'98 V70 - unstable blower speed

nikolaj · Post by **nikolaj** » 06 Aug 2009, 15:44

Hi all,

Lately the a/c blower in my '98 V70 (2.5 n/a, 210k km, EU model, ECC) seems to be having its own life (or at least opinion on speed) and not paying much attention to either manual or auto setting of blower speed.

I usually drive with blower speed and vent set in auto and it used to work nicely with little adjustment made by the system once the temperature setpoint was reached. I now notice that the blower speed keeps changing and that the blower speed generally seems slower that usual. Going manual sometimes helps and will give full airflow but only for a limited period.

Now - thanks to a search on this fabulous forum

- I have made my way to the blower and I can get troublefree blower response but only as long as I tweak the blower power connector to one of the sides. The phenomenon seems to be linked to the connector on the blower motor itself and not the wires.

It seems to me that there is very limited access to the wires and motor parts in the blower (I have it out and the back cover off) but I would really appreciate any advice from you savants before shelling out some 350$ on a new blower motor

Do you have a trick I can try or should I just accept that the motor is dead?

Oh, btw, is the recirc damper supposed to move to recirc mode in one smooth movement and to fresh air mode in steps?

Many thanks in advance!

Nikolaj

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 06 Aug 2009, 17:35

Welcome to MVS,

It is perfectly normal for the blower speed to vary when everything is set in the auto mode. The speed should not, however, vary if you move the fan speed switch off of the auto setting and set it to the air flow level you desire.

I suspect that you have a bad connection from the connector to the blower motor. There are additional spade lug connectors inside of the housing that go to the blower motor itself. If they aren't too charred you can likely just crimp them a bit and things will be good again.

I took the blower apart a few weeks ago on one of my 850s but sadly I didn't take any pictures beyond removing the blower motor assembly.

Since you have investigated this far I'm sure you don't need this but here is a writeup on my procedure for removing the blower assembly.

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=19322

Once you get the blower assembly out it is fairly obvious how it comes apart.

...Lee

Post by **tailor** » 06 Aug 2009, 20:45

Oh, btw, is the recirc damper supposed to move to recirc mode in one smooth movement and to fresh air mode in steps?

This is an interesting question as I was having some trouble with my damper as well. Upon closing it would thump a couple of times, almost as if it was stuck and then broke itself free . I had the opportunity to view it in action while I was changing the cabin air filter. Opening it would not make any strange noises and open it would open in one smooth movement. There is a plastic arm that connects to the damper motor and the damper flap, I thought that the attachment point at the motor was cracked or too big and at some point in the closing (near the end ) the arm jumps . This did not happen at every closing, I was also getting an error message : Damper motor active too long.
It seems to be an intermittent problem and I have sort of resigned myself to just live with it......until it annoys me enough to tackle it once and for all.
As a parting shot I know on my vehicle there is an option to reset
the damper limits, I believe you may have to make a trip to the dealer.
So all this may be of no use to you at all!

nikolaj · Post by **nikolaj** » 07 Aug 2009, 04:21

Ozark Lee wrote: Once you get the blower assembly out it is fairly obvious how it comes apart.

...Lee

Thanks Lee (also for the writeup - there was some interesting additional info in that thread),

I am sad to admit that "fairly obvious" isn't sufficient for a newbie like myself

I have the blower assembly out but cannot figure out how to take it apart to get to the wires that seem to be needing crimping... I don't want to wrestle the connector or anything else without being fairly sure that I going the right path. I have attached a few pictures of the assembly- perhaps someone can direct me to the right path?

Thanks again!

nikolaj · Post by **nikolaj** » 07 Aug 2009, 04:43

tailor wrote:
Oh, btw, is the recirc damper supposed to move to recirc mode in one smooth movement and to fresh air mode in steps?
This is an interesting question as I was having some trouble with my damper as well. Upon closing it would thump a couple of times, almost as if it was stuck and then broke itself free . I had the opportunity to view it in action while I was changing the cabin air filter. Opening it would not make any strange noises and open it would open in one smooth movement. There is a plastic arm that connects to the damper motor and the damper flap, I thought that the attachment point at the motor was cracked or too big and at some point in the closing (near the end ) the arm jumps . This did not happen at every closing, I was also getting an error message : Damper motor active too long.
It seems to be an intermittent problem and I have sort of resigned myself to just live with it......until it annoys me enough to tackle it once and for all.
As a parting shot I know on my vehicle there is an option to reset
the damper limits, I believe you may have to make a trip to the dealer.
So all this may be of no use to you at all!

Thanks! So I'm not alone with this - if nothing else, that's always nice to know.

I had the plastic arm disconnected and the damper motor off the bracket. The damper and arm move freely and smooth when hand operated - so I don't think the hacking operation is related to this part of the system but rather to the motor itself. But when I tried activating the motor without the arm connected, it rotated the pin in one uninterrupted movement

... I guess I will have to observe for a while.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 07 Aug 2009, 06:00

That is not an OEM Bosch blower so I sent you down the wrong path. On the Delco blower motor I have no idea.

...Lee

nikolaj · Post by **nikolaj** » 07 Aug 2009, 06:33

Ozark Lee wrote:That is not an OEM Bosch blower so I sent you down the wrong path. On the Delco blower motor I have no idea.

...Lee

OK. In my humble newbie opinion it is not meant/made to be taken apart. I guess I am on the lookout for a new blower...

Thanks Lee

Br/Nikolaj