dash fan causing vibration on higher settings Topic is solved

Post by **June** » 05 Aug 2016, 23:17

Recently I have noticed a strange vibration in the steering wheel when I set the air conditioning blower above half way. Has anyone had this problem and how did you stop the vibration? My car is a 2004 S80 T6 with 119,xxx miles. Thank you, June

donf · Post by **donf** » 09 Aug 2016, 06:50

Sounds like your vent fan could be the cause to me. It's behind the glove box - there are several excellent videos online to help you.
You really need the flexible screw driver (or a flexible drill shaft - a little cheaper) to get the front screw. Do not break the tab like at least one person suggests.
To get it out should take less than 20 minutes. Then check for free play, maybe even rig up something to run it while it is remove- just make sure the housing is held very securely before applying 12 volts to the motor, I used a vise.

As I recall the motors run between 100 and 300 something. Personally, I would go with OEM because I believe they last longer. Don't forget to replace the cabin filter while you are thhere.

majorcode · Post by **majorcode** » 13 Aug 2016, 13:18

June,

99% you Air con Fan. I had the same problem of dash vibration, but I just took the fan out and cleaned. And problem solved.

I am pro DIY guy and I must admit it took me 40 mins to take out and 30 min to get it fit back. Plus job is seriously not easy, so be careful.

Good Luck!

Post by **June** » 13 Aug 2016, 14:50

majorcode wrote:June,

99% you Air con Fan. I had the same problem of dash vibration, but I just took the fan out and cleaned. And problem solved.

I am pro DIY guy and I must admit it took me 40 mins to take out and 30 min to get it fit back. Plus job is seriously not easy, so be careful.

Good Luck!

Did you clean the blades or was it the motor?

Post by **chrism** » 15 Aug 2016, 16:08

My son's Saab got to where it vibrated horribly when set at the higher speeds. Turned out a mouse had built a nest in the fan causing it to be way out of balance.

Post by **oragex** » 15 Aug 2016, 17:06

On S60 you can access the fan blades by lifting the large plastic trim at the bottom of the windshield - no need to remove the wipers. Keep a hand under each clip and depress the center pin. Easier than removing the blower.

Post by **June** » 07 Sep 2016, 18:56

I took her in to Osteen Volvo (my service center) for a oil change today and asked them to find out what was wrong with the fan causing the vibration. I tried to figure out how to remove the plastic under the windshield to reach into the fan to see if something had been caught in the fan and couldn't figure out how it came apart. Calvin my mechanic removed the panel and pulled out a chunk of fabric insulation. Believe it or not I was only charged about $20.00 and that is dealership price. It must be really easy to reach into the fan. I had terrible images floating in my head of removing the fan after looking at the how to link.

Thank you everyone for all the helpful suggestions and I feel a little dumb that I couldn't figure out how to get the panel off. Twenty bucks means five or ten minutes at the cost of labor these days so it must be really easy!