Blower (cabin heat) motor issues

[skibum]

I've been living with this, but for quite some time (a couple years, anyway) my heater motor will cut out when I hit a bump. It might come back on in a couple blocks or maybe the next time I start the van. It has variable speeds (at least high and medium). I've seen other threads regarding relays, breakers and motor replacement, but I can't seem to find anything specific to this intermittent operation.

I have smelled "old mouse" in the past, but not for a couple years (this van stays in CA and is typically not driven for half the year). I have had the dash off to replace a wiper motor, so I could get in there and inspect the ducting/blower housing, but I'd just as soon not.

There is a fair amount of rust on the vehicle, so grounding could be suspect.

Does anyone have any ideas? It's always nice to have a target.

Thanks,
Scott

[timsrv]

Sounds like brushes inside the heater motor are toast. Put a meter on the motor leads next time it dies and see if it's got 12vdc. If it has voltage but it's not turning then the motor is shot and needs to be replaced. When you test for voltage make sure to put the meter on the actual wires to the motor (don't use a common ground). Tim

[abracadabra]

Folks=

My front blower motor finally bit the dust. Luckily the worst of winter here in Maine is over, but this is a part of my van that is crucial so its at the top of the list of things to do this spring, after changing out my rack/pinion. Sounds like I have a funs spring, eh?

Anyway, I've found that RockAuto has some cheap reman'ed motors and then at I see Toyota has the motor for $150.

Now, I've read up on this procedure, I understand its a real PITA. But there's a HUGE difference in price here, I'm trying to wrap my brain around spending $100 more on the Toyota motor.....

mark

[llamavan]

Does your van have A/C, or not? The parts, that is ... whether they work or not is immaterial here.

Gwen

[abracadabra]

The is set up for AC, its an 87 LE 4X4.

It never worked, I never looked in to it, its a luxury I've never had!

mark

[timsrv]

Individual results may vary, but I experienced blower motor failure in my van when it hit about 100k. I went the cheap route with the aftermarket motor. At around 130K I was replacing it again :(:. That time I spent the extra $$$ and bought the Toyota motor. The van is now at around 180k miles and the motor is still working fine. Here's a thread regarding replacement: https://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/showthread.php?1736-Heater-woes. Tim

[llamavan]

The is set up for AC, its an 87 LE 4X4.

OK, then it WILL be a PITA. On the non-AC vans, it's fairly easy to remove a piece of ducting and then drop the blower motor. But the interior A/C unit prevents that. :swear:

Gwen

[mahleek87]

Hi everyone. Looks like I developed a problem today in my 86 Van. When I try to turn the fan on for heat nothing happens. I tried hitting the fan with a screw driver to see if it has gone bad and nothing happened. I wouldnt suspect it was a bad blower fan because I replaced it with a brandnew one from Toyota probably 5 years ago. When I try to turn on the rear a/c or front a/c no light nothing happens. It seems as if the a/c fuse is blown. However I checked the fuse it was good. I replaced it 3 times with 3 different new ones and no luck. Any chance some relay went bad? I also tried resetting all 3 circuit brakers, nothing.

Other things in my van like radio, headlights etc work and get power so I dont know if it could be the fuse box. Anything else to check?

[timsrv]

Did you use the search feature? I checked and multiple returns. here's a quote from another thread:


When you have a blower problem the 1st thing to do is check the breaker. There are 2 of these (one for the front blower and one for the back). Use a paper clip or something small to stick into the little black hole (see picture below). If the breaker is tripped, you should hear a metallic click and the fan should start working again. You should have your fan set on high to test just in case the resistor is burned out. If that doesn't work, then check for 12vdc at the blower motor leads. Don't use a common ground (put your meter leads directly on the wires going to the motor). Report back what you find and we'll continue on from there (if needed). Tim
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a23/timsrv/IMG_5831.jpg

[mahleek87]

Did you use the search feature? I checked and multiple returns. here's a quote from another thread:


I tried resetting those already did not get anything the symptoms are consistent with the AC fuse being blown but it isn't blown I replaced it with three different ones still no luck.

[timsrv]

Okay, how about this?


If that doesn't work, then check for 12vdc at the blower motor leads. Don't use a common ground (put your meter leads directly on the wires going to the motor). Report back what you find and we'll continue on from there (if needed). Tim

[mahleek87]

Okay, how about this?


