Heater blower problem - Not a Saxo but a Xsara - Still Citroen!

11th November 2008, 20:52

Right, i have just bought a Citroen Xsara (1998 on a R plate) for dirt cheap money. Apart from cosmetic stuff, the only problem i have is the heater blower is not working. There is heat coming out of the vents but it is only noticeable if you are driving down the motorway and put your hands right on the heaters. I suspect it is the blower motor itself because i checked the fuse box in the dash and none of the fuses are missing or blown.

Can anyone suggest anything else it could be before i go out and buy a blower unit? Also, how hard is it to replace?

11th November 2008, 22:46

try frogbitz/s site should be an answer there

12th November 2008, 00:31

Try replacing the switch for the fan as they can burn out.

12th November 2008, 10:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quick

Try replacing the switch for the fan as they can burn out.

Where are they?

Also, i have done a bit of digging around on the net this morning and it appears to be a common problem on all xsara's (and probably all citroens / pug's!!!). There are 2 different things it could be, apart from it possibly being the blower motor itself. Firstly, there is something called a "Reostat" (see pic below), which could possibly need replacing

Secondly there is the possibility it could be a resistor (See pic below)

And lastly, it could be the heater blower relay (which is what i am hoping it to be as that would be an easy fix!!!).

It would be nice if someone could enlighten me on what the behaviour of the heating system would be if each of the above components failed. I am guessing if the relay has gone, there would still be power to the heating system but the blower would not switch on. This seems to be the case in mine as the lights for recirculated air and air con light up when they are selected, but no matter what position the speed setting is in, the blower does not respond.

I have read that resistor problems are normally when your heater blower only works in certain settings (e.g speed position 3), but not sure. Havent got a clue what the "ReoStat" does, so not sure what the symptoms of that would be.

Any ideas?

13th November 2008, 12:02

Well, seeing as though i cant find much more information out about this problem, my mate mechanic is letting me take the car into his garage after the boss has gone home. He said it could well be any one of the things i listed above but he said he would try use some sort of power pack testing tool thing to test the blower itself - to see if the motor works by giving it some direct power. If it does work, he said instead of trying to work out what it is and replace parts etc, he would jig up some sort of direct power cable going to it (from a switched ignition feed i imagine). Neither him or me would normally entertain 'bodging' something, but its really not worth the time or hassle on this car because i only paid peanuts for it! I wouldnt even be bothered that it didnt work but its amazing how much you miss the heaters! Not only is is extremely cold, the windows mist up, which means you have to keep the window open a bit - not nice first thing in the morning going along the motorway!

13th November 2008, 13:43

Its not the Reostat mate that controls how bright you dashboard is,what you mean is the Resistor pack.Some Citroens you can buy them seperately others are complete with the blower motor.

Steve.

13th November 2008, 13:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevo67

Its not the Reostat mate that controls how bright you dashboard is,what you mean is the Resistor pack.Some Citroens you can buy them seperately others are complete with the blower motor.

Steve.

Well, my understanding of a Rheostat is that it is a variable resistor. So it makes sense that things like the dashboard dimmer switch uses a one, but I have read that the heater blower uses a Rheostat (for Xsaras anyway). I dont know if you know but the Xsara has a variable fan speed switch i.e it doesnt have 0, 1, 2, 3 etc positions, it is just one variable dial from off all the way to max (although if you slide it round beyond the off position, you can set it to the auto position). With this in mind, are you still sure about what you said?

13th November 2008, 15:14

this happend to my Saxo when i first bought it ...... in the Winter too

it was the resistor that needed changing, as it had just worn out. didnt cost much to fix, roughly £20 at an auto electrician .....

13th November 2008, 16:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by lcheater

Well, my understanding of a Rheostat is that it is a variable resistor. So it makes sense that things like the dashboard dimmer switch uses a one, but I have read that the heater blower uses a Rheostat (for Xsaras anyway). I dont know if you know but the Xsara has a variable fan speed switch i.e it doesnt have 0, 1, 2, 3 etc positions, it is just one variable dial from off all the way to max (although if you slide it round beyond the off position, you can set it to the auto position). With this in mind, are you still sure about what you said?

Fairly sure but I stand to be corrected by someone more knowledgeable.

Steve.

10th November 2010, 09:40

[QUOTE=lcheater;2704188]Well, seeing as though i cant find much more information out about this problem, my mate mechanic is letting me take the car into his garage after the boss has gone home. He said it could well be any ......QUOTE]

Did you ever get sorted with this, i.e. did you identify where the problem was? i have identical problem and am about to go buy a load of relays