Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting heater wiring

http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/tflork/Img_0017.jpg


that up there is the burnt out connector to the fan regulator switch. nasty, eh?

anyway, fixing this was an emergency (did you guys SEE the thermometer lately?) so i couldn't figure out the *right way to do it and i put that off till later. the way i have the heater set up now is we ran a wire directly from the battery thru the firewall to the blower. so now the regulator turns on the blower in the high setting, all other setting = off. does the job for me, but with time i want to do it right. so anyway, the burnt out connector had 4 wires running to it. i've tested all of them and they were all grounded. no power in any of them... any idea what might cause this? and also, which one is which? there are two thick ones and two thin ones...

btw, i DID purchase a new switch with new connector...(actually it came as the entire faceplate with all three switches). 35 dollars at MidIsland Auto wreckers for anyone near babylon in LI.



any replies will be helpful


-Thomas
1995 LX, v6

Both headlight and blower switches as well as the blower resistors are the subject of recalls/extended warranty, depending on year of car. Check of VIN at dealer the best way to find out if your car is/was covered. The connectors seem to be the problem, causing overheating, as you have found out.

Blower circuit has +12 from blower relay contact fed to blower motor then to switch > resistors > ground. Hi-speed has no resistor as you are currently running. Early cars I believe have 3 speeds, mine have 4. If you turn ignition on you should measure volts to ground from all but one of the wires (probably black). With ignition off what you measured is correct.

My '97 service manual seems to have errors in this circuit, but as long as your new and old connectors match you should have no problems splicing in (assuming swich configuration is the same).

Please post again if you have any questions on above.

I detected no power in all 4 with the ignition on... any idea what might cause this?

and as to the recalls, unfortunately i found out from my dealer last time that one of the previous owners cancelled the warranty. the blower switch was covered under the general recall, which you need a warranty for. bummer.


thomas

Maybe it's the resistor. Have you tried to replace it? It's on the firewall behind the glovebox on the left hand side. You'll see a plug plugged into it.

Should have pointed out that you would have to remove your temp wiring and have connector at motor plugged in, switch connector disconnected as pictured to get the proper results. I presume you disconnected plug at motor before adding temp wiring. Fuse 37 30 amp interior fuse panel should be confirmed as OK. Fuse 23 15 amp, also involved in control circuit for blower but if your emergency flashers are working that fuse is confirmed OK.

The first thing i did, before adding temp wiring was disconnect that burnt out switch and test its wires... so the motor was plugged in.. then i used a simple screwdriver tester to see if there's power in any of the 4 wires while the ignition was on. didn't check the fuses at this point - mostly because i've yet to buy a manual for this car and didnt know precisely which one to check...


could it be that there is a short circuit in the system somewhere? i've had a short before under the fusebox that was fixed by a licensed electrician, but it cost me a few bucks. is it hard to gain access under the fuse box?


thomas

Owner's manual can be downloaded here:

http://www.qualitycareservice.com/default.asp?page=E4

Interior fuse panel above driver's left foot. There's a button/lever you operate on inboard side which allows panel to flip down. Akward area to see and work in.

If fuse ok use your tester on wires(BK/R & P/BL) at motor connector ignition on (with your temp feed disconnectd) they should both show power (to ground) when connected to motor and only one(P/BL) should show power (to ground) when the connector is pulled off the motor. Visually check wiring/connector at blower resistors for similar symptoms to what you found at switch.

Short (ie power wire touching ground) more difficult to find than open circuit (discontinuity in either power or ground wire).

beautiful pic, thx

to show you how mechanically challenged i am, let me tell you a story: i read on here that the heater resistor pack is a 'white box' that can be found 'on the left behind the glove box'. i popped open the glove box, and voilla! white box on the left. looked aite to me. turned out to be the little motor that opens the vents and regulates the temperature. hopefully i'll find the RIGHT resistor this time


it's a dealer item i hear?



thomas

Yeppers. I think someone said it was under $15.00, but don't quote me on that.

The resistor is behind the glove box, close to the center console. You don't need to open the glove box to get to it, but there might be a piece of large black plastic in your way under the dash. At least I think thats where that thing came from in my garage.