LOL Do you really think im capable of that? JK Gonna ask a friend to help me with that. I will report back the results

[timsrv]

:LOL2: Another thing you might try (that's more your speed), is to turn the fan to high with the ignition switch in the "run" position, then reach up behind the fuse box and wiggle the wires up there. If the fan intermittently starts running, then the problem is most likely a burned connection on the back of the fuse box. This happened to me a couple years ago. After all was said & done I took a picture of the problem area (below). Tim

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a23/timsrv/TVT%20pics/electrical/IMG_3868_zpsf26lol8t.jpg

[joegri]

the only prob i've ever had was no lower speeds on the fan. after removing the glovebox there was a part i replaced (kinda like a rheostat) i would check for power comming in and going out. thats all i got. i'm finding that as these vans get older the electrical stuff starts to raise its ugly head. but the great thing is atleast we can come here and maybe fix whats ailing our vans. mahleek you can do this...especially if you want a lil heat.lol

[timsrv]

the only prob i've ever had was no lower speeds on the fan. after removing the glovebox there was a part i replaced (kinda like a rheostat).........

Yes, these fan resistors are a commonly failed part. Power is however only routed through the resistor when on the lower speeds. When set to high, this resistor is bypassed. This is the reason I suggested setting the fan to high while testing (just to rule out the resistor). You do bring up a good point though for anybody having a problem with lower fan speeds. Whenever your fan works on high, but not on a lower speed, the problem is almost always that resistor. Tim

[joegri]

nice see ya learn something new everyday. great tip tim

[mahleek87]

Yes, these fan resistors are a commonly failed part. Power is however only routed through the resistor when on the lower speeds. When set to high, this resistor is bypassed. This is the reason I suggested setting the fan to high while testing (just to rule out the resistor). You do bring up a good point though for anybody having a problem with lower fan speeds. Whenever your fan works on high, but not on a lower speed, the problem is almost always that resistor. Tim



What does the resistor look like and is it still available from
toyota? I swapped that silver relay from van to van and it didnt make a difference. Then i let the van sit for days and started it up and put the fan on high and it turned on only on high. So im pretty sure its the resistor. Anyone got a part number?

[timsrv]

it turned on only on high. So im pretty sure its the resistor. Anyone got a part number?

So, when it didn't work on the lower speed, you didn't try it on high? :?: . I guess I take stuff like that for granted as I can't imagine not exploring a problem at least to that small degree initially :cnfsd:. Regardless, If the fan works on high but not low, there's a small chance it's a switch problem, but 95% of the time it ends up being the blower resistor. And again, I'm going to point out that this information is already here in the forum. I did a search and read through a few old threads (it only took a few minutes).


I ordered front and rear Four Seasons resistors from rockauto.com. The part numbers for the front is 20227 and rear is 20160...........


Figured I'd post in this thread since I just had to deal with this. I went ahead and just ordered the part off rock auto. Takes 5 minutes to swap out and I have the two low settings again so it's not full blast or nothing! Glad I stumbled upon this thread, I thought it would be more in-depth to fix haha.
Picture of new (Four Seasons) and old (Oem).:thmbup:
http://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1052

If you prefer OEM, it's Toyota part #87138-87009 and it sells for ~$35 at a dealership or ~$25 on one of those discount Toyota parts websites. As to it's location on the van, you'll need to remove the glove box, then drop the relay holder assembly out of the way (just 2 screws). I put an arrow on this picture (from another thread) for you. The resistor is held in by 2 screws. They put it here in the duct because resistors run hot & this is a good place to get cool air flowing across it. Tim

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a23/timsrv/TVT%20pics/electrical/resistor_zpswiy6odq0.jpg

[mahleek87]

So, when it didn't work on the lower speed, you didn't try it on high? :?: . I guess I take stuff like that for granted as I can't imagine not exploring a problem at least to that small degree initially :cnfsd:. Regardless, If the fan works on high but not low, there's a small chance it's a switch problem, but 95% of the time it ends up being the blower resistor. And again, I'm going to point out that this information is already here in the forum. I did a search and read through a few old threads (it only took a few minutes).


I did try it on high and it didnt work. After I let my van sit for a few days came back to it and tried it turned on when it was on high. Now it stopped working again all together. Low or high. I am going to get this part replace it and report.

[Rufus]

Today on the way home I noticed that my front blower quit working all together. No blowing at any level. I ran the controls through all the settings, checked the blower resistor for continuity, checked the blower relay for continuity and checked the blower circuit breaker for continuity and to see if it had been tripped. Everything passed inspection. I have no idea what it could be. The blower was working fine this morning.

[originalkwyjibo]

I had to poke mine with a stick(actually a coat hanger)for a while until I had time to repair it. If the brushes get worn sometimes it won't start on it's own. At first I found if I was driving and flipped the fresh air lever back and forth it would start but as it got worse I bent a coat hanger so I could reach up behind the headlight and give it a nudge. Eventually I pulled the blower and replaced the brushes since I was too cheap to buy the $40 new one.

