelf/panel below. You *can* remove them without removing the glovebox door. But it may be easier to just remove the door -- 4 screws and they are torx 25 just like everything else. ( If you are female (I am), I HIGHLY recommend removing the glovebox door. Otherwise your...assets...will keep encountering it every time you try to shift around to look at something or tug on a panel or some such. Not as uncomfortable as a mammogram, but distracting, and taking the door off only took a minute!)

Once you have removed those screws, start to pull the panel down then out. It'll look like this:

: Panel on the way out; DropPassengerPanel2.jpg (25.35 KiB) Viewed 2194 times

You may have to reach down and separate the panel and the carpet a bit -- mine was kind of wedged. (If you still have the glovebox door on, this will be much harder. Ask me how I know. Ouch.)

Once you get the panel loose, stop before you take it all the way out and look over to the right hand side -- there is a light built in. Unclip the wiring for it, then you can pull the panel all the way out and put it aside.

: Unplug this light; UnclipLight.jpg (22.45 KiB) Viewed 2194 times

Now you are down to the blower. Mine looked a bit different than Lee's, and the wiring was in slightly different places:

: 2000 V70 XC Wagon Blower; 2000BlowerDifferent.jpg (27.74 KiB) Viewed 2194 times

The connector at the bottom is the wiring for the blower, push the release and pull it out. The white "tube" is holding a lot more wiring, it will pull free easily, just pull it gently straight towards the back of the car. The big clump o' wiring with the grey connector is held onto the blower housing with two different connectors, one a kind of a pin, one barbed. Pull and wiggle on it gently, prying your fingers behind it and wrapping your hand around it a bit. Don't pull too hard or too fast, and eventually it will come loose.

Once those are all loose you can see the two screws on the right. (The left hand top/bottom screws are easy to see in Ozark Lee's pictures). The two black holes to the left of the screws (near the center part of the blower) are where the grey wiring connectors attach.

: Right Side Screws; RightHandScrews.jpg (22.47 KiB) Viewed 2194 times

From here it's all pretty much as the first posting says. When putting things back, remember to do tray first, then glovebox, then glovebox door.

--Susan

Climate unit blower replacement

Re: Climate unit blower replacement