cattod
New LVC Member
Tags: DATC, Speed Control Module, Blower Motor Resistor,
Administrators: If I put this in the wrong place I apologize, please move as you see fit.
For those who troubleshot their non-functional blower motor with the conclusion it's the speed controller and started cursing the engineers who placed it where they did and decided one needs to take off the dashboard, coolant, refrigerant etc, there are alternatives (one hard and one easy).
The hard way:
Pictures can be seen here:
http://photoshare.shaw.ca/view/6452085068-1311797120-21539/
Pic 1. This is your workplace and it requires removal of the feet air duct on the passenger side, the glove box door and frame and the motor itself (three screws and it falls down nicely). The glovebox frame has a fifth screw hidden by the dashboard trim. The trim is held by 8 clips and a bit of glue. To remove it just pull gently with your left hand starting from the left side while with your right hand behind the dashboard squeeze each clip.
The blue wire in the picture is a tap into the control voltage coming from the DATC. The service manual test procedure requires you to backprobe the voltage with the connector on and it expects people to remove the DATC from the dashboard for that. Well, it makes sense if you are a dealer but not for me.
Pic 2. The white cylinder at the top of the picture is a dampener that prevents the glove box of this luxury vehicle to just fall on your knees
The black piece of plastic at the end of the string attaches to the left curved hinge of the glovebox and the white plastic piece snaps in a hole in the glove box frame.
The blower fan bowl consists of two halves held together by screws and one plastic clip. You can remove all bottom and side screws by simply looking for them or finding them by touch. After that you can pull the halves apart and see that there is one more screw in the back which, of course, it's screwed in from the top not the bottom.
Pic 3 The bottom half is attached to the firewall and ...
Pic 4 ...you drill a bunch of holes around the head of the screw/rivet and then with a flat screwdriver you can cut the soft plastic and free it. When putting back everything I ended up cutting that prop - there is plenty of support for the blower assembly. You may want to seal around the black screw in case it communicates with the engine compartment or rattles (I have not noticed either).
Pic 5 These are the special tools I used and Pic 6 shows their size - if you can make the 5/16 " key a bit longer and from a thicker strip of metal it will help.
Place the flashlight on the computer module pointing to the left
With the right hand keep the mirror on top of the computer module such that you can see in it the head of the hidden screw
With the special key in your left hand reach in the back from underneath, grab the head of the screw and very patiently turn it until it comes off.
When you are done the two halves are left held together only by a plastic clip where the exhaust of the blower enters the intake of the rest of the system. There is also a screw there and it must be removed if you haven't already done so. Pull the bottom of the blower towards you until it comes out of the intake and at that point there will be enough room to get the speed controller out of the duct.
Pic 6 Shows the bottom of the blower exhaust separated from the intake. Place the new speed controller in its hole and start the tedious process of putting everything back.
The bottom bowl has a lip around it, the top has a groove and they have to mate perfectly which is a problem with the top fixed. So, as I mentioned earlier, I have completely cut off the "problem" shown in pic 3 because putting back the bottom bowl requires a rotation that is not possible with that black metal screw/rivet in the way. My plastic clip eventually broke and that is how you get the bottom half out completely.
You must make sure that the walls of the top bowl and the intake are flush. Then place the matching part of the bottom bowl as close to the intake as possible and using a 4" wrench extension literally hammer it in the hole. Don't worry about the rest of the assembly for now, just get that part right and immediately put the screw in so it doesn't slide out again. Join the rest of the assembly together while paying attention that none of the cables that float around are in your way. It will eventually close nicely the way it was.
In the very end you should be left with the screw shown in Pic 5 and one black screw from the glove box liner (the bottom middle one is hard to put back).
If you decide to do it the hard way I think you can overcome any complication I may have forgotten to mention but ask if needed.
The easy way:
1. Buy a new speed controller
2. Remove connector from old speed controller
3. Identify the two wires carrying +12V and ground.
4. Take a PC fan of proper size and attach it to the speed controller aluminum radiator such that it blows air on it.
5. Hook up the fan to the connector wires such that it turns on when the blower is on.
6. Find a place for your contraption within reach of the available cable length and use some plastic tie straps to secure it.