[Rufus]

I forgot to mention that the rear blower still works.

[Rufus]

Well I think I figured it out. So I turned the blower on high and gave the blower motor a couple of love taps and it whirred to life. So I think that the blower motor brushes are on their way out or the commutator is going bad. Do any of you have a part number for the brushes? I would rather just replace those as I am sure they are cheaper than the whole motor and brushes are usually easy to swap and the motor is easily accessed.

Also, when I pulled out the blower resistor it was full of lint (not surprising considering it is directly in the airstream) and when I cleaned it out the silver paste stuff fell off in chunks and now the blower only works on high. I had this happen with my other van, these resistors are very fragile and old. So now I get to add the resistor to the list along with new brushes.

[originalkwyjibo]

The motors aren't all that expensive, $25-$30 at rockauto.com and around $55 from Napa. I just enjoy fixing things. I'm also a cheap bastard. When I got my brushes I took the motor to a local shop and they couldn't find any thing available for it. They did find a Mitsubishi set covered in dust that was a close match and just gave them to me. Score 1 for this cheap bastard. It is a bit noisier now for some reason despite a thorough cleaning and lube. I'm not sure if this is related to the brushes or not. I kept the brush package for the part number but it's buried in my garage. I'll try to post it when I can but no guarantees.

[timsrv]

I once took apart an old RV water pump and stole the brushes out of that. They were slightly large, but brush material is soft and they were easy to sand down to size. You can also try those drawer/bins at hardware stores as they will often have sizes close enough to work (or at least be made to work). BTW, there is lots more material here on blower motors. Don't forget about the search feature. Tim

[Rufus]

Yes, I did a search for "blower motor" and read a few write ups. I was just having a tough time believing that it was the motor as my other van has 230K miles and I have never had an issue with the blower. I wonder if Toyota sells the brushes. A long time ago I used to sell and repair sewing machines and vacuum cleaners and we had all sorts of brushes for different vacuum cleaners. I'll bet that a vacuum repair shop would have brushes that would work.

[Jlhollowx13]

So i need a little insight on the front blower. About a month ago it wouldnt work, i messed with the climate knobs and after moving the fresh/circulate back and forth it began working. Its been intermittent since and also seems to run very slowly, i almost cant hear it running and definitely doesnt compare to thr power the rear blower has. Ive read a few threads on the blower but most just seem to deal with replacing due to them not working at all or changing out some resistors if its only running on high but mine doesnt fall into either of those, at least im hoping it doesnt need replaced. Are there any spots i should check or should i just tear into it? Im wondering if something funny is going on with the speed selector since it seems to start working again when the stuff around it is moved and it seems to stay the same speed when it is working.

Thanks!

[vanalogs]

So i need a little insight on the front blower. About a month ago it wouldnt work, i messed with the climate knobs and after moving the fresh/circulate back and forth it began working. Its been intermittent since and also seems to run very slowly, i almost cant hear it running and definitely doesnt compare to thr power the rear blower has. Ive read a few threads on the blower but most just seem to deal with replacing due to them not working at all or changing out some resistors if its only running on high but mine doesnt fall into either of those, at least im hoping it doesnt need replaced. Are there any spots i should check or should i just tear into it? Im wondering if something funny is going on with the speed selector since it seems to start working again when the stuff around it is moved and it seems to stay the same speed when it is working.

Thanks!

Im guessing if you hit the reset buttons and its still not working I would just replace it. If your heater or AC works the damage on repair for the blower shouldn't be too bad?

[Jlhollowx13]

Thanks for the reply. Can you tell me how to reset it? I wasnt able to find any info exactly on that, just the mention of it.

One thing to note, i came home on my dinnet break from work last night and when i went to leave the blower wouldnt blow at all. I messed with the climate control stuff as that usually fixes it temporarile but had no effect. I had my glovebox off as i was trying to check connections, etc in there so i gave the motor a tap with my screwdriver and it started working again and blowing a lot harder than it has.

[originalkwyjibo]

Sounds like your brushes may be worn. Sometimes when they are bounced around they make enough contact to get the motor to work. Mine did this for awhile too like yours and when I moved the fresh air flap sometimes it would come on. When that quit working I carefully poked it with a coat hanger from behind the headlight to push start it. Eventually it quit all together. I replaced the brushes on mine but I like fixing things like this. If soldering new brushes into an old motor isn't your thing the aftermarket motors aren't all that expensive. Resetting the circuit breaker won't help you here. If it had actually tripped, the motor wouldn't work at all. The breakers don't reset themselves. Since your glovebox is out, next time it doesn't come on test the voltage at the fan connector. If you've got voltage then your motor is bad.

