1999 B5 Passat v6 Synchro stationwagon - no air blowing from the vents

[justanothernoob]

Hi guys and gals,

I've tried the search but can't find an exact answer to my problem - hopefully someone out there can help.


My Climatronic aircon doesn't seem to want to blow air out the vents. It started becoming intermittent about 2-3 weeks ago. Then it stopped about a week ago (did come on again the other day for a short bit). When it does come on, it sounds like the fan is clicking on something or just turning slowly.

I think the aircon is working ok: I can feel cool air dribbling out of the vents - interestingly at speed (around 100kph / 60 mph) the dribble gets faster - I'm guessing because more air is being forced through the system?; if I turn the aircon off then I hear a change in note in the engine and the revs change; similarly turning the aircon on plus I can hear a click sound.

What I have noticed is that there is an intermittent click from behind the steering wheel. Usually there are two clicks or 'tick' noises - I'm guessing that maybe a relay is stuffed and it's turning on and then off again?

I've read about the 384 relay (dry joints and the associated repair or replacement) and took my lower dash off to discover ... I have no 384 relay! Do I need to check the 267 relay instead? Hopefully this pic is clear enough.

All help much appreciated. Cheers.

[aucklandw8]

Hi there,

Have you run the climatronic self diagnostic function?  You hold down a couple of buttons and it tests all parameters of the fan, flap actuators etc.

There are two segments to it, a internal error memory log and a full actuator test mode.  Here is a link to a PDF all about how to do the tests and what the codes mean.
http://pics.tdiclub.com/data/517/Climatronic_Self_Diagnostics.pdf

cheers

[justanothernoob]

What an awesome little gem of knowledge that is! I'll try it this morning and let you know the results. Thanks fella  ;o)

[aucklandw8]

I have a code in mine, its 04FA which is for the cabin air recirculation flap actuator.  Lucky for me its in the fresh air open position because I believe its a whole dashboard out job changing that little motor, so I will be leaving as is!

Good luck!

[justanothernoob]

I got a 4F9 code - Fresh Air Blower. Now then ... what the heck does that entail? More trawling on the internerd required ...

[aucklandw8]

you had any progress with the fan?

[justanothernoob]

nah - been far too busy - suspect I'll need to either replace the fan itself or the controller unit. My money's on the fan. Apparently you can buy replacement bushes which cost about $5 instead of a $150 fan. But that's according to chaps in the US - don't know if the bushes are available here.

[justanothernoob]

Had the car in to an auto-electrician today and he reckons that power is coming out of the battery / relays but not returning, so there could be a dodgey power connection somewhere.

Would that cause the fan to sound like it's clicking when it spins? Any thoughts?

Have found some writeups on how to access the fan unit - just haven't had time to go through them in detail or give it a go. Would be a weekend job but ... SPLORE!  ;o)

[justanothernoob]

ok so here's the fix: really simple: replaced the brushes on the fan motor and all working awesome again.

Things to note:

• it's piss easy to do - just pull off the old brushes and you can jam the new ones into the scissor-housing and solder
• the replacement brushes should be about 8mmx9mm - I got 8mmx8mm from Repco for $55 - you can probably get cheaper if you look around

Quick summary of process:

• remove glove box: 2 torx screws bottom corners of outside of glovebox; 2 torx screws bottom front inside of glovebox by hinges; 3 torx screws along top front inside of glovebox
• remove airbag: disconnect battery and leave car idle for about 10-15 minutes to discharge any static; then disconnect power from airbag (orange connectors); remove the 4x 10mm bolts on the airbag mount (2 bolts on a bracket at each end of the airbag that go UP onto the bulkhead); once the bolts are removed, the airbag won't fall down - it gets caught on other stuff - so you drop it down a little and slide it to the side and then lift it down and out
• remove fan motor from housing: disconnect the power supply - don't worry about remembering which of the 2 cables plugs where - they are different sizes so you can't connect them back up wrong; unscrew the 4 posidrive / phillips screws that hold the fan and motor in place - the hardest is the top one and requires a stubby screwdriver - I found that once I got it loose, it was easier just to use my fingers; pull the fan and motor straight out
• there are 3 rubber grommets that hold the fan and motor into the plastic housing that you've just unscrewed - just use a screw-driver to push in at the base of the grommets and each one will then slide free of the plastic housing. this exposes the top of the fan motor
• you'll see two spring-clips that hold the brushes in place - both on opposite sides of the motor - remove these carefully as there is a spring behind them that keeps pressure on the brushes to push against the motor's spindle. If you happen to lose one, as I did, a spring from a biro pen seems to do the job just fine    
• yank off the cable from the motor and replace with the new brushes, solder and hey presto! repeat the above in reverse to put back together

One thing I noticed was that the fan sounded a bit "wuurrrrrrrr"ee at first - that's just the brushes wearing in - after a couple of hours the sound goes away - I'm gessing that's how long it takes for the spinning to shape the brushes into a curve rather than the stock block shape.

All up this fix will cost you $55 on replacement brushes and about an hour's time. A lot cheaper than the $270 it was gonna cost for a 2nd hand replacement fan unit - which may still fail at any time!!!

Hope this helps others in the same situation - feel free to ask any questions / clarification.

Cheers.

David