Administrators: If I put this in the wrong place I apologize, please move as you see fit.
For those who troubleshot their non-functional blower motor with the conclusion it's the speed controller and started cursing the engineers who placed it where they did and decided one needs to take off the dashboard, coolant, refrigerant etc, there are alternatives (one hard and one easy).
The hard way:
Pictures can be seen here:
http://photoshare.shaw.ca/view/6452085068-1311797120-21539/
Pic 1. This is your workplace and it requires removal of the feet air duct on the passenger side, the glove box door and frame and the motor itself (three screws and it falls down nicely). The glovebox frame has a fifth screw hidden by the dashboard trim. The trim is held by 8 clips and a bit of glue. To remove it just pull gently with your left hand starting from the left side while with your right hand behind the dashboard squeeze each clip.
The blue wire in the picture is a tap into the control voltage coming from the DATC. The service manual test procedure requires you to backprobe the voltage with the connector on and it expects people to remove the DATC from the dashboard for that. Well, it makes sense if you are a dealer but not for me.
Pic 2. The white cylinder at the top of the picture is a dampener that prevents the glove box of this luxury vehicle to just fall on your knees
The black piece of plastic at the end of the string attaches to the left curved hinge of the glovebox and the white plastic piece snaps in a hole in the glove box frame. The blower fan bowl consists of two halves held together by screws and one plastic clip. You can remove all bottom and side screws by simply looking for them or finding them by touch. After that you can pull the halves apart and see that there is one more screw in the back which, of course, it's screwed in from the top not the bottom.
Pic 3 The bottom half is attached to the firewall and ...
Pic 4 ...you drill a bunch of holes around the head of the screw/rivet and then with a flat screwdriver you can cut the soft plastic and free it. When putting back everything I ended up cutting that prop - there is plenty of support for the blower assembly. You may want to seal around the black screw in case it communicates with the engine compartment or rattles (I have not noticed either).
Pic 5 These are the special tools I used and Pic 6 shows their size - if you can make the 5/16 " key a bit longer and from a thicker strip of metal it will help.
Place the flashlight on the computer module pointing to the left
With the right hand keep the mirror on top of the computer module such that you can see in it the head of the hidden screw
With the special key in your left hand reach in the back from underneath, grab the head of the screw and very patiently turn it until it comes off.
When you are done the two halves are left held together only by a plastic clip where the exhaust of the blower enters the intake of the rest of the system. There is also a screw there and it must be removed if you haven't already done so. Pull the bottom of the blower towards you until it comes out of the intake and at that point there will be enough room to get the speed controller out of the duct.
Pic 6 Shows the bottom of the blower exhaust separated from the intake. Place the new speed controller in its hole and start the tedious process of putting everything back.
The bottom bowl has a lip around it, the top has a groove and they have to mate perfectly which is a problem with the top fixed. So, as I mentioned earlier, I have completely cut off the "problem" shown in pic 3 because putting back the bottom bowl requires a rotation that is not possible with that black metal screw/rivet in the way. My plastic clip eventually broke and that is how you get the bottom half out completely.
You must make sure that the walls of the top bowl and the intake are flush. Then place the matching part of the bottom bowl as close to the intake as possible and using a 4" wrench extension literally hammer it in the hole. Don't worry about the rest of the assembly for now, just get that part right and immediately put the screw in so it doesn't slide out again. Join the rest of the assembly together while paying attention that none of the cables that float around are in your way. It will eventually close nicely the way it was.
In the very end you should be left with the screw shown in Pic 5 and one black screw from the glove box liner (the bottom middle one is hard to put back).
If you decide to do it the hard way I think you can overcome any complication I may have forgotten to mention but ask if needed.
The easy way:
1. Buy a new speed controller
2. Remove connector from old speed controller
3. Identify the two wires carrying +12V and ground.
4. Take a PC fan of proper size and attach it to the speed controller aluminum radiator such that it blows air on it.
5. Hook up the fan to the connector wires such that it turns on when the blower is on.
6. Find a place for your contraption within reach of the available cable length and use some plastic tie straps to secure it.