Heater blower resistor

[national]

Well my resistor has gone, it started with pos one then two going,(not really noticed) then I was left with just Full blow number 4

Asking on here and new Haynes manual confirmed that it was the resistor that has gone

Well the Haynes manual was useless apart from the fact that it got me started

PART No 6Q0 959 263A

You need to remove the glove box, Haynes, to remove the glove box you first need to remove the centre consul see remove centre consul

lift rear ashtray and remove two screws, lift cover below hand brake etc

All a load of ******

Thankfully the Haynes circuit diagrams are useful (electronics engineer)and proved it was the only thing in the circuit that it could be

To remove the Fabia glove box you pull the SIDE panel, to the left of the glovebox about an inch out, you then remove the three screws along the top of the glovebox and two screws at the bottom of the glovebox, ease the box forward it is now out, to totally remove unplug the light socket, and the air hose

You can now see the heater blower, but where is the Resistor?

Look for the thick Red Blue Green and Black wires on a plug (they are to the top right of the blower) disconnect the plug, turn the socket 45% to the LEFT then lift

Not a lot of room, so you may need to remove the blower unit, disconnect the plug at 9 o'clock posn

Five screws around the unit at 2oclock, 4 o'clock, 7 o'clock 9 and 10 o'clock

then pull the unit towards yourself, and it is out, access is still tight but just remember to twist the resistor unit 45% to the LEFT and lift up and out it comes

When you know how it is a fifteen minute job, initially it took me an hour, to work it all out the Haynes was useless but did point me in the right direction

My only problem now is to locate a supply for a resistor, unfortunately my only free time was Saturday lunchtime onwards, and my initial task was to see if I could do it myself, but by now it was two thirty, so I motored into my favourite Skoda maintainer STAR PERFORMANCE though when I got there and it was shut realised that yes they close Saturday afternoons (a thing I totally agree with, no one should be expected to give up their weekends,to satisfy the unwashed who enjoy their weekends off) as were the VW Audi dealers, so my mission now is to

find a supply for my Resistor pack, which my only option that I know of is to visit my SKODA dealer Norman Fairweather Dundee and order one,

(it is the only place I can get to during the week)

I hope to photo my work when I get the resistor pack, and make up a how to page for anyone who may want to access it, if no one objects,

Pics thanks to apogee who has done the blower motor

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/60114-how-to-fix-noisy-fabia-ventilation-fan/page__hl__noisy__fromsearch__1

Regards National aka Jack McHammocklashing

Edited 12 July, 2010 by DGW
Link updated

[VRStu]

Nice little write up.

[Td-eye]

:iagree:

Very useful, & should be even better when the pictures are added !

[miho]

If you are an electronics engineer, have a closer look at what's in that resistor pack. I disassembled one of an Augi 80 some years ago. It was a couple of resistor and a thermal fuse in series with these. Usually the fuse blows but since initially some settings and not just the full setting went, it might be the resistor itself. just check if short-circuiting the fuse helps. If so, should be a part for a couple of p in Maplin or the like. Saved my dad about 15 quid on the part...

Good luck, Michael

[national]

If you are an electronics engineer, have a closer look at what's in that resistor pack. I disassembled one of an Augi 80 some years ago. It was a couple of resistor and a thermal fuse in series with these. Usually the fuse blows but since initially some settings and not just the full setting went, it might be the resistor itself. just check if short-circuiting the fuse helps. If so, should be a part for a couple of p in Maplin or the like. Saved my dad about 15 quid on the part...

Good luck, Michael

Done that, the Skoda/VW/Audi resitor, is like the old ceramic wire wound toaster elements, several of which have burnt out, and the special highheat solder would be just as expensive,

Thanks for the suggestion though

National aka Jack McHammocklashing

[miho]

Done that, the Skoda/VW/Audi resitor, is like the old ceramic wire wound toaster elements, several of which have burnt out, and the special highheat solder would be just as expensive,

Thanks for the suggestion though

National aka Jack McHammocklashing

Sounds like you are really better off with a complete spare part of the resistors themselves are gone.

Michael

[stuart_hatch]

So would this fix why pos 1 dosnt work on my fans?

[VRStu]

I would say it is a possiblity.

The resistors are arranged so that each position on the switch uses a corresponding amount of the resistors. The more of them in the circuit the slower the fan and hence why a total failure still allows the high speed position to work.

[national]

Ordered the Resistor today from Norman Fairweather Dundee, Pick it up in the morning, £32

To previous poster posn one failed,

This is how it goes

Pos 4 is direct wire connection to motor = Full speed

Pos 3 is final resistor 60 ohms

Pos 2 is Second resistor 60 ohms

Pos 1 is First resistor 60 ohms

They are wired in series

First is highest resistance ie 180 ohms and creates the most heat and eventually burns out, so pos one no longer works

Second has a little less resistance at 120 ohms then burns out etc until all resistors have eventually gone and you are left with a direct connect, which I trust after a few months use would eventually take out the fuse

It is of very old very poor design, but used across all SKODA.VW,AUDI

You can fabricate one yourself for a few pounds, but the effort and bulkiness is not really worth it, though if the company did it across the board the problem would be solved for pennies

However why spend a few pounds to upgrade a failing component when you can charge £130 plus VAT to supply and fit

