S4 Heater fan fixed

Some time last year the heater fan packed up on my S4

Having looked at various forums I found that:

If you set the fan controls to "half way" you can stick your fingers into the fan footwell vent and attempt to spin the fan with your fingers.

Mine was very difficult to turn.

Some advice suggested that spraying lubricant into the vent can free up the bearings... but it could take a while

Well I've been spraying WD40 and Silicone lubricant into the footwell vent for the last 6 months....

Occasionally I would attempt to spin the fan.... and over the last few weeks it has started to free up.

Today I switched the fan on full blast.... and it's working

A bit slow at first but it's really freed up now and is working really well.

This may be of help to someone else.

The fan sits at the base of the heater matrix and has no drain to allow water to escape so the bottom motor bush tends to corrode and seize.

Even if yours is still working..... a spray of lubricant may help keep it going

Cheers.. i have something which sounds like a leaf stuck in there.. will have a look tomorrow!

Originally Posted by Peter K

Cheers.. i have something which sounds like a leaf stuck in there.. will have a look tomorrow!

Mine made a noise like there was a leaf in it just before it seized

Originally Posted by alfaGJ

Mine made a noise like there was a leaf in it just before it seized

my heater fan has never worked. so i will give it a go. thanks GJ.....

NO mine is free moving,but has no life..

any one know which fuse it is ?

Originally Posted by Spider.S3

NO mine is free moving,but has no life..

any one know which fuse it is ?

Should be the 7th from the left... It also protects the cigar lighter. So is easy to check

It's quite often the switch that needs a good clean...

Originally Posted by alfaGJ

Should be the 7th from the left... It also protects the cigar lighter. So is easy to check

It's quite often the switch that needs a good clean...

i changed the fuse, just to see but it still not working. the cigar lighter is not working too. but the light on the dash comes on when the heater switch is pushed to the right...

Ah .....

Sounds like a job for a multimeter

Dodgy earth...
(dis)connector...

Originally Posted by alfaGJ

Ah .....

Sounds like a job for a multimeter

Dodgy earth...
(dis)connector...

you read my mind. just been out with the multimeter.
got the lighter working but i think the heater motor will be coming out tomorrow. got power to the heater switch

well i just started to remove part of the interior, so i can get to the heater blower. my car has aircon and its in the way of the blower. looking at it, where is to much i would have to remove to get the blower out. so i think i will live with the heater blower not working for a bit longer......

Originally Posted by alfaGJ

Mine made a noise like there was a leaf in it just before it seized

Uh-oh! Better take a look then! Sort of forgot about it.. So spraying some WD-40 should do the trick?

Cheers

As I say... I alternated between WD40 for it's penetrating properties and Silicone spray for it's lubrication.....

Of course you may just have a leaf in there ....

But the lubrication can't do any harm

My heater motor didn't work when I first bought my Series 3 car. Pig to get at, but I had to sort out some wiring problems and change the steering box, so it was no real problem to go a bit further and take it out since most of the dashboard was out of the way.

I found that the enclosure was full of water and the brushes on the motor were badly corroded. The fan wouldn't rotate so I left it soaking for a week or so in WD-40. I then stripped it down and gave it a thorough clean. It recovered well, and no new parts were needed. From memory, the motor sits with the shaft in a vertical position with the brushes at the bottom, so the actual design isn't ideal since the brushes are the first thing to get submerged! When I refitted the motor, I drilled a 3mm hole in the side of the housing level with the brushes and bearing to enable me to periodically lubricate it by using WD-40 with the nozzle attached. I can't be certain, but I may have also put a drain hole in there as well. Either way, I haven't had a problem since.
For those of you who are perhaps thinking that these things only happen to Italian cars, please note that I once had a Lotus Elite, and after that, electrical jobs on cars could only get better!