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Fan speed for A/C and Heater

31K views 9 replies 3 participants last post by  I Bleed Ford Blue 
#1 ·
On my return trip from Kentucky a couple of days ago I checked the fan speed control. I got a good blast on 4 (highest speed), but for 3, 2, and 1 I barely got anything. Some weeks ago I came across an article that a resistor board (?) was to blame. Has anybody else had this problem, and if so how did you fix it? [scratch]
 
#2 ·
I haven't fixed one in an escape, but they are basically the same for most vehicles. There is a resistor pack somewhere under the dash that is inline between the switch and the fan motor itself. The resistor pack is usually three or four resistors in series and the way they work is the switch determines where in the pack the 12 v is fed in, the more resistors it goes thru the lower the voltage is going to the motor, and therefor the slower it goes. The highest speed position bypasses the resistor pack and sends a full 12 v to the motor. So when you have only high speed on the blower fan, that is a telltale sign the resistor pack is bad, if it did not run at all then the motor is bad. The good news is that on most cars, they are about 30 bucks. The bad news, they can be a bitch to change, depending on where they put it.

A few years ago, I had to change it on my kids 2001 cavalier and it took me 2 days. I finally had to cut a hole in the floor and go thru there to change it, chevy put it on the bottom of the heater box and it was so close to the floor you could not get tools on it, you either had to pull the dash and heater/ac box or cut a hole in the floor, I chose the hole.

They are almost always located in the airstream, so the air flow can keep them cool. Look on the heater/ac box itself just down stream from the fan motor.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Thanks for your input. I did find a resistor pack on O'Reilly's website for $21.99+ tax. There is a video on how to remove it that was on a '03 Escape. The difference is that the 12 has 4 bolts instead of 2. That one bit of info regarding if there was no blowing at all I would probably be in deep doo-doo! A friend of mine that works on cars told me not to waste too much time to replace it. I should have no problem . A review on another site said that if the temp was a little more than 8 degrees it would have been done in 10 min instead of 15. In case anyone wants to know the Ford part number is 118604-05122526 (Motorcraft), and for the O'Reilly it is RU1133. This part is made by BWD, and it comes with a limited life time warranty.
 
#4 · (Edited)
The Blower Motor Resistor has been replaced, and is working! It did take some time, and as usual it took faster to put it all back together. This is for a 2012 Escape XLT.

The three black bolts at the bottom of the glove box had to be removed. Some maneuvering needed to remove the glove box. The resistor sits just to center right is held by 2 bolts. There is a 3rd bolt that attaches to the wiring harness. I just loosened the bolt a little, but did not remove it. After I got the 2 bolts that hold the resistor down I carefully brought it up to the front. The connector will be right at you. Be careful! I managed to take a piece of the connector off when I used a screwdriver to disconnect. No major damage. Take the new resistor, plug it in, try out the speeds to make sure there are 4 speeds (mine did). Insert the 2 bolts to the resistor, SNUG, not tight, and the bolt to the wiring harness, SNUG, not tight. Put the glove box back into place, and reinstall the 3 black bolts at the bottom. Once you get the box back in place I went ahead and shut the glove box door. Again, I rechecked the fan speeds to make sure everything was working. I used a 7mm socket for the glove box, and a 5/16 socket for the bolts to the resistor. I bought the blower resistor from O'Reilly's as it came with a limited lifetime warranty. Save your receipt, or better yet, scan a copy of your receipt and save it in your Documents. I would not be surprised that after a couple of yours your original receipt will be unreadable. My Sam's and WalMart receipts do this.

The blower motor resistor has 4 holes. Two are for the bolts, and two are for guides.
 
#5 ·
I would not be surprised that after a couple of yours your original receipt will be unreadable. My Sam's and WalMart receipts do this.
They do that on purpose. they use a special ink on special paper that will fade after a few months, making them unreadable therefor preventing any returns.
 
#6 ·
[twothumbs]A couple of years ago I bought a brand new set of tires for my '09 Focus. The Tire Manager at the Sam's Club I belong to told me this. I told him I already do this to just about ANY receipts I get from these two places. I do find that if they are kept in the dark they will last a little longer. great suggestion! Thanks.
 
#10 ·
No need to check the resistor, just replace it. They're cheap and easy to replace.

FYI, since you lost speeds 1 and 2, the break is between 2 and 3.

If you need any help, I'm just over in North Olmsted. Shoot me a PM if you need any help.
 
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