blower fan stopped working.

[peytonracer4]

i know this is a common issues kinda. but is it really possible for the unit to fail in a matter of 30 minutes?
it's worked fine on all speeds until tonight. it started squealing quietly and progressively got worse. now the only fan speed that works is 4. the highest setting.
this all happened over the course of about 30 minutes to an hour. it was totally fine and silent until tonight.
is this the sign of a failed blower? why is it only working on one speed?
where's the cheapest place to get one assuming it's failed?
thanks

[KVF]

If it works on one speed it's probably the resistor, not the motor.

[peytonracer4]

If it works on one speed it's probably the resistor, not the motor.

Well the blower started squealing like a crazy mouse before it went on one speed. An hour before all was well.

[MoreMayhem]

Just replaced mine. It went from quiet to unbearably squeaky in about 15 minutes. I didn't replace the resistor, it looked okay. Cheapest would probably be pick n pull.
I almost went that route but found one at BMA for about 170. Behr/Hella brand.

[peytonracer4]

Just replaced mine. It went from quiet to unbearably squeaky in about 15 minutes. I didn't replace the resistor, it looked okay. Cheapest would probably be pick n pull.
I almost went that route but found one at BMA for about 170. Behr/Hella brand.

i don't really plan on getting it from a junk yard. a 20 year old part is a 20 year old part in this case. a door handle is different than an electronic part.
so did you have the same symptoms as me? you mentioned increasing noise in 15 minutes. did all your fan speeds not work except for 4?

[rwh11385]

Sounds like the fan relay maybe. Turn the fan to 4 and turn off the car and get out to see if the fan is still blowing.

This has happened to two of my E30s.

[peytonracer4]

Sounds like the fan relay maybe. Turn the fan to 4 and turn off the car and get out to see if the fan is still blowing.

This has happened to two of my E30s.

So what's the solution? Replace the relay with a new one? Where is it located?

[rwh11385]

So what's the solution? Replace the relay with a new one? Where is it located?

Solution if that's the problem: Replace the relay. I forgot how much it cost, I just had one lying around. But maybe it's like $15ish??

It took like 3 minutes to fix, half the time was spent opening the hood. (It's in the fuse box)




Confirm that it's the problem first, but it looks like this: http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-53...n-colored.aspx Mine was orange at least.
Maybe this: http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-11...most-bmws.aspx

[long tall eta]

just my 2 cents but if i'm not mistaking these fans are balenced and if yours has the balencing pieces missing this might lead to squeeling. or maybe the bearing is shot. also if it's not in there just right, it will work but make noise. i always test run mine before putting the shroud cover back on.

[jlevie]

The fan squealing means that either the bearings are gone or an impeller failure has occurred. In either case the fan gets replaced.

[peytonracer4]

The fan squealing means that either the bearings are gone or an impeller failure has occurred. In either case the fan gets replaced.

so i'm going to jump the gun and pretty much assume that the blower is shot and needs replaced.
where's the cheapest place to get a new one? BMA? it's an A/C equipped car.

i still have the single fan speed problem. it seems like it's the relay. is it a physical relay that gets stuck? we have a 4runner that has one and if i slam it on the ground it works again.

it seems REALLY weird to me that the relay and fan both took a crap in a matter of 30 minutes. coincidence?

[jlevie]

If the fan suffered and impeller or bearing failure, full current to the motor may be required to turn the fan. Which could disable the lower speeds. Worst case, both the fan and resistor could be bad or the fan and fan switch could be bad.

[KVF]

Your problem may be larger than mine, but fyi... When my resistor went I thought it was the fan because it squealed like a stuck pig. However, a buddy convinced me to pull everything out, hit it with some contact cleaner and compressed air to clean it up and then check operation. My unit has been operating as intended for two years now, and all I changed was the resistor. Clean it all up first and see what happens.