Heater blower problems - switch or resistor

[chrisst2]

I wonder if someone can help. I have a 1994 L plate 200tdi and the heater blower motor has a mind of its own.

It always works on the 3rd (high) speed but the other 2 speeds , low and medium rarely work,sometimes when you switch it on 1 or 2 it may start working after driving for 5 minutes or half an hour,but generally it doesn't work at all on the 1 & 2 speeds.(I assume as the high speed works then the motor unit itself is ok.)

I have checked the switch , that seems to be working fine , on each of the speed settings there is a 12v output so I assume it must be a problem with the resistor in the main unit.

Does anyone know if the resistor can play up like that or does it just pack up and thats it ? If so it must be something else.

If it is the resistor , does it mean the entire dash out or can you get to it like you can with the RR Classics , ie through the air intake under the bonnet/top of bulkhead ?

Has anyone had a similar problem , if so perhaps they could let me know what they did to resolve it.

many thanks

Chris

[gloves]

had same problem on my 200 took the switch out took it apart cleaned all the terminal connections inside with emery put it back together and hey presto working on all settings, had the same as you 12v on all outputs but thought what the hell while i had it all stripped out, worth a try m8

[chrisst2]

Hi gloves , thanks for the reply , I think I will take the switch apart and have a look. Can't do it now for a coupel of weeks but will keep you posted if I resolve it.
thanks
Chris

[chrisst2]

thanks for all your help.

I have fixed the problem :thumbsup: , it seems as mine has aftermarket Air con the electrics are slightly different, I traced the 1st resistor under the bonnet rather than in the motor heater itself, whilst this looked ok , I decided to take it off and dismantle it.
This resistor has a built in fuse hidden underneath the casing ,the fuse holder (very crude affair !!) had corroded in half and was free to move apart breaking the circuit, I assume the times the low & medium speeds worked were after a bump or something that rejoined the 2 halfs !.
Anyway , I cut the fuse holder out and fashioned my own by soldering a new wire to each side of the connectors, crimped a spade connector on each wire and then connected the fuse to this. Doing it this way means that I am able to relocate the resistor in a position that has better air flow but away from the damp & wet , it also means that it is easy to replace a fuse if needed.
So after all this aggro , the switch was fine and what is best of all is that I didn't have to take any of the dash out !!!!:cheers: