1996 850R Blend Door Motor (Damper Motor) ECC

[scot850]

There is the actual time it takes and the 'book' time. The actual time would take me (a non-mechanic but familiar with the job) possibly a couple of hours mainly as I am old, stiff and 290lbs. A young fit guy should be able to do this a lot quicker. Just make sure that they have checked the movement of the flaps are free and non-sticking/binding, and the shaft ends are not split, or all your money spent will not necessarily fix all the issues. Like the other guys and I said, I have only ever had 1 motor fail on me so to have 3 fail is extremely unusual.

Ask them what the time to do this is, as they have a book time for it. Otherwise you may get a bigger shock!

Neil.

[wackenhut]

They said that they can see the ECC unit giving the command to the motor, and the motor not doing anything. I just don't feel like throwing money away.

[abscate]

I'm guessing you'll get charged 3 hours shop plus Another hour to recalibrate in VIDA.

Total 450-500 in labour and tax.

The chance that three motors will fail independently is near nil. That in itself makes me wonder if the diagnosis is good.

[tylswil]

I had absolutely no idea these were there and it makes so much sense. I'm having trouble with my passenger side not cooling to its max potential. I check the cabin sensor and there was crap all over it. I noticed the fan was spinning but it did stop while I was watching it to make sure everything was okay. Is there anyway to get a new sensor for this or am I crap out of luck? This is very helpful.

There is a great write up for replacing the evaporator that cover many of the issues you will have to deal with in terms of access.

This is well worth a read if nothing else to get familiar with the layout and where the motors are. 2-3 are easier to access, 1 on the LH side is a pain and the last at the nearest the firewall on the RH side is a major pain.

http://www.woodjoiner.com/volvo/VolvoEvapReplace.pdf

There are from memory 5 motors on an 850, and they are all the same. On the S/V70 there are only 3 motors and one on the LH side to the right of the steering wheel has a different drive shaft on it. The other 2 and all 850s have the same motor. The 850 ones are easiest to get to if you go to a PnP type place to get them. I pulled 3 at our local PnP last weekend at 50% of day and got all 3 and a TCV for $16 CDN (or $4 each) or $12 US!!

But before you run off screaming lets tackle the (relatively) easy stuff first.

There are many things that can go wrong, and some are easier to fix than others. If you eventually have to pull the whole system out, you might as well consider replacing the heater core and evaporator while in there. Allow at least a weekend for this or more worst case.

So easy stuff:

1) There are 2 cabin temperature sensors in an 850 ECC system. They are situated behind the grab handles above the front doors in the roof. These have little fan motors in them that pull cabin air through from each side and sense the cabin temp on that side and the system then adjusts accordingly. Over time, airborne crap gets in and clogs the fans and they can't sense the temp correctly. They are fairly easy to access, but removing the grab handles, pulling down on the top of the door seal (I think I haven't done this in about 5 years) and you have to pull the plastic trim piece off above the door frame. You can now get access to the little sensor fan unit. Carefully remove and use cotton buds and rubbing alcohol (90% IPA) and a small artists brush to clean the crap out. Careful not to damage the temperature bead in the middle. With these clean, temporarily re-install the sensors and switch on the car and see if the little fans are running. This doesn't say they are good, but at least the circuit is good.

Check now if you are getting better temp. control on both sides.

2)Next, pull the glove box out (see info attached on how-to). Also drop the 2 dash under-trays down and out. You should now be able to locate the 5 motors. This is where I would call the dealer and ask for the codes so we can help identify which, if any, motors to look into. Even without the codes there are a few checks you can do. With the system on, turn the recirculation setting on and look at the motor directly behind the glove box, to the left of the fan motor. There is a lever arm on the motor shaft that often breaks with age. See if the arm moves and the arm is good. If all is good then move on. If not, the motor can be removed by undoing a small screw at the front edge closest to you and the motor should slide out giving access to the arm if you need to replace. Not sure if the air is still available (called the intermediate arm Part #: 6808653) and if it is replace or try and find one at PnP that is good.

3) Next check the motor you can see to the left of the glove box opening. The servo motors have a square shaft and it goes into a plastic sleeve. This sleeve splits with age, or because the flap on the end of the shaft kind of melts and sticks, causing the motor to overdrive and brake the plastic end. Again, this section can be disassembled without removing the dash. Remove the motor and check the shaft end is good. If not, try gluing with epoxy and then reinforce with a small worn clamp or pull a zip-tie tight to hold it. Try to turn the flap and check it moves easily.
If memory serves the flap at that end can be replaced by removing a few screws on the side of the unit. Can't find the part number for that. There is a flap at the other side, and it is no longer available. If that is sticking, only choice is to see if you can get one from a PnP that is better.

The other 3 motors can be removed, but make sure you know their position of their shafts when you take them out to make sure they know their home positions. on 95 and earlier you could run a reset program so the system would reset the motors correctly. I don't know how to do this with a 96/97/98.

At least you will then be able to see if any motors are actually bad. I've only ever had one go bad on me, it was usually the flaps that are the problem.

If you can get the codes, we can help you target your time more effectively.

Hope this is of help.

Neil.

[scot850]

You can remove the cabin sensor (if you have ECC controls) there is one on each side of the car above the door hidden behind the grab handle. Normally you can remove then by removing the door seal, and the wide panel of the windshield (un-clips). I normally clean them with IPA and cotton buds and then let them dry. A small amount of silicon oil on the bearing of the fan is usually all that is needed. Worst case, if the temp is not being controlled on one side, you could get a used part as they don't often fail.