1997 850R Air not switching to defrost

nateyaro · Post by **nateyaro** » 27 Oct 2014, 17:24

Hello everyone,

I'm pretty new to the Volvo world. So far I picked up a 1997 850R sedan with 150k on the clock so far since owning it I've replaced the blower motor, and put new tires on the car.

The other morning I went to go to work and couldn't get my defrost to work. Air comes out the normal vents however it won't divert to the defrost vents.

I did some searching and reading and I'm thinking its something to do with the damper motor on my ECC not changing the flow of the air.

I'm trying to track down where the damper motor is, and how I could fix it. I've found a few places that talk about it however none of them currently contain photos that will display.

I'd like to know what I'm looking for and what the best method of fixing it is. I'm located in the Mid west and when it starts getting cold here soon I'm going to need the defrost to work!

Thanks everyone!

-Nate

Post by **shaker_chi** » 27 Oct 2014, 21:31

Nate,

If the ECC is bad you will see flashing lights on the panel when you start the car. There is a way to read the codes, but I can't remember where I saw it. I'm sure someone else could chime in and post the link. Before you start pulling everything apart see what the codes reveal.

nateyaro · Post by **nateyaro** » 28 Oct 2014, 06:21

Ah! That's good to know. Mine are definitely flashing when I start the car. Any guidance on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Post by **combatkarl** » 28 Oct 2014, 08:43

Nate-
If you have the flashing lights on your ECC, you will need to read the fault codes by using a "code reader" - see the excellent posts from jreed --> https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... 43#p251189
and Ben850--> https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... 37&t=60660

Another possibility is a broken or split plastic shaft that the dampener motor turns which controls whether air goes to Defrost or to your feet. You will need to remove the glove-box liner to do a visual check. This was my fix -- https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... 98#p307298 ..Though be sure to check out the links mentioned in my post from "mercuric" and "marginal."

You may also need to clean or perform maintenance on the dampener motors as in these posts from jreed
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... 5&p=251436
and
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... 8&p=254621

Good luck.

nateyaro · Post by **nateyaro** » 10 Nov 2014, 17:10

I finally just took the volvo in and got the codes read from the dealer.
They're telling me that the two damper motors that control the defrost and the foot air are both dead. They also said that the ECC is receiving a signal however its not sending one.

Is there a good place to purchase the damper motors myself and do the install? They quoted me 1k for just the motor replacement and then the ECC (If I decided to replace that) would be another 3-500.

Any suggestions? Its getting into winter here in Indiana and I really need my defrost.

Thanks guys!

Post by **dosbricks** » 10 Nov 2014, 18:46

Pick up a good used (has been tested) ECC from ebay or a recycler for $60-$80. erievovo.com guarantees their used parts. These are cake to install. Pull out the radio, reach up behind the ECC and pop it out, unplug the wiring harness from the back--a ten minute job total.

As for the control motors, you might study the repair links above and fix yours. If replacing them, used might be your only option unless someone chimes in with a source for aftermarket. Before paying $1k to stealer

, as a stopgap, I would get a cigarette-lighter-powered accessory fan from the local parts store and start the car and let it warm up before leaving the house.