[brentlehr]

Hey everyone, sorry if this is redundant. I know there are posts out there dealing with blower motor issues but I spent some time searching and can't find all the info I need. Leaving in the morning for St. Louis and really would like get this fixed.

I finally got around to adding more refrigerant to my AC system to get the rear blowing cold. All was going well and both front and rear were blowing cold, but then the rear blower quit working. So I turned the van off and went to reset the blower relay.. but I still had the key in the accessory position and got some sparks. Turned the key off and reset it again. Rear blows just fine, but now the front motor will not come on. There's another relay to the right of the fuse box that I thought controlled the front blower, so I reset that as well. But still no blower.

Can someone link me to the thread that identifies all the relay's and stuff under the dash?

It looks like I should be able to replace these right? But I can't get them out. Thought I'd pull one from the parts van and test.

What type of damage could I have done?

Also, there was no smoke from under the dash or electrical smells like I burned any wiring up.

[brentlehr]

I initially tried resetting the front, not the back. After failing to remove the relay with the fuse box mostly out, I put everything back together and made a final attempt to reset the front relay. Front blower works now. I was afraid I was going to find a burned up connection on the back of the fuse back, but it looks like I'm lucky.

Won't be taking the van to St. Louis though. Found a real bad front passenger wheel bearing while doing maintenance. So much play I can't believe I didn't hear it while driving. No time to fix it before I leave.

Thanks everyone.

[Swardboats]

My 1988 toyota van 4x4 le heater fan will not turn on. I partially dissassembled the dash and can hear a relay "tick" on when I move the heater switch from off to low and then nothing as I toggle thru to high. Any ideas?

Thanks

Steve

[Kyle]

Check the fuse first. It's one of those under the dash.

If the wire that plugs into the motor (behind the glove box) has 12v then the motor's shot. This is probably the case.

I had to replace mine recently. It's only like 30 bucks or so.

[SoORYotas]

Do not forget the Blower Motor Resistor pack. This is what controls the various speeds of the fan motor. It is located at the 7 o'clock position on the fan shroud assembly. Search for excellent thread using "Blower Motor or Fan Resistor Pack". I have had several die to one speed or none before. There are notes in the thread concerning finding the resistor pack in Previas in the yards and how to make this work in the earlier vans.

[ronnoc11217]

I recently bought a 1989 van wagon and the heat was working fine but the A/C seemed like it needed to be recharged. Now when I turn the air on nothing comes out of the air vents. At first it was just the front air vents and now the rear air has stopped working as well.

Any Ideas on what I should look at to fix this issue? I tried checking if a fuse was blown for the A/C but that didn't seem to be the problem.

Any info would be very useful. Thanks

:bluevan:

[Torry33]

Yes, these fan resistors are a commonly failed part. Power is however only routed through the resistor when on the lower speeds. When set to high, this resistor is bypassed. This is the reason I suggested setting the fan to high while testing (just to rule out the resistor). You do bring up a good point though for anybody having a problem with lower fan speeds. Whenever your fan works on high, but not on a lower speed, the problem is almost always that resistor. Tim
Hey Tim,I only have high and medium speed on my heater fan.Is the resistor available?

[originalkwyjibo]

Rockauto has a couple listed. I recently picked up a couple Toyota resistors on Amazon.

[Duke]

Glad I found this thread! Ever since I got my van the two low speed blower settings didn't work. Just installed a new resistor and they work perfectly now! Love it when a fix is easy. Thanks TVT!:clap:

[iq_artwork]

Hello everyone!


I'm trying to fix my front heater for my '84 Van. I did all the repairs below the air from my heater is still not working, any suggestions?

I would like to mention I have the van for almost 2 years without front/rear heater and the old owner had a loop hose, so it wasn't connected to the heater at all. (I have connected the hoses with the heater).
10654

1. I tested my heater relays with my drill’s battery and a multimeter and I got 00.3 continuity. (I followed this tutorial)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ire7vyDqelg

2. I replaced my resistor and motor with new ones. (both were in a bad shape)
10658
10659

3. I replaced my bad old fuse box and 3 bad connections with clean ones.
10660
10661

4. Tested my heater blower switcher and it gave me continuity.
5. I tested my Circuit Breaker and it gave me 00.3 continuity. I tried to reset it but I'm not sure if I did anything, I can't tell :cnfsd:. Is it like pushing a button?

6. After trying everything above, I bought from Toyota dealership 2 30A and the 80A Fuses and replaced them in my Fusible Link.
10662

Something else I have noticed under my van’s steering wheel, I have 2 relays and the diagram has 3 relays. But I have asked other Van owner and some of them have 2 relays as well.
10653

Also I have this guy is not plugged anywhere, what is it?
10655

Thank you very much!