Following the Haynes manual it is indeed an hours work or more to remove and replace the Heater Blower Resistor, so you have over an hours labour plus the £32 cost of the part

In reality it takes fifteen minutes to remove and fifteen to replace, and is do-able by an amateur, with the guts to give it a try, then find out how simple it is

£130 + VAT for a £32 part and half an hours labour, why would they want to correct the fault

I like my Skoda, I support Skoda, a superb car at a lot less pennies than marque people pay, but I abour the rip off service charges with labour and oil prices

I feel sure I could do my brakes for a lot less than the dealer £200 maybe £60 for parts and my effort, but a mistake could be life threatening, a heater balls up would just freeze your nuts off, so I am not going there

I know garages have to make a profit, but profit and rip off are not the same

If I (joe bloggs office worker) can fault find and replace a blower heater resistor in thirty minutes, then I am sure a qualified Skoda mechanic must be able to do it in less. so £130 plus VAT is a rip off, especially when the unit is a known ancient faulty part destined for failure (usually four weeks out of warranty)

[qota]

I have the same problem

I do not have Haynes manual, I manged to get the resistor out in 15 min.

it is very expensive as I can see from the post, so i will try to measure the resistors and see what I can do about it

The post was very helphful to me , and it confirmed what I was thinking about regarding this fault

thanks

[VWD]

Ordered the Resistor today from Norman Fairweather Dundee, Pick it up in the morning,

[national]

hmm - resistor = 180Ω, min current( 13.8/(180+motor)Max current =13.8/motor .Question is what is full current. Was looking along lines/possibility of replacing switch with wire wound pot , meaty power transistor and getting full control , or a switch mode ic+ meaty power transistor + pot --- any idea of resistance of motor, coz min current is only approz 75mA and pos 3 = 230mA( with motor s/c).Or you could just use set resistance values .

My heater's ok at moment, but new slant on problem/solution , certain that cost of pot, something like 2n3055 /similar in PNP etc would never come to

[Tech1e]

It does take me thirty minutes to do one very true.

But then you dont have to spend another 30 minutes waiting at the stores for the parts, writing up the job card and associated paperwork and bringing the vehicle into the workshop and carrying out the required bodywork checks etc.

They are all small things and not really something you should pay, but it is something I spend a great deal of time doing during the day. My job is getting less and less about actually doing the mechanical bits and more about filling in all the paperwork afterwards. Sadly that does end up costing the customer in one way or another.

[national]

It does take me thirty minutes to do one very true.

But then you dont have to spend another 30 minutes waiting at the stores for the parts, writing up the job card and associated paperwork and bringing the vehicle into the workshop and carrying out the required bodywork checks etc.

They are all small things and not really something you should pay, but it is something I spend a great deal of time doing during the day. My job is getting less and less about actually doing the mechanical bits and more about filling in all the paperwork afterwards. Sadly that does end up costing the customer in one way or another.

I understand, all the extras, the rent of the garage, the heating, the insurance,the correct procedure for doing the job to avoid Health and Safety problems, all add up. to the

[spookt]

Thanks national - I have the same problem with only position 4 working. I'll take the resistor pack off at the weekend and check it out.

Paul

I did all the photos but did not upload as someone else has done an excellent job of it on heater blower replacement

Any chance of a link for the above or your pics. Searching the forum doesn't seem to throw that thread up. Either that or I'm blind

[national]

Thanks national - I have the same problem with only position 4 working. I'll take the resistor pack off at the weekend and check it out.

Paul

Any chance of a link for the above or your pics. Searching the forum doesn't seem to throw that thread up. Either that or I'm blind

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/technical-guides/how-fix-noisy-fabia-ventilation-fan/65038/

There you go thanks to ap0gee

National aka Jimbo

[spookt]

Ah thanks, obviously I am blind

[spookt]

Thanks to everyone who responded to my posts here and on the other thread. I've just replaced the resistor and my blowers are back to normal.

Advice to anyone thinking of giving this a go ? Go for it - if you can use screwdriver its a pretty easy fix. One point though I got my resistor out by turning it 45 degrees left instead of right so if your's won't turn right try the other way

[DervPwr]

My car went into the main dealer for this very fix under warranty. THey fixed it in under 20 minutes, so it sounds like its not the process the Haynes manual states. At last I have the lower pos working again!!!

[mathepac]

...Gone are the days when you could lift out your Ford 100E engine with your bare hands stick it on the kitchen table and repair it, put it back together nex day :-) ...

Not quite; with your help and the help of others on here, those of us with limited technical knowledge gain the ability to become our own spanner monkeys.

Excellent how to; thanks:thumbup:

[Timchetwood]

Great write up, thanks.

Quick question - anybody found a cheap place to order a resitor pack online. Or, should i just bite the bullet and get fleeced by the skoda garage?!

cheers, tim

[mattyg]

Mines just blooming gone oh well warranty claim here we come

[Timchetwood]

Anyone know where i can get one for less thans at the stealers?:confused:

t

[VRStu]

Why do you think you'll be fleeced?

[Timchetwood]

Well, maybe I am wrong, but I generally get the feeling from this site that if you're trying to save money, which I am, the dealers are to be avoided. Perhaps this only applies to the labour fee they charge.

I also live a long way from my nearest dealers and would like to be able to order online. Any ideas?

Thanks