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'01 v70 a/c fan stays on

Help, Advice and DIY Tutorials on Volvo's P80 platform cars -- Volvo's 1990s "bread and butter" cars -- powered by the ubiquitous and durable Volvo inline 5-cylinder engine.

1992 - 1997 850, including 850 R, 850 T-5R, 850 T-5, 850 GLT
1997 - 2000 S70, S70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70, V70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70-XC
1997 - 2004 C70

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SandCastle
Posts: 11
Joined: 27 April 2016
Year and Model: 2001 v70 t5
Location: SW Middle TN

'01 v70 a/c fan stays on

Post by SandCastle »

Hello, 2001 v70 t5; 220k miles. The past several months the a/c fan works sometimes and not sometimes. When it is not blowing I still feel cold air in the vent, just no fan. Other times everything works fine. Vegas odds are 2-1 that it will not work on any given drive.
Yesterday I noticed the a/c fan was blowing when I walked by the car. I know this happens from time to time so I was not concerned. Well, guess what? Last night the battery was totally drained; I guess the fan never stopped. Today I charged the battery and took it out for a test drive. No a/c, which was not unexpected. About 7 minutes into the drive, the fan came on and I continued on for another 5 minutes home. Turned the car off and the a/c fan keeps blowing. Waited anxiously about 5 minutes and the fan is still blowing (seems to be almost on high). Started it back up, hit every a/c related button - fan on constant. Not wanting to drain the battery again, I pulled the negative cable.
I have little mechanical know-how, but I follow directions well and have a pretty good local mechanic. I fear the Volvo dealer $$$$
We would like to get another year or so out of this car; any suggestions are appreciated.

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abscate
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Posts: 35298
Joined: 17 February 2013
Year and Model: 99: V70s S70s,05 V70
Location: Port Jefferson Long Island NY
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Post by abscate »

I understand the issue is with the fan inside the car, not the radiator fan

The control unit (sometimes incorrectly named ECC) turns the fan on after running to keep the evaporator dry. It sounds like that function is Fubar. That's the officially Volvo for Novemver Foxtrot Uniform.

Probably good diagnosis since moving the fan control to OFF isn't solving the problem.
Empty Nester
A Captain in a Sea of Estrogen
1999-V70-T5M56 2005-V70-M56 1999-S70 VW T4 XC90-in-Red
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Tone944
Posts: 13
Joined: 19 February 2017
Year and Model: 2003 XC70, 2006 XC9
Location: Newcastle, Australia
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Post by Tone944 »

I used VIDA/DICE to turn the "dehumidify" feature off. Just makes me nervous having a fan running full speed consuming battery power when the engine isn't running! I'm sure it has caused me to need my wife to rescue me from a carpark once. All it takes is a battery that isn't quite up to the task and this feature can tip it over the edge.

Sandcastle's issue sounds like there could be a relay sticking or failed power control circuit somewhere. I'm not sure where you would find that one though...

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abscate
MVS Moderator
Posts: 35298
Joined: 17 February 2013
Year and Model: 99: V70s S70s,05 V70
Location: Port Jefferson Long Island NY
Has thanked: 1505 times
Been thanked: 3818 times

Post by abscate »

You could try a control unit swap from an old car or eBay unit. They rarely go bad
Empty Nester
A Captain in a Sea of Estrogen
1999-V70-T5M56 2005-V70-M56 1999-S70 VW T4 XC90-in-Red
Link to Maintenance record thread

SandCastle
Posts: 11
Joined: 27 April 2016
Year and Model: 2001 v70 t5
Location: SW Middle TN

Post by SandCastle »

I purchased a used Climate Control Unit; it did not address the issue - the fan continued to blow full speed.
I pulled the CCU and the fan continued to blow. This pointed me to fan regulator; bought one from Amazon, along with a new fan. Figured if I was going in, might as well get both. Replaced the fan and regulator (previous notes about that right-rear screw being impossible are correct). Appears that we are back on the road!
Thanks to all for suggestions.
Donald C.

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