From what I can tell it sounds like I need a new blower motor resistor? It looks pretty easy to replace, but I just want someone to give me advice on how I can confirm that this part is dead. The car is a 2004 Volvo S40 1.9T (old 2004 model not new style).
Posted Jun 5, 2012, 10:13 PM UTC
Might have more luck on r/volvo
Did it creep up slowly over time? This is a dead giveaway it's the resistor. I have 2002 BMW 330i and the fan sometimes went wonky with a mind of it's own. I bought the resistor but was lazy and didnt install it. Then one day the fan wouldn't work at all. Finally went in and replaced it and it works great again.
The resistor is probably under $50 so you might as well just replace it and find out!
I certainly hope it's under $50! WOW! I just replaced one on a Subaru recently that was only ~$16 or so.
RockAuto.com or even eBay.
Thanks! Sounds exactly what occurred in my car. Unfortunately they appear to be a little more than $50 for my car, which is why I was hesitant to just throw a new one in there. I guess I'll find out tomorrow.
One way to check to see if it's your blower motor resistor is to turn on the A/C (i.e., engage the compressor), and work the fan switch. If the compressor pulley is turning as it normally would, but the fan won't work, then it probably is your blower motor resistor. Also, if you have one or some, but not ALL speeds on the fan, that is almost ALWAYS a blower motor resistor.
But if the switch simply stopped working altogether, then it might be something else as well. In that case I'd check to see if maybe you have a blown fuse. If not, it could be the blower motor itself. That might also account for it simply not working at all rather than losing just a speed or two.
If it is the resistor, then yeah, they usually are very easy to replace. If it's the blower motor itself, those also are fairly easy to replace but require a little more work. Both parts are inexpensive.
The problem started as the fan would only blow on high speed. I let it go on for a few days and then everything just stopped working. I checked to see if a fuse was blown and everything looked good. I was able to pull out the resistor no problem. Going to pick one up tomorrow. FYI I neglected replacing the in cabin filter which is right beside the resistor, probably has alot to do with the problem.
Yep, the classic "Hey, why doesn't it blow on all the speeds?" symptom.
Well cool (pun!), glad it's only the resistor. If it's anything like my 23 year old Subaru, it should take you maybe 5 minutes or less... you'll be chilled to the bone in no